ABOUT THE HITCHCOCK CENTER
Understanding the natural world, the impacts we have on it, and how we can work together to protect it, is
central to the content and context of what we teach.
The Hitchcock Center for the Environment offers a wide range of workshops, institutes, mentoring, and
consultation services that aid teachers in delivering quality educational programs in science (earth, life and physical)
integrated with civics, social studies, mathematics, geography, language arts, and other subject areas.
Recognized as a leader in environmental education, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment has been training and
supporting teachers (preK-8) for more than 30 years.
Emphasizing hands-on, inquiry-based techniques, the Hitchcock Center embraces place-based education and serves
as a catalyst for schools interested in using the environment as an integrating theme in a whole school setting.
Our programs are learner-centered, providing teachers with real-world contexts and opportunities to
construct their own understanding. We design our programs to address the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks and standards in
creative and innovative ways.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
— Rachel Carson
… teach the student to love the land, to understand what he sees, and to enjoy what he understands.
— Aldo Leopold
Authentic environmental commitment emerges out of firsthand experiences with real places on a small, manageable scale [over time].
— David Sobel
WHAT IS PLACE-BASED EDUCATION?
Place-based education is learning that is rooted in what is local -- the unique history, environment,
culture, economy, literature and art of a particular place. The community provides the context for learning,
student work focuses on community needs and interests, and community members serve as resources and partners
in every aspect of teaching and learning.
Place-based education has been shown to improve comprehension, attendance, behavior, and enthusiasm
for learning in students and increase creativity, involvement and energy in teachers.
The Hitchcock Center has been working with a few schools intensively using this model in Montague and Heath
with great results.
If you would like more information about place-based education, please call Ted Watt at the Hitchcock Center.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
COURSES
All School and Professional Development Workshops require reservations.
Please call (413) 256-6006 to register.
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The River That Connects Us
This hands-on, participatory course investigates the
environment of the Connecticut River watershed in Massachusetts through
field trips, hands-on activities, lecture, discussion, guest speakers and
laboratory work.
For practicing and pre-service teachers of grades 3-8, this hands-on, place-based
course integrates history and science across the curriculum to:
- Build understanding of the area's geology and ecology,
- Explore local history and its impact on the river,
- Investigate human impacts on local surface and ground waters, and
- Create a teacher-developed unit for your classroom.
Moderate hiking involved. 67.4 PDPs available. Offered by the
Valley Environmental Education Collaborative. 3 credits.
FEES: to be determined.
Classes will meet at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment in Amherst
and at various sites throughout the valley on the following dates:
Monday, July 14 - Thursday, July 17, 2008, and Monday, July 21 - Thursday,
July 24, 2008, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
For more information please contact:
Ted Watt at (413) 256-6006
Ted@hitchcockcenter.org ~~~~~~~~~~
OTHER WORKSHOPS & OPPORTUNITIES
Other workshops designed in direct response to the Department of Education’s recertification requirements include:
Natural Cycles (K-2)
Owning the Process of Scientific Inquiry (K-6)
The Science and Technology Challenge (1-6)
Literature, Language and Science (K-6)
Consider scheduling a Fun With Science Night at your school and involve your students, their parents, and other community members in a fun, hands-on science event. Families can visit various science stations and explore concepts and principles found in pendulums, magnets, water, life cycles, classifications, observations, and electricity.
We can tailor other workshops, trainings, and events to meet your specific classroom and school needs.
For more information, please call Jennifer Wiest, at 413-256-6006.
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THE PEG MCDANIEL RESOURCE CENTER
The Resource Center has a whole new look -- it's inviting, wonderfully lit, and beautiful!
Thanks to a group of volunteers dedicated to helping us maintain the most comprehensive
environmental education resourve center in Western Massachusetts, it's even better now.
Designed to support the teaching and learning needs of professional educators, the Center
maintains an extensive collection covering all aspects of science, nature, and the environment.
Newest additions include:
- Vernal Pools by Elizabeth Colburn
- Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities by David Sobel
- Mammals of the Eastern U.S. by John Whitaker, Jr.
- Nature All Year Long by Clare Walker Leslie
To schedule a tour of the Resource Center, call Micky McKinley, Resource Center Coordinator.
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PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANTS
We offer grant writing assistance and program partnership opportunities to strengthen your environmental education program. For more information, call Julie Johnson, Executive Director.
Would you like to start a Citizen Science or Schoolyard Habitat project at your school? Call Jennifer Wiest and see how you can engage your students in active scientific research and investigation.
We specialize in early childhood development and provide technical assistance to kindergarten and preschool
teachers. For more information, call Colleen Kelley.
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ABOUT OUR EDUCATION STAFF
Five Hitchcock Center educators represent more than 80 years of experience in science and
environmental education. Each brings incredible passion, strength and diversity to our educational programs.
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COLLEEN KELLEY has a degree in Resource Development and has been providing science and
environmental education for more than 20 years. She specializes in early childhood development and directs
the award-winning Nature Discovery Preschool Program. Colleen has won many awards including the 2000
Educator of the Year award from the New England Environmental Education Alliance. |
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MICKY MCKINLEY has a degree in Elementary Education and has been providing professional
and curriculum development services in life, physical and earth sciences for more than 20 years. She is
the Peg McDaniel Resource Center Coordinator and co-directs the MITS Summer Institutes. She also
coordinates and facilitates the Valley Environmental Education Collaborative, a collaborative of
more than 20 environmental organizations in Western Massachusetts. |
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HELEN ANN SEPHTON has a degree in Forestry Science and has been teaching environmental
sciences for more than 18 years. She is the director and lead-teacher of the Hitchcock Center’s award-winning
Eco-Bus Program and co-directs the MITS Summer Institutes. Helen Ann specializes in hands-on inquiry-based
science investigations that lead to active learning about the natural world.
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| JENNIFER
UNKLES has degrees in Elementary Science and Environmental Education and brings
more than 12 years of experience in these fields. She manages the Hitchcock Center’s Vernal Pool Certification,
Monarch Butterfly Tagging, and Atlantic Salmon Egg Rearing Programs. She is a teacher on the Eco-Bus Program
and is the director of the Hitchcock Center’s Summer Camp programs. Jennifer won the 2001 Executive Office
of Environmental Affairs award for her dedication, commitment and contributions to environmental education. |
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| TED WATT has a degree in Biology and is a highly skilled naturalist and environmental educator
with more than 20 years of experience. Ted specializes in place-based education models and is trained in
school-based EIC principles (using the Environment as an Integrating Context). He won the Toyota
Tapestry’s 2002 Award for Excellence in Science Education and received a Certificate of Achievement in
Environmental Education in 2003. |
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Questions
or comments? E-mail us at