Meet Rosa Alaimo, a passionate and dedicated grade 8 teacher at Pikangikum First Nation in northern Ontario. In just her fourth year of teaching, Rosa has already made a significant impact by weaving sustainability and climate change education into her curriculum through an Indigenous lens. From her early involvement in local gardening and nature initiatives, Rosa's lifelong passion for nature shines in her classroom. She draws inspiration from mentors like Pam Miller, Natasha Garda, and Ryan Neepin, employing a Two-Eyed Seeing approach that harmonizes Western and Indigenous knowledge systems. This method enriches her students' learning experiences and fosters a deep respect for Indigenous perspectives.
Rosa is the 2024 Runner Up Grand Prize Winner of the Edward Burtynsky Award for Teaching Excellence in Environmental Education! Here is her story:
Rosa actively engages her students in environmental stewardship, teaching them species names in native Anishinaabemowin dialect and encouraging student-led action projects. These initiatives empower her students to drive positive change in their community, addressing pressing issues like microplastics and contaminated water. Her classroom is a vibrant hub of inquiry and experiential learning, where students not only acquire knowledge but also develop the skills necessary for meaningful environmental advocacy.
Through her commitment to nurturing future generations of environmental leaders, Rosa instills a deep reverence for nature in her students, inspiring them to believe in their ability to create a sustainable future for all!
Igniting Curiosity Through Exploration and Discovery - Branch I: Inquiry & Engagement / Lighting the Fire
As an educator, Rosa Alaimo finds immense joy in igniting curiosity about learning and the natural world in her students. She believes that fostering a sense of wonder is crucial for encouraging them to explore their questions and ideas, particularly regarding pressing issues like environmental sustainability. Rosa’s approach centers on transforming questions into sparks for learning, driving exploration and ultimately inspiring change.
Rosa begins by inviting her students to engage with their environment during recess. She challenges them to explore, observe, and connect with nature through activities designed to cultivate their curiosity. One of their favorite challenges is an insect hunt, where students search for and capture insects in special viewers. This hands-on experience not only sparks their interest but also instills a sense of respect for living creatures. By demonstrating her own enthusiasm for nature, Rosa aims to inspire a shared appreciation for the world around them.
The students also participate in photo hunts, searching for leaves, plants, and clouds. These activities deepen their connection to the local environment, encouraging them to see the beauty and complexity of nature. Each discovery fosters a sense of belonging and stewardship, which are vital elements in cultivating environmentally conscious citizens.
To transition from exploration to inspiration, Rosa introduces her students to young environmental role models through engaging videos. Young changemakers like Autumn Peltier, Greta Thunberg, and Nicholas Flowers highlight the power of youth in creating positive change, igniting a spark of motivation among her students. Watching these role models in action shows them that their voices matter and that they too can make a difference.
Rosa also guides discussions around global environmental challenges such as microplastics, fast fashion, biodiversity loss, forest fires, and climate change. These issues resonate with her students, and through guided research, they begin to identify areas that speak to them personally. This exploration sets the stage for their year ahead, shifting focus to action-oriented projects that empower students to collaborate on addressing environmental issues.
By fostering a classroom culture rooted in inquiry and engagement, Rosa aims to equip her students with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As they learn to ask essential questions—“How can we do this better?” and “How can we solve this problem?”—they develop the tools needed to re-evaluate current approaches to climate issues. Ultimately, Rosa’s goal is to inspire her students to believe in their capacity to drive change and contribute to a sustainable future for all. Through curiosity and creativity, she lights the fire of learning and nurtures the next generation of environmental leaders.
Empowering Students Through Outdoor Challenges - Branch II: Experiential Learning / Sending Out Roots
Rosa Alaimo’s teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in engaging students through hands-on and hearts-on experiences that connect them with the environment. At the core of her approach are outdoor challenges, where students explore the schoolyard in search of various natural elements, including insects, birds, leaves, trees, plants, and rocks. These explorations serve as a foundation for building a strong sense of place and personal connection to the land.
After their outdoor adventures, Rosa gathers her students to share their findings, This sharing session is crucial as it lays the groundwork for their nature journals. Initially, she scaffolds the journaling process, guiding students in observing, drawing, questioning, and conducting research. Rosa actively participates alongside them, modeling her appreciation and enthusiasm for nature. In her current school in Pikangikum, she challenges her students to include Anishinaabemowin phonetics and syllabics for species names. By collaborating with the Native Language teacher, staff, and Elders, they ensure accurate spelling, which fosters a deeper connection to the local land and language.
Another impactful project in Rosa's classroom is water testing, particularly significant in a community where residents must boil water before consumption. Students actively participate in collecting and testing water samples from local streams, contaminated tap water, and clean bottled sources. This hands-on experience not only strengthens their bond with the land but also cultivates essential analytical skills. Living under a boil water advisory for their entire lives, students began to recognize the injustice of unsafe water access, which empowers them to advocate for change. Involving students in water testing nurtures their intrinsic connection to this vital resource, motivating them to protect it.
