by admin | Mar 20, 2022 | SEMIS Staff Spotlight
Nigora is a first-generation immigrant, person of color, international student, indigenous to Central Asia, ecofeminist, ecojustice, decolonizing, and place-based scholar. She is also a mother and a constant learner. Nigora joined the SEMIS Coalition leadership team...
by admin | Mar 2, 2022 | Civic Engagement, Events
Civic Engagement in SEMIS Lisa Voelker, SEMIS assistant director, presented on Nov. 7, 2021, during the monthly Ypsilanti Sustainability Commission meeting. Our goal was to re-introduce ourselves and share how local teachers and students are engaged in place-based...
by admin | Jun 15, 2015 | Ecosystems / Biodiversity, High School, Uncategorized
Following the yearlong investigation into permaculture as a teaching method, one interesting aspect of this design method is tapping into a complex communication network among plant and animal communities that supports more harmonious agriculture systems, which are...
by admin | Jun 1, 2015 | Gardens, Uncategorized, Water Quality / Studies
“The atmosphere, the earth, the water and the water cycle – those things are good gifts. The ecosystems, the ecosphere, those are good gifts. We have to regard them as gifts because we couldn’t make them. We have to regard them as good gifts because we...
by admin | May 31, 2015 | Uncategorized
Background: The “ecojustice with/in disability studies” affinity group grew out of shared interests at the SEMIS summer institute. The group looks at the intersection and effect of attitudes towards human animals, nonhuman animals, and plants. The premise is that...
by admin | May 18, 2015 | Food Systems, Gardens, Uncategorized, Upper Elementary
When the exhausted soil of their family plot doesn’t yield enough and her father leaves to find work, María Luz plants the winter vegetables using new farming techniques she learns from her teacher, Don Pedro. Marigolds repel insect pests. Terracing and using...
by admin | May 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Exploration of the natural world begins in early childhood, flourishes in middle childhood, and continues in adolescence as a pleasure and a source of strength for social action.” – David Sobel How do you adapt your place-based education to nourish the...
by admin | Apr 20, 2015 | EcoJustice, Leadership Development, Uncategorized
In honor of Earth Day, brush up on the EcoJustice basics through the following video: In this video, Rebecca Martusewicz defines how the the Ecojustice Education masters program emerged from “a crisis in the way we think about the way we are in relationship to each...
by admin | Apr 6, 2015 | Green Energy, High School, Middle Grades, Uncategorized
How do we educate on the lesson of climate change that is relevant for youth? How do we understand the root causes of these changes, and how do we plan for a resilient future? These are difficult questions that are often hard to teach in a way that hits home...
by admin | Mar 31, 2015 | Civic Action / Leadership, High School, Middle Grades, Upper Elementary
Are our schools preparing young people to be informed, active citizens of a democratic society? Are we instilling in our young people the dispositions and values needed to be civic actors in their communities? Is our educational system giving them the skills and...
by admin | Mar 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” – Rachel Carson, environmental activist and author How...
by admin | Mar 9, 2015 | Environmental Impact, Inquiry-Based Learning, STEM, Uncategorized, Water Quality / Studies
How do you talk about the larger impacts of the Great Lakes watershed on the health and wellbeing of our region? How do you tell the big picture of this bioregion and your place within it? This feature length video goes into detail about the long-term impacts of...
by admin | Feb 27, 2015 | Uncategorized
What resources or ideas do you have for our new Tools for Teachers page? Please use the comments section of the blog to post your best ideas and links around the following topics: High Quality Environmental Content Civic Engagement Processes Content Standards...
by admin | Feb 23, 2015 | Common Core, Literacy, STEM, Upper Elementary, Water Quality / Studies
In our continuing investigation into EcoJustice Literacy, we’re asking teachers and students to reflect on the following questions about the classic story, Paddle-To-The-Sea: How could you discuss the journey from upstream to downstream when...
by admin | Feb 12, 2015 | Place-Based Education, Social & Emotional Learning, STEM, Student Voice
How do you use learning media to tell stories of place? This month, we’re featuring three powerful place-based educators’ approaches to using technology to tell their stories. Laura DePalma from the James and Grace Lee Boggs School, Makena Riley, from...
by admin | Feb 4, 2015 | Uncategorized
“Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven’t done a thing. You are just talking.” – Wangari Maathai Are there projects in your community that mimic the great work of Wangari Maathai? What services do trees...
by admin | Jan 30, 2015 | Uncategorized
The focus of the January 30th professional development day will delve deeper into the year-long investigation of historical perspective and the way we can use this narrative to tell the story of place in new and compelling ways. The History Affinity Group began this...
by admin | Jan 16, 2015 | Community Stewardship, Ecosystems / Biodiversity, Environmental Impact, Food Systems, Gardens, Uncategorized
We invite the participants in the Permaculture Design Certification, which includes several SEMIS members, to start a discussion about how permaculture has opened up new insights into creative design with nature, and empowered them to take action in their...
