Mary Baldwin College Environment-Based Learning Courses
Summer, 2008

	June 23 – 26  Math in the Garden Learn to use the garden and local environment to teach math skills to students. This course will cover math concepts from basic operations to geometry and data analysis. Course will include field trips to gardens and natural areas for implementation practice. More info & registration form (PDF)
	July 7 – 11  Writing as a Second Language: From Natural Experience to Story to Prose Donald Davis, nationally known and award winning storyteller, will return this summer as the facilitator for this course. The primary goal of the course is to help teachers use storytelling to enhance the writing abilities and interests of K-12 students.  Stories of experiences in the environment will be a focus of the course. The Frontier Culture Museum will provide a backdrop for participants as they practice the process. More info & registration form (PDF)
	July 7 – 11  Trout in the Classroom With a Trout in the Classroom (TIC) project, students in grades K-12 raise trout from eggs, monitor tank water quality, engage in stream habitat study, learn to appreciate water resources, begin to foster a conservation ethic and grow to understand ecosystems. Teachers will learn TIC methods and techniques to assist them in tailoring the program to their specific curricular and interdisciplinary needs. The course will include field trips to local rivers to study issues related to fisheries and ecosystem health. More info & registration form (PDF)
	July 14 – 18  Natural Research: Using the Environment for Student-Driven Investigations The natural environment presents an excellent setting for student development of scientific investigations. This course will provide educators with the skills needed to work with students as they design and perform their own experiments, collect and analyze data, and present results. Educators will participate in watershed-based activities as part of the course, including a trip to the Chesapeake Bay. The course will address learning standards in all fields of science: chemistry, biology/life science, earth science, and physics/physical science. More info & registration form (PDF)
	August 4 – 8  Environment-Based Learning In this course, educators will learn to integrate problem-based themes of the local community into the K-12 curriculum. Using the complex interconnections of the natural and built environments, educators from rural to urban areas will learn to facilitate investigations of real-world issues from a variety of perspectives: historical, scientific, socio-cultural, economic, and personal. Using Environment-Based Learning (EBL) to teach state and national standards will be an emphasis of the course. More info & registration form (PDF)

Graduate Credit: Each course provides 3 hours of graduate credit from MBC. Tuition is discounted by grants for some of the courses. A $50 registration fee is required. Courses will be held in Staunton and at various field-experience locations. Housing options are available.

For more information contact Dr. Tamra Willis, Master of Arts in Teaching Program, Mary Baldwin College. 540-887-7135 or twillis@mbc.edu.