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SYSTEMS THINKING FOR CLIMATE EDUCATION
AND CIVIC ACTION

Introduction to the Compass Tools
FREE Virtual Workshop Series
for Educators in North America

March 14, 21 & 28 (4-6 PM Central Time)

Course Overview

Are you looking to embed climate education in your curriculum? Do you want to empower your students to take civic action to address climate change? How can you be a leader of the climate education movement in your community?

Compass Education is pleased to offer a three-part virtual Introduction to the Compass Tools workshop series this spring for educators across North America on ‘Systems Thinking for Climate Education and Civic Action.’

This highly interactive workshop series will introduce participants to the fundamentals of systems thinking and teach them to use the versatile systems thinking tools, The Sustainability Compass and the Systems Iceberg, to integrate sustainability and climate issues into their work. Participants will leave this series with a plan to use systems thinking to integrate climate education into their work or engage their students in civic action for sustainability.

This workshop series will be a unique version of our popular one-day workshop focused on climate education and civic action. Click here to learn more about our One Day workshop.

Any classroom educator or school administrator currently working in Canada, Mexico, or the United States is eligible to apply. We especially encourage educators working in public or government schools with limited access to professional learning funds to apply. This workshop will be held in English.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Some of the criteria we will consider include:

  • Availability to attend all workshop sessions
  • Demonstrated passion for learning about climate and civic education
  • Commitment to trying an activity, learning, or action plan using systems thinking tools by the end of the 2023-2024 school year. (Visit our website to see examples!)
  • Expressed financial need
  • English-language fluency

Apply to participate in this Introduction to the Compass Tools workshop today! It is FREE! Application will be reviewed on a rolling basis and all decisions will be made by March 1.

Special opportunity:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to apply for one of 20 free spots in our online certification workshop ‘More Systems Thinking Tools for Sustainability in the Classroom’’. This course contains 6 hours of additional content on systems thinking tools and sustainability and includes a 1-1- meeting with a Compass Facilitator to discuss their learning or action plan. Completing this course leads to ‘Compass Practitioner’ Certification- a globally recognized certificate in education for sustainability.

APPLY NOW!
Download Flyer Here
This workshop series has been made available through funding provided to Compass Education Program Manager Gitanjali Paul from the NAAEE’s CEE Change Fellowship. This program is funded by the Office of Environmental Education at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through ee360+, the Environmental Education and Training Program led by NAAEE under Assistance Agreement No. NT 84019001. It has not been formally reviewed by EPA. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the NAAEE and EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.

Session 1: Introduction to Systems Thinking with the Sustainability Compass

This session highlights a tool called the Sustainability Compass which engages us in systems thinking- a way of looking at the world that emphasizes interconnectivity and interdependence. We will demonstrate ways that this powerful tool can integrate into your teaching and learning plans to help learners think critically and deeply about the topics they study and our global community.

Sustainability Compass image with copyright

Session 2: Using the Iceberg to Deepen Our Understandings

This session dives deep into using the Systems Iceberg Model, a systems thinking tool designed to evaluate a problem or event by examining the root causes, underlying structures and mental models that can trigger it. As we deepen our understanding, we can develop new perspectives and more effective and sustainable solutions.

toolkit-05

Session 3: Action Planning and Curriculum Design

We will study examples of curriculum design in a broad range of topics, age groups and subjects. Participants will be able to work independently or in small groups to design an action plan or curriculum plan to engage their students in climate education and/or civic action using systems thinking.

Action Planning

Learning Outcomes

Who should participate?

Any classroom educator or school administrator currently working in Canada, Mexico, or the United States is eligible to apply. We especially encourage educators working in public or government schools with limited access to professional learning funds to apply.

Time Expectations

This workshop series will be delivered virtually (six hours) in three sessions formats. This workshop will be held in English.

Certifications

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to apply for one of 20 free spots in our online certification workshop ‘More Systems Thinking Tools for Sustainability in the Classroom’’. This course contains 6 hours of additional content on systems thinking tools and sustainability and includes a 1-1- meeting with a Compass Facilitator to discuss their learning or action plan. Completing this course leads to ‘Compass Practitioner’ Certification- a globally recognized certificate in education for sustainability.

What will you take away from this workshop?

• A shared language for whole faculty or school conversations about sustainability and systems and framework for reflecting on issues systemically.
• Powerful conversations making sense of complex issues.
• Lesson ideas that educators can use in their classrooms the next day, next week or as soon as they’re ready!
• Useful tools that can integrate sustainability and systems into any curriculum and every class level.
• Access to our database of educator sourced lesson plans.
• Connection to a global movement of educators for sustainability education.
• The opportunity to apply for additional free learning and certification as a Compass Practitioner.

APPLY NOW!
The workshop was run in a well tuned and right-fit style and brought great concepts, models, and time to integrate positive growth into our thinking and practice. I left feeling like our team was better prepared to influence our school's learning toward a more impactful growth of a sustainability mindset.
Magda G.Advancement Director, American International School of Budapest
My expectations of the workshop were high and by the end of it I didn't feel disappointed at all. I could understand the power of the tools I learned and started to think how I can include them in my curriculum and lesson planning. I consider this will be such a helpful tool for my kids and myself especially on my personal projects.
John H.The Columbus School
The balance between theory and practice is just right, allowing us to understand the rationale and purpose of the tools we explored and know how to apply them moving forward. Great workshop!
Luz Maria V.International School Basel
We've been using the Compass tools for a few years now. Each new workshop gives our staff greater insight into the interconnectivity and influence of each part in the whole. In earlier workshops we were a bit intimidated by the challenge and "mess" of systems thinking but, now that we've seen the powerful change in our own thinking and that of our students, we would never even consider going back!
Nancy C.Elementary School Principal, American School of Puerto Vallarta Mexico
Today's Compass Education workshop was thought-provoking and transformative in many ways. It has changed my thinking about the future that my students face and will help me to reframe it for them too. The tools that were introduced to us are immediately usable in my classroom and will make a big impact in how deeply I ask my students to think about big topics.
Rosie F.International School of Debrecen, Hungary
I believe that this workshop experience can help teachers become teacher-inquirers and help understand the importance of introducing Inquiry-based learning to promote and teach 21st. century skills and systems thinking, by modelling it for our students. It promotes Collaboration, Cooperation and Creativity between various grade levels, not just the students but teachers as well.
Anna H.East West International School, Cambodia
We had great facilitators that has gotten me excited and have provided me with new ideas on how to shape the education of my students. Thanks so much!
Eric S.East West International School, Cambodia
This is such a great workshop. It's practical, gives you tools that you can apply in multiple ways with minimal effort and helps give us a framework for empowering students to engage and act within sustainability.
Lindsay R.International School Manila, Philippines
The tools are easy to learn and make teaching better. Our educators were using them in their classroom the very next day!
Adam K.American School of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Thoroughly engaging and inspiring. Some useful tools to try and introduce some big concepts and break them down in the classroom.
Elise P.Dulwich International High School, Suzhou

Facilitator

Gitanjali Paul

Education Program Manager, Compass Facilitator, NAAEE CEE-Change Fellow, 23-24
Gitanjali Paul designs and facilitates learning for a more just, sustainable world. From classroom to community work, she specializes in Education for Sustainable Development and making systems change. Gitanjali is the Education Program Manager at nonprofit Compass Education, where she leads program development and a dynamic Global Facilitator Network that trains others on systems thinking tools for sustainability education. Gitanjali is indefatigably inquisitive. She has a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies from Tufts University, an M.Ed in Education Policy, Research and Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.Gitanjali learns continually from nature, cooking experiments, adventures with family, and her Filipina rescue cat, Mahatma Charlie.

Caitlin Barnum

Compass Facilitator, STEM+ Dept. Head & Teacher at The American School of Puerto Vallarta
Cait Barnum, a native of the Crystal Coast of North Carolina, now resides in picturesque Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Nine years ago, she relocated to Mexico with the Peace Corps, where she transitioned into teaching Middle and High School Sciences. Initially serving as the Sustainability and Systems Coordinator, she currently leads the STEM+ Department at the American School of Puerto Vallarta. Her passion and objective include integrating systems thinking tools and practices across the entire school community.