Community of Practice Teachers Begin a New Year of Watershed Learning

Teachers in our Community of Practice kicked off the year in early August with an invigorating three-day Summer Science Workshop. The Discovery Center in Fairmount Park, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and the Philadelphia Zoo hosted the workshop. Teachers spent those days exploring local ecosystems and swapping ideas, and they left ready to bring more nature into their classrooms.

This year's cohort has 14 teachers from Philadelphia, Upper Darby, and Norristown. About a third are brand new to the program, a third are in their second year, and a third are program veterans. That mix gives new teachers a built-in network of colleagues who have done this work before.

Our monthly virtual professional development series began in September 2026. For the first session, Marcy Engleman of the Audubon Center at Mill Grove presented "Birding on School Grounds." She shared practical ideas that teachers can use with their students right away. Next we'll welcome guest speakers on mycology in October, geology in November, and native plants and pollinators in December. Each topic helps teachers show students how the ecosystems around their own schools fit together.

Teachers are also brainstorming ideas for their Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE). A MWEE is a multi-part learning experience built around a real environmental issue in the students' own watershed. Students start by asking questions about the issue. Then they go outside to investigate it firsthand, analyze what they find, and design an action project that helps their community and local waterways. Students lead each step, which is part of what makes a MWEE meaningful. This year's students will help choose their focus after their in-person lessons with Riverbend in the spring. We can't wait to see what they come up with.