Division of Continuing and Global Education

Certificate Award in Inclusive Environmental Education Facilitator

kids

Attention Educators and Change-Makers! Are you ready to inspire the next generation as an environmental education champion? The time to make a lasting impact is NOW!

Fresno State Continuing Global Education introduces a series of interactive courses tailor-made for passionate educators like you. Embark on a journey that goes beyond the classroom, where you'll equip yourself with tools to help nurture eco-literate minds, foster stewardship, and ignite boundless curiosity. Come refine and amplify your facilitation methods, while adding an engaging, dynamic edge, as we weave together the important constructs of Environmental Interpretation, Universal Design for Learning and Social Emotional Learning.

This series of courses is a gateway to empowering students with the knowledge and passion to make a difference. Should you decide to participate in 3 or more of the courses, you can earn the “Inclusive Environmental Education Facilitator” certificate. Each course is equivalent to 1 CGE unit, and some of the courses include additional certifications in Growing Up WILD, Aquatic WILD, and Project Learning Tree.

Overlapping and Course-Specific Skills

Each course is designed to provide you with a unique and comprehensive learning experience. You will notice that some skills you acquire will have common applicability across multiple workshops. These are referred to as "overlapping skills." These overlapping skills serve as a strong foundation that will deepen your learning and application as you move through the different workshops.They are the building blocks that contribute to your overall proficiency and versatility.

It is important to recognize each workshop offers a set of skills tailored to the specific course content and objectives. These skills are "course-specific skills." They are designed to address the unique challenges, concepts, goals and objectives of each individual workshop.

As you participate in this series of workshops, you'll not only develop skills that have a broader relevance and can be applied across various contexts but also acquire specialized skills that directly cater to the particular focus of each workshop. This combination of overlapping and workshop-specific skills ensures a comprehensive and targeted approach to your learning journey.

Check out our four unique courses

They can be taken individually, or taken together (3 or more) to earn the “Inclusive Environmental Education Facilitator” certificate.

Course 1

Facilitating Environmental Education Experiences for Young Learners PreK-TK-K

Course 2

Nature All Around: Optimizing Your Location for Engaging Environmental Education Experiences

Course 3

Restorative Power of Nature

Course 4

Dynamic Environmental Education: Adapting Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners

Instructor Amy Williams Ed.D.

Dr. Amy Williams has worked in the educational field for over 25 years, currently as a Program Manager for an non-profit education organization and prior to that Sanger Unified School District. She served all students first as a classroom teacher, then school psychologist, special education program manager, and K-8 principal of Quail Lake Environmental Charter School in Sanger Unified, and coordinator of inclusive practices. She has experiences in a variety of roles in both special education and general education providing a wide lens and varied perspective to support all learners within an organization. Amy has experience in developing, implementing and supporting district initiatives such as; Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Professional Learning Community (PLC), Response to Intervention (RTI), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Amy obtained her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at California State University, Fresno. She co-authored, Demystifying MTSS: A school and district framework for meeting students’ academic and social-emotional needs. Her research and dissertation is focused on UDL implementation. Amy has received degrees and credentials from California State University Fresno, California, B.A. in Psychology, Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Education Administration and Supervision Clear Credential; Fresno Pacific University, M.A. in Education, Pupil Personnel Services Credential, Specialization School Psychology, and National University, Fresno, Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Instructor Rosanna Ruiz Ed.D.

Dr. Rosanna “Ro” Ruiz, is an experienced practitioner of 30 years and as a facilitator, is well-versed in the areas of environmental education, conservation, and program development. She began her journey in environmental education as a naturalist for the City of Anaheim, connecting youth to oak woodland wonders. This was a stepping stone that ultimately led to a career focused on land conservation, working with Sierra Foothill Conservancy (SFC), an accredited land trust, for just over a decade. She directed the education and outreach components of the organization where her skills in program development and collaboration helped to build a robust outdoor environmental education program that served all ages (youth-adults). She is both an engaging informal and formal educator, serving at the college level for over a decade where she is currently faculty in the Recreation Administration Department at California State University, Fresno. Ro is also a consultant that works with nonprofits in developing and facilitating field-based environmental education experiences for their programming needs. In addition to her work at Fresno State and as a consultant, she is an instructor for the UC California Naturalist certification course through the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources; a facilitator for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Project WILD programs; a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association of Interpretation; a facilitator for Project Learning Tree, faculty for the Morpho Institute for Amazon Conservation; and has Environmental Educator Certification through the Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education, an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education. Ro completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Fresno State. Her research focused on the Science of Awe and its transformative impact on outdoor field-based experiences for both educators and their students. Through this lens she develops engaging outdoor learning experiences that allow participants (youth-adults) to make meaningful connections with natural habitats and discover more about themselves in the process.