The California International Studies Project at Sonoma State University, in partnership with the School of Education, is offering a five-day Teaching for Sustainable Communities summer institute at Sonoma State July 24-28. The institute is free and offered to teachers of grades 6-12. Applications are due by April 30.
"We will focus on what social, economic and ecological sustainability looks like," says the California International Studies Project's Michelle Mazzeo, who works in the Sonoma State office of the statewide organization focused on developing teacher leadership around global competence and active citizenship. "Teachers will design projects and integrate them into their own curriculum. Their students will have the opportunity to connect the skills they learn in class, and through this project, to the bigger picture of sustainability."
The institute offers space for learning, planning and collaboration with the project's teacher leaders, University faculty and sustainability professionals, community organization leaders, and student representatives. Participants opt to engage in up to two days of fieldwork training in the beginning of the year, and end the year with a one-day student showcase of their action projects.
"Educators will be designing action projects that align with the work of community organizations and policy," says Mazzeo.
Up to 25 teachers of grades 6-12 will be selected to participate in the institute, which culminates with a leadership capstone at the California Teacher's Summit on July 28. For more information, visit CISPglobal.org.