Professional Environmental Educator Certification for Maryland
MAEOE Environmental Educator Certification is a ten month program for professional environmental educators. It was developed by MAEOE with accreditation from North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), to accomplish the goal of improving environmental education training and materials for use in formal and informal education .
Why a voluntary certification program for environmental educators in Maryland?
• Most professions have a certification program.
• There is no environmental education degree program in Maryland.
• Environmental education is interdisciplinary. Educators need solid training in science, social studies, economics, education, etc.
• Environmental educators come from a variety of backgrounds. Few have training in both the content areas (science, social studies) and process areas (education, communication).
• The environmental education profession is often criticized for being unprofessional (i.e. not being scientifically accurate, not being educationally sound).
• High quality environmental education supports education reform goals and can positively impact school performance as seen by State Environment and Education Roundtable's (SEER) "Environment as an Integrating Context" research and other studies.
The MAEOE certification is a competency based program where the applicant demonstrates what s/he knows and can do. The competencies come from NAAEE's Guidelines for the Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators. The Guidelines are organized around six themes.
Environmental Literacy
Foundations of Environmental Education
Professional Responsibilities
Planning and Implementing Environmental Education
Fostering Learning
Assessment and Evaluation
Applicants will demonstrate these competencies by submitting documentation, such as lesson plans and video tapes of teaching techniques. Applicants should have at least 2 years of field experience before applying. There are scholarships available for those with demonstrated need. Veterans should inquire if this certification would qualify under the Veterans Education Assistance Act.