Through these experiential learning opportunities, Rosa's students deepen their understanding of environmental issues while developing the agency to address them.
Fostering Action and Responsibility for a Sustainable Future - Branch IV: Moving Towards Sustainability / Breathing with the World
Rosa Alaimo’s teaching practice is designed to create opportunities for students to cultivate sustainable attitudes and actions while fostering reciprocal relationships with the world around them. Central to her philosophy is the emphasis on ACTION, encouraging students to take tangible steps that not only alleviate eco-anxiety but also demonstrate the impact of individual efforts in creating local change.
This year, Rosa's classroom collaborated with the Eco Action Team on an exciting project focused on growing a variety of edible plants from seeds. The hands-on experience of potting soil, planting seeds, establishing watering routines, and using grow lights ignited a passion for plant care among her students. Their enthusiasm even led them to request plants to nurture at home. This inquiry into plant growth was so inspiring that it prompted funding from the school board, enabling Rosa to purchase a four-tiered hydroponics system for the Eco Club in the following year.
Through this inquiry work, Rosa has observed a gradual shift in her students’ attitudes towards sustainability. After a nature journal entry on crows and ravens, students eagerly began identifying birds during recess and bus rides. They enthusiastically shared their discoveries of leaves, insects, and bird feathers, which Rosa proudly displayed alongside the corresponding species names. This practice fosters a sense of ownership and pride among students for their contributions to the learning environment.
By nurturing connections with the natural world, Rosa instills a sense of responsibility and motivation in her students to protect it. Through these hands-on experiences and her modeling of sustainable practices, she inspires a generation of environmentally conscious individuals who are ready to tackle the challenges of sustainability. In this way, her teaching not only cultivates knowledge but also plants the seeds for a deeper, reciprocal relationship with the environment, encouraging her students to breathe with the world around them!
The Four Branches of Environmental Inquiry: Cultivating Global Stewards
Rosa Alaimo believes that the four branches of environmental inquiry play a vital role in fostering an appreciation for nature and a commitment to its preservation. Throughout the year, she guides her students through these branches in every inquiry, empowering them to transition from exploration to action, while nurturing their confidence and competence. Her ultimate goal as an educator is to equip students with the skills needed to become global stewards, capable of advocating for justice and effecting change both locally and globally.
At the heart of Rosa's teaching philosophy is the integration of environmental education with reconciliation. Each day, her students engage in environmental inquiries, exploring the schoolyard for insects, birds, plants, and trees. This hands-on approach ignites their curiosity and prompts research-driven investigations. By incorporating research components into their inquiries, Rosa empowers students to drive their own learning journeys, acting as a facilitator only when necessary to grant them agency over their education.
This year, Rosa's classroom received a grant for a Saturna microplastic camera, allowing students to investigate plastic pollution in a local lake. Through extensive research and poster projects, they analyzed microplastics in sand samples and showcased their findings at a school-wide Earth Week event. By the end of the inquiry, students developed a deep understanding of the impact of microplastics on water, ecosystems, and human health, culminating in collaborative art installations that emphasized the importance of water conservation.
Rosa prioritizes environmental education and reconciliation in her teaching, guided by diverse perspectives and mentors. Collaborating with Indigenous knowledge keepers, she immerses students in Anishinaabemowin and hands-on projects. Through cross-curricular initiatives, students explore environmental issues, taking action from growing plants to investigating microplastics. These efforts extend to engaging the wider community in events and advocacy, fostering a deep connection to the land and empowering students, staff, and community members to become global stewards.
A Commitment to Indigenous Perspectives and Community Engagement
Rosa Alaimo is dedicated to integrating Indigenous perspectives into her environmental education, recognizing the importance of reconciliation and mutual respect as an educator on Turtle Island. Her commitment to honoring Indigenous histories, cultures, and knowledge is evident in her continuous pursuit of learning and collaboration with mentors such as Jenny Blackbird, Ryan Neepin, and Joseph Pitawanakwat. These relationships enrich her teaching and help deepen her students' understanding of Indigenous ecological knowledge, particularly through the integration of Anishinaabemowin into daily activities and projects.
Rosa’s innovative environmental education initiatives have significantly impacted her students, fostering critical thinking and a shift in attitudes towards sustainability. By engaging students in inquiry-based projects, they have developed a deeper understanding of climate change and its complexities. Her class's school-wide events during Earth Week engaged over 400 attendees and sparked discussions on environmental issues across various grades, fostering a sense of community and collective action.
Collaboration with fellow educators and the wider community is central to Rosa’s approach. By actively involving students in shaping inquiries and projects, she ensures their interests guide the direction of their learning. The establishment of an Eco Action Team has further extended the impact of her efforts, creating opportunities for practical applications of environmental education, such as a hydroponics garden that supports high school nutrition courses.
Rosa believes in the power of local action to create global change, emphasizing that even small steps can lead to significant impacts. Through her ongoing commitment to integrating Indigenous knowledge, fostering collaboration, and engaging the community, she cultivates informed and proactive environmental stewards capable of driving meaningful change at both local and global levels.
-By Sachi Shukul
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