After a year of work, including weekend workshop attendance, studying environmental literacy, learning debate protocol, exams and more, Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist Amanda Patrick became a graduate of the 2008 Certification Program for Kentucky Nonformal Educators. Patrick was awarded her credentials as a Certified Environmental Educator (CEE) on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at a ceremony held in Lexington, Kentucky.
Sponsored by the Kentucky Environmental Education Council (KEEC), the program is one of only three pilot endeavors of its kind in the United States. In Kentucky and beyond, the environmental education community is working toward more content driven professional development. This includes a voluntary certification program for nonformal environmental educators in Kentucky and also in a handful of other pilot program state programs. Program content is based on the Guidelines for the Initial Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators, prepared by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).
Patrick, along with her classmates, covered a myriad of topics and assignments during their one-year period of work, including passing an environmental literacy test, writing several essays involving a series of readings about the history and philosophy of environmental education, debating a contemporary Kentucky environmental issue, creating a detailed annotated unit of study tailored to their own individual program or situation and conducting an independent study. Kentucky had 98 graduates of its program by April 2007, and after graduating, all alumni must maintain their certification via CEU’s.
For more information on the nonformal certification program, check out the following link: http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/professional-certification-and-accreditation/the-pilot-states/
