On Thursday, July 12, thirty educators serving grades 6-12 in Los Angeles County, gathered to attend the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by Nature workshop hosted by TreePeople and held at SCV Water.

The workshop focused on showing teachers how to effectively use the outdoor classroom to teach various science and engineering disciplines.

The workshop helped educators understand and utilize the NGSS concept of “three-dimensional learning”. This concept incorporates science and engineering practices, cross- cutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas. Teaching concepts and core ideas together help students gain a thorough understanding and also more accurately reflect how science and engineering is practiced in the real world.

Loyda Ramos, education outreach manager for TreePeople said, “These workshops are a valuable resource that provides teachers with a project pathway and activities to guide students through environmental service learning projects.”

Four of SCV Water’s Conservation Education Specialists attended the workshop. They took away some new strategies to authentically engage students and improve the outdoor classroom experience.

“SCV Water’s School Education Program focuses on age-appropriate, interactive activities focused on water conservation and water treatment,” said Water Conservation Education Specialist Barbara Cawley. “The workshop helped me learn how to connect classwork to tangible life experiences.”

More than 13,000 students attend SCV Water’s School Education Program each year. Grades three through six and the high school Environmental Science summer workshops are taught at SCV Water and utilize the outdoor classroom to learn. Students benefit from the “three dimensional learning” by putting the concepts they learn immediately in to practice by conducting their own hands-on experiments.