Summer Institute for Middle and High School Teachers and Curriculum Coordinators

July 16-18/19 at Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY

At the CELF Summer Institute, teachers and administrators learn how to build students' knowledge and skills enabling them to develop and nurture an environmentally healthy, economically sound and socially just world. Participants focus on integrating sustainability content and pedagogical principles into standards-based curriculum.

At the Institute teachers explore strategies that make learning relevant and engaging. No added bells and whistles or extraneous technology necessary – just a remarkably different, dynamic and inspiring way of reinvigorating their coursework through a new lens.

Participants are eligible for in-service credits, or graduate credits from our partner, the Manhattanville College School of Education.

“I’ve been to dozens of professional development and curriculum workshops; the CELF Institute was the best of the best…. I left with a comprehensive PLAN and felt totally prepared to implement my reframed unit in the fall.” – 2011 participant, High School History teacher

Connect Core Concepts with Your Curriculum

At the CELF Summer Institute, participants will:

• Gain a greater understanding of the global issues affecting our planet, including social, environmental and economic factors.
• Learn about foundation concepts including systems, interdependence and community.
• Use sustainability as a lens for developing critical thinking skills and engaging students by measuring environmental and social impacts individually and globally.
• Outline a curriculum makeover and develop a plan to integrate it within your scope and sequence. Redesign your curriculum lesson or unit independently or in grade-level groups. Get feedback from presenters, who will also share lesson plans and curricular materials for out-of-the-box use.
• Engage in carefully-crafted learning activities that enable teachers to experience key concepts as learners, and model methods they can use with their students.
• Explore field-tested exemplar lesson materials with readings, directions and essential content.

Meet Specific Learning Objectives

After completing the Institute, participants will be equipped to:

• Understand Education for Sustainability (EfS) terminology and methodology
• Align curriculum projects with state learning standards and national EfS standards
• Understand product life cycle analysis, interdependence, equity and justice and how other related “big ideas” can be used as teaching tools
• Apply systems thinking to pedagogy and curriculum
• Identify enduring understandings and access points for sustainability within existing curriculum
• Reframe curriculum through the lens of sustainability

Get Ongoing CELF Support 

Once educators have completed the Institute, all participants receive ongoing support and feedback. Every Summer Institute participant is automatically registered for access to CELF's online Curriculum and Resources.

2012 Program Highlights  Hear from past participants who have successfully implemented EfS in their classrooms Customize your workshop participation by selecting from numerous choices during the program. Topics include a separate strand on "Connecting students with Community and Nature" Explore extensive EfS resource library and learn how it can be utilized in your classroom Exchange ideas with educators from across the nation. Organic breakfast daily