NATURAL EDUCATORS
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​Conservation starts with Education

Education for sustainability in the Galapagos is a four year teacher training and transformation project.  A teacher leadership team of math and science educational leaders facilitate professional developments every April and October for 7 day training rotations.  We expect this project will serve as a model for education reform for the rest of Ecuador, and hope to see it replicated in other parts of the world.  
Galapagos Conservancy

Discovering Sustainable teacher Training

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The effectiveness of the teacher development program is being evaluated by the SMU Center on Research and Evaluation (C.O.R.E.). The evaluation documents below outline more details about the program and how it will be evaluated over time.  Two teacher coaches (Mariam and Sandra) are on the Island and are the link between the program PD and the local teacher application.  They help lead Professional Learning Communities, and provide feedback about teacher needs for future training. 

​The agenda for K - 7th grade teachers was a rotation from science to math throughout the week of professional development. Our team was in charge of modeling 5E lessons for the Science Ecuadorian Ministry of Education Standards. In each one of the workshops facilitated we aimed to:​


  • Directly teach how to decipher and dissect the standard being taught. ​
  • Model how to be flexible in planning and implementing the 5E process.
  • Integrate the schoolyard or outdoor area into the learning experience. 
  • Practice appropriate and respectful ways to get students attention.
  • Encourage cooperative discussion, discoveries, and reflection.
  • Smile, have fun, and learn something new

October 2016 - Reflections

One of the central concerns for the Education for Sustainability project is that the Galapagos education system has made little use of its own locale. There is a tremendous opportunity for schools to integrate Galapagos’ physical surroundings as a natural laboratory to teach and apply the natural sciences, social sciences, and service-based learning. The project seeks to provide teachers with the skills to leverage that opportunity. One of the ways we targeted this goal was by not only collecting simple and easy to use outdoor teaching tools, but more importantly modeling how to use the tools during our workshops.
Seeds - Angiosperm vs Gymnosperm
Pollinator Agents
Plant Life Cycles and Characteristics 
​Structural and Behavioral Adaptations
Magico Galapagos Song
Real Human Body Parts Simulation
Insect Life Cycles
Photosynthesis and Plant Respiration
Weather data and Environmental Conditions
Outdoor Teaching Toolkit Blog
Augmented Reality - Tech Integration
Ecosystems and Habitats
Invertebrates vs. Vertebrates
Color your Reflections Activity
Video Compilation

Abstract | Evaluation docs

teacher_training_abstract.pdf
File Size: 650 kb
File Type: pdf
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core_-_research_and_evaluation.pdf
File Size: 11412 kb
File Type: pdf
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galapagosinterimreportjuly2016.pdf
File Size: 1718 kb
File Type: pdf
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Partners in Action

- Galapagos Conservancy

- Ecology Project International

- Charles Darwin Foundation


- Teacher 2 Teacher International

- SMU, Center on Research and Evaluation
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- Tomas De Borlanga School

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Leadership Team ​
- richard Knab, Galapagos conservancy
- Dr. Diego Roman, SMU
- Dr. Dara Rossi, SMU
- Dr. K.C. Busch, Stanford
- Greses Perez, Stanford PhD student 
- Carolina Andrade-Marin, Teacher Coach

- Logan LeCompte. M.Ed. 

April Planning | Preperation

- How can we honor Sandra's request to bring into the trainings real environmental concerns happening on the Island?

- Me, We, You. Focus on each one E daily.  Model and give more ownership to teachers to create lessons throughout the week. 

- How can we help Mariam and Sandra identify master teacher mentors?

- How can we use the Science and Math Project Based learning sample lessons below?
blackberries_pbl.ppt
File Size: 16566 kb
File Type: ppt
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oil_spill_in_galapagos.ppt
File Size: 7728 kb
File Type: ppt
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sea_surface_temperatures.pdf
File Size: 2433 kb
File Type: pdf
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