Education is vital to Earthwatch's mission of achieving a sustainable futureIt is through education that we gain the understanding necessary to enact change and continue to strive for innovative and effective strategies for conserving our environment.
Earthwatch is committed to lifelong learning and our expeditions are a great way to experience the world, its people and cultures whilst contributing to valuable conservation research. Earthwatch expeditions reveal the environment from the unique perspective of scientists who are dedicated to working towards practical solutions to environmental issues.
We believe that engaging young people in the environment is essential to its sustainability and that students must be supported by enthusiastic teachers who are motivated by innovative ideas and stimulated by continual learning.
Earthwatch Australia has a number of educational programs aimed at students from high school and to postgraduate studies. Teachers also have the chance to gain important