Online Teacher Professional Development
Our Climate Change Education for All program provides FREE* professional development for teachers focused on teaching about climate change. Each climate education course gives K-12 educators the knowledge, skills and resources to successfully incorporate the topic into their classroom. The Teaching Climate Change Essentials course covers all aspects of teaching climate literacy, from the basics of climate science through to the deeper topic of climate justice. In our second teacher climate course, Teaching Extreme Weather, K-12 educators can explore the phenomena of extreme weather events where they live and their relationship to the effects of global warming and climate change.
Each climate education course is facilitated by instructional leaders and gives teachers the opportunity to collaborate with peers as well as access support from subject experts. When enrolling teachers can select to earn either PD hours, Continuing Education Units or Graduate Credit.
*Free enrollment applies to the PD hours and CEU climate education course offerings only. Graduate Credit course option available for a fee.
Designed for any subject or grade level
Crafted to help you build climate science into your lesson plan, regardless of subject.
Integration with existing curriculum
Our facilitators will help you refine your lesson plans, not ask you to reinvent them.
Virtually facilitated by subject experts
Gain access to subject matter experts in a small, virtual class format.
Teaching Climate Education Course Options
Teaching Climate Change Essentials (6-Week PD)
Start Date: May 15
Teaching Climate Change Essentials is a facilitated, online teacher professional development designed to equip kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school teachers with the knowledge, skills and resources to integrate climate change into their existing curriculum, regardless of their subject area.
Teaching Extreme Weather (4-Week Course)
Start Date: May 22
This four-week course provides K-12 educators who teach science with an opportunity to explore the driving forces behind extreme weather events occurring where they live, and the relationship to climate change. Participants create lessons aligned to Next Generation and State Standards.
Teaching Climate Justice (4-Week Course)
Start Dates:
April 17, May 22
In this course teachers explore the important topics of climate change and environmental justice. Participants will learn the fundamentals of weather, climate and global warming. Then examine the history of the environmental and climate justice movements as well as the inequitable impact of climate change on marginalized communities. Participants will also explore ideas and solutions for how to address climate justice.
Free Enrollment
Thanks to generous funding teachers can enroll in the courses in our Climate Change Education for All program for free.*
*Applies to PD hours and CEU courses only.
Our Instruction Leaders & Course Facilitators
Jenny Combs
Jenny was raised in rural Montana, and has always enjoyed outdoor recreational activities with her family. She has been working professionally in education for over 25 years teaching grades 7-12 math and English. Jenny earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Montana State University. She was also a finalist for the Montana Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics. Jenny transitioned to the non-profit sector to support teachers and school leaders through mentoring, instructional coaching, online facilitation, and standards-based classroom professional development. Jenny is currently the executive director of a consortium of 37 schools in Montana focused on high quality professional development and curriculum support in all content areas.
Beau Morton
Beau Morton (They/Them) is the Director of Environmental Health and Education at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. Among their responsibilities are leading education programs such as the Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training. Beau has two years of middle school teaching experience at private schools in NYC, and is a co-facilitator for professional development sessions at Math for America. Beau also recognized the importance of exposing BIPOC and low-income youth to natural elements, and actively supports this mission. They hold a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Spelman College, a M.S in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School, and a M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Stephanie Mihalic
Stephanie Mihalic has been an educator for over 40 years and is a life-long learner who enjoys nature and environmental studies. She has taught children with special needs, middle school, high school, and college graduate students and has mentored beginning teachers in schools and online. Her emphasis in education has been teaching science to diverse populations and supporting teachers with incorporating science literacy into their classrooms.
Our Webinar Guest Speakers
Our Teaching Climate Change Essentials course includes three LIVE webinars with subject matter experts.
Webinars are open to participants of our other courses too.
Kate Briemann
Kate Briemann grew up in the heart of Appalachia on the oldest family-run beef farm in North America, so her love of farming was instilled early. Starting in college, she began to learn about industrial agriculture, concentrated animal feeding operations, and the policies that disincentivize small, sustainable farming—and became determined to find a better way. She has spent her career working with farm operations to drive forward and sustainable farming practices.
Nancy Metzger-Carter
Nancy Metzger-Carter is the Sustainability Curriculum Coordinator at Sonoma Academy (SA) in Santa Rosa, CA and the Education Leader with Schools for Climate Action. She uses the climate resolution process as a teaching tool for high school students. Her SA students run day-to-day operations for Schools for Climate Action and have participated in over 60 meetings with congressional offices urging bold climate action. Nancy completed her Masters in Education at Prescott College where her research focused on effective sustainability education. She has been recognized as an Educator of Distinction and received recognition from the National Association of Independent Schools for her program work.
Wilford Welch
Wilford Welch has been exploring the driving forces impacting our world for more than five decades as a U.S. diplomat, business consultant, publisher, and author. Welch is a subject matter expert on climate change and the author of In Our Hands – a Handbook for Intergenerational Actions to Solve the Climate Crisis, that serves as a primary text in our Teaching Climate Change Essentials course. Part of his lifetime commitment to sustainability has included serving as board chair of NatureBridge and National Outdoor Leadership School.
Wakanyl Hoffman
Wakanyi Hoffman is a trained journalist, author, and certified specialist in creative writing for children. She holds a Masters in Development Education and Global Learning, is the founder of the African Folktales Project (AFP), and an Ubunto keeper of indigenous wisdom.
“The AFP promotes storytelling as a pedagogical approach to learning and communicating what past cultures and human civilizations have known all along- that our role on this planet is to remain open to new scientific discoveries about the biodiversity of our Earth, expand our collective knowledge about community development, and continue building cultures that help us to continually adapt to changes in climate and environment.”
Speakers from Subject to Climate
Dan Castrigano
Dan Castrigano was a STEM and humanities middle and high school teacher for 11 years. He is passionate about environmental justice. Dan is currently Chief Content Officer at Subject to Climate.
Nita Seng
Nita Seng is a middle-school teacher and instructional lead with a focus on social justice education and social-emotional learning. Nita is Chief Learning Designer at Subject to Climate.
Archibong Akpan
Archibong Akpan is a Climate Scientist, International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Expert Reviewer, Data Analyst and Environmentalist. A Climate Reality Leader trained by Al Gore, in 2014 in South Africa. He is Director of Climate Science at Subject to Climate.
Elizabeth Wade
Elizabeth has experience in teaching, scientific research and lab work, self-publishing books, and working for environmental nonprofits. She is passionate about climate education and protecting what’s left of nature.