2021-2022 Professional Learning
A brand new suite of professional learning opportunities for the 2021-22 school year
Click HERE to register today!
Welcome back to another year of teaching and learning on the land! Over the summer, the Natural Curiosity team has been reflecting on the lessons and silver linings from last year and brainstorming ways to help build a "better normal" in the 2021-22 school year. We are excited to share with you our brand new suite of professional learning opportunities, designed to support educators, school boards, and environmental education organizations, from coast to coast to coast, with the return to teaching this September!
Please find below information about our transformative professional learning opportunities, differing in commitment, grade level, and familiarity with Natural Curiosity, to help you and your colleagues implement and improve environmental education with the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives, for the benefit of tens of thousands of students across Turtle Island.
Online Small Group Coaching
January 2022 Start
The online small group coaching will support educators in transforming and/or deepening their Natural Curiosity teaching practice by providing a safe online space for open conversation, community and collegial friendship. This inquiry-led, small group of educators will meet for 2 hours monthly to unpack key principles in Natural Curiosity. Facilitators will loosely structure workshops sessions with ample time for group discussion, challenging participants to reconsider their pedagogical practice while sharing and learning from one another. This program is geared towards those who are already familiar with Natural Curiosity’s four-branch framework of environmental inquiry and associated Indigenous lenses. An online communication channel will be created to allow for conversation and mutual support between sessions.
Online Small Group Coaching (Early Years–Primary)
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Familiarity with NC: Developing/Experienced
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Grade Specialization: Early Years–Primary
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Commitment: 7 sessions (Jan - Aug)
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Coach: Velvet Lacasse, BEd, OCT, MEd Candidate (OISE-UofT)
Online Small Group Coaching (Junior–Senior)
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Familiarity with NC: Developing/Experienced
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Grade Specialization: Junior–Senior
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Commitment: 7 sessions (Jan - Aug)
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Facilitator: Maria Vamvalis, BEd, OCT, PhD Candidate (OISE-UofT)
Fall 4-Part Series
Registration for our Fall 4-Part Series is now closed. Thank you for your interest.
Check back in November for updates on our 2022 Program Launch!
Natural Curiosity 4-Part Series
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Familiarity with NC: Beginning
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Grade Specialization: Early Childhood–12; mixed
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Commitment: 4 sessions (Sept - Dec)
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Facilitator: Velvet Lacasse, BEd, OCT, MEd Candidate (OISE-UofT)
The 4-Part Series is a comprehensive introduction to Natural Curiosity designed for educators who are beginning to integrate environmental inquiry and Indigenous perspectives into their practice. Over the course of four months, educators will explore Natural Curiosity's four-branch framework of environmental inquiry and the associated Indigenous lenses, that present tangible entry points towards a reciprocal relationship with the Land participating as a co-teacher. Strategies to overcome barriers will be discussed in a safe and collegial online environment where educators may process their experiences, ask questions and share stories. An online communication channel will be created to allow for conversation and mutual support between each 2-hour monthly sessions.
Transformative Climate Education 4-Part Series
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Familiarity with NC and/or GT: Beginning
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Grade Specialization: Junior–Senior
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Commitment: 4 sessions (Sept - Dec)
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Facilitator: Maria Vamvalis (Natural Curiosity Coach) & Ian Shanahan (Editor in Chief, Green Teacher)
Natural Curiosity and Green Teacher are excited to launch a 4-Part climate-focused virtual professional learning series this fall. This series is for educators of junior, intermediate and senior grades who wish to deepen their own inquiry into the ecology of Natural Curiosity — growing a learning environment where educators and students experience themselves in relationship with the Land and each other in community — and how this pedagogical approach can be applied to climate change education. Natural Curiosity's four-branch environmental inquiry framework with an Indigenous lens will be applied to a solutions-focused approach to climate education that leaves students both informed and empowered about the challenges and opportunities of anthropogenic climate change.
This 4-part series is brought to you with the support of TD Friends of the Environment.
Monthly Webinars
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New Monthly Webinar Series!
The Natural Curiosity team is excited to launch "Recovery, Reflection, and Reciprocity", a 2021-22 webinar series designed to support educators to garner the important lessons we learned about connection, wellbeing, and reciprocal relationships toward a common goal – to make learning on the land an essential part of environmental and all education in post-COVID times. Building on the 20+ inspiring Indigenous and environmental educator voices featured in our 9 webinars in 2020-21, our intention for this series is to highlight more exemplary educator stories to further unpack the principles and practices laid out in Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children's Environmental Inquiry.
We are honoured to introduce the guest speakers of our kickoff webinar, Amanda Paakkunainen and Lana Desjardins. Amanda and Lana are early years educators from the Superior-Greenstone District School Board and proud winners of our 2021 Natural Curiosity Burtynsky Award! Check out their award-winning story to get a glimpse into our opening webinar.
Bringing Natural Curiosity to your school board
Is your school board looking for enriching professional learning opportunities?
The Natural Curiosity team was honoured to directly support more than 4,170 educators in their professional learning last year. We continue to take workshop requests from school boards across Turtle Island, working with Indigenous Education and/or Environmental Education Leads to co-design and co-facilitate sessions whenever possible. Join us this year!
Did you know Natural Curiosity is dedicated to offering discounted programming for Indigenous educators, and schools and educators that serve Indigenous students? Get in touch for more information!