NEWS

Teachers across North Louisiana stepped out of the classroom to engage in environmental studies thanks to UP:STREAM, a hands-on, place-based education initiative aimed at equipping educators and students with tools to develop environmental skills and address pressing issues in their communities.

Created by Diane Madden, associate director of the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC), and led by the SciTEC team, the UP:STREAM workshops were designed to immerse teachers in experiential learning tied directly to Louisiana’s 5th grade science standards. Made possible by a grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program, the goal of UP:STREAM is inspire both educators and students to recognize the importance of protecting Louisiana’s unique ecosystems.

“Everything we’re doing is hands-on and classroom ready based on the fifth-grade science standards that educators are responsible for teaching,” Madden said. “Teachers leave with the materials they need, so they don’t have to go out and purchase anything.”

Teachers along the I-20 corridor participated in the workshop, which included activities such as water testing, examining organisms, and developing lesson plans that focus on local environmental issues.

The workshops are supported by a grant that allows educators to take everything they learn and use back to their classrooms. That level of support made a big difference for teachers like Sheree Cramer and Priscilla Smith, educators from Choudrant Elementary School, who appreciated the practicality of the program.

“Our students are the main focus behind why we attend workshops like this,” Cramer said. “We’re bringing back exciting, hands-on activities that will truly engage them in learning, while also being provided with the necessary materials without having to pay for them ourselves.”

“UP:STREAM gave us great tools that are standards-based and easy to use without having to deviate from the curriculum,” Smith added. “I also really enjoyed meeting other teachers and hearing from groups like Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries and Project WET who gave us even more free resources to take back to the classroom.”

Madalyn Wynn, Webster Parish School Board’s science and instructional coach, emphasized the importance of this workshop and the future of environmental awareness.

“UP:STREAM is so important for us in North Louisiana,” Wynn said. “It helps students understand that their decisions have real impacts, not just locally but across the state. Our coastline is disappearing every hour, and if our students understand that now, they’ll grow up ready to make a difference.”

Madden hopes the effects of the workshop stretch far beyond the summer.

“I hope teachers see the value of place-based education and the importance of our environment,” Madden said. “These students have the potential to become environmental scientists, conservationists, or leaders in sustainability, simply because a teacher took the time to show them what’s possible.”

For more information on UP:STREAM or how to get involved, contact Diane Madden at dmadden@latech.edu.