October 5-7, 2018
Lakeview Conference Center
Palestine, Texas
Communicating and Connecting Our Diverse Natures
The 2018 TAEE
conference marks the 37th conference and celebrates 38 years of work since TAEE's establishment. This year the conference will take place October 5 - 7th at the
Lakeview Methodist Conference Center
located in the piney woods of
Palestine, TX.
The 2018 conference theme is
"Communicating and Connecting Our Diverse Natures."
We all come from and/or are made up of diverse ecosystems, people, cultures, abilities, experiences etc... Through environmental education (EE), we develop ways to communicate and connect those differences through natural experiences outdoor. Perhaps you have a success in communicating and connecting one of these "natures" when teaching EE.
TAEE uses the Texas Natural Resource / Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP)to guide and focus our mission and
work.
The ELP is available at www.taee.org.
The TAEE conference is for all those who consider themselves environmental educators; whether in a classroom, at a nature center or as a passion you share with others.
TAEE offers this annual conference as an opportunity to increase skills and learn new methods that help us grow in the EE field. It is through our connections that we expand to meet future needs, where best practices are shared and great ideas are passed forward.
Proposals Requested:
We are looking for presentations that address the themes of the Environmental Literacy Plan with a focus on communicating and connecting people to the environment through the varied composition of environmental educators and their expertise in using EE to reach diverse audiences.
Examples:
- How do you use EE in the classroom to meet a diverse need?
- How do you use your outdoor learning environment to connect your students to the natural world?
- How do you communicate complex EE concepts to your students?
- Which lesson/program have you found that really connects multicultural children/adults to the outdoors?
- How do you access your student's outdoor learning achievement?
- Which professional development have you done that promotes the ELP or tenets of the ELP in regards to EE's diverse make-up?
- What is a successful program you have presented to senior adults, low income adults/children, physically or challenged adults/children, ADD/ADHD, vision/hearing impaired etc...?
- Is there a program that you present that is a specialty because of the uniqueness of your ecosystem that others from your area would benefit learning about?
- Have you found a funding source that promotes curriculum/programs that helps you in connecting with a certain population?
- Would you share your expertise in a content area i.e. research, curriculum development, classroom management, implementing good environmental practices on campus, etc.?
These are just a few examples. We would love to learn about the many ways you educate and collaborate to achieve environmental literacy for all.
Format:
Short courses of 2 to 6 hours will be offered on Friday, October 5. Sessions of one and two hours will be presented on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7.
Session Locations:
All classrooms have A/V capabilities and outdoor seating areas are available. The Lakeview United Methodist campus has trails and wooded areas, all of which could be used for sessions.
Submission Requirements:
TAEE welcomes your proposal.
Click here for proposal form.
Contact Linda Dunn at
ldunn@wetlandcenter.com
with any questions about your submission. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2018. Proposals received after the deadline may be considered if space is available.
We look forward to receiving some really great session proposals this year!
Sincerely,
Linda Dunn
TAEE Conference Chair
