Looking ahead at the new year, we’re excited to be launching new cybersecurity lessons, professional development cycles on climate change and new, free resources for families. To give you a preview, we spoke to one of our expert curriculum developers at EiE®, Derek Butterton, who shared insights with us into the things educators have been asking for and the resources we are creating in response to those needs.
“One area that educators have mentioned and that we've been thinking about is cross-subject integration,” Derek said. “Teaching subjects in distinct periods can often lead students to believe those subjects are wholly separate, when in fact there are considerable connections among them. Educators have expressed an interest in curricula that emphasize the connections among subjects.”
In response, we've tried to emphasize these connections in our recently developed curricula – for example, through cross-curricular connections to ELA, math, other science topics, social studies, art, and even social-emotional learning. Teaching Climate Change Professional Development, a new professional learning cycle we're developing, also discusses the specific benefits of and points out cross-curricular integration opportunities for teaching climate change.
“I do think climate change is a vital topic, and it's something that all students should understand, as it is only going to become more relevant in the coming decades,” Derek said. “As an educational topic, climate change has several benefits--it provides opportunities to integrate various subjects, create local relevance, and practice experiential education techniques.”
In addition to two climate change professional development cycles, explaining both basic climate change concepts and best practices for teaching about them, in 2023 EiE is proud to debut a set of free cybersecurity lessons, plus an interactive infographic and video on cybersecurity careers.
“Cybersecurity is [also] an increasingly important field, so we're excited to have these resources available,” Derek said. “Finally, we're excited to be developing even more resources for EiE Families, several of which we'll be releasing in mid-2023.”
All our products and materials are developed with teaching needs and feedback in mind, whether it be cross-curricular connections worked directly into a program, or new teaching materials for relevant and evolving, real-world topics. Keep an eye on the blog for sneak peeks at our upcoming releases and more announcements for new resources this year — and let us know in the comments below what we can create for you in the future!
