Every June, educators from across Colorado and the broader Rocky Mountain Region come together at Western Colorado University for the Teacher Institute. Sarah Johnson, of Wild Rose Education has been teaching a river and watershed graduate course each summer since 2017. We’d love for you to join us this year!  

 

In this virtual course, students will engage in action research to identify and share solutions for water equity issues in Colorado. Through storytelling and narratives about water in the region, students will explore their personal relationship with water and equity.

 

The course will incorporate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, along with insights from social science, historical perspectives, geographic tools, and diverse viewpoints. This comprehensive approach will enable students to develop a deeper understanding of water issues in Colorado over time. Using this context, students will craft and tell their own unique water stories to share.

 

Key focus areas include health factors, community well-being, impacts on local communities, identifying causes of water-related challenges, and understanding how to influence positive change.

 

Utilizing a learning guide from the Smithsonian Science Education Center's Science for Global Goals, students will have access to free, classroom-ready tools to facilitate their investigations into water and environmental issues. The course includes both self-paced activities and four virtual meetings over a two-week period. Virtual meetings will be interactive and engaging, relying on group participation for discussions and activities.

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Students will need to set up and use the following tools: Canvas LMS, Google Drive, a free educator account on Miro (register using a .edu email), and a free Padlet account.

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Full participation and engagement during virtual meetings are expected; participating from a smartphone while in transit will not be adequate.

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Here are the details: 

• When: Tuesday/Thursdays June 17, 19, 24, 26, 2025 from 8:30am-11am MT
   

• Where: On ZOOM
   

• Who: Educators seeking graduate credit
   

• Earn 2 graduate credits at a 40% discount of typical tuition
   

• Register and all the details here