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The Science Center Community of Practice is a group of committed educators and community leaders from twelve Science Centers across the Northeast. Over the past seven years, they have worked to cultivate local learning ecosystems, infusing climate and data education into a wide variety of community spaces as a part of their involvement in the NASA Science Activation program's Learning Ecosystem Northeast (LENE) project network. In September 2023, the LENE team convened 20 members of this group for a 3-day retreat in Lake Placid, NY to facilitate professional learning on learning ecosystem theory, community engagement strategies, leadership models, and climate/data programming.
The first day focused on relationship-building and exploring NASA-powered connected learning. Activities, such as a climate change modeling game and community science protocols, demonstrated diverse learning possibilities that effective for both in and out of school environments. These exercises sparked creativity and helped participants envision how educators of all kinds could investigate local climate impacts in their communities.
On the second day, the group visited the Wild Center, one of their home institutions. They immersed themselves in climate change programming shaped by local community insights and experienced professional learning sessions that emphasized effective engagement methods for diverse audiences on topics of climate change, activism, and justice.
The final day provided participants with dedicated time to dive deep into learning ecosystem theory and strategize best practices for community engagement and deepening connections among educators in their local areas. They also worked on articulating long-term visions for 2025, ensuring that the retreat's insights would have a lasting impact on their respective initiatives. Through collaborative engagement and strategic planning, participants left with an expanded toolkit and renewed visions, ready to enrich their local learning ecosystems.
Learning Ecosystems Northeast is part of the NASA Science Activation Program (Award Number: NNX16AB94A). Learn more at www.learningecosystemsnortheast.org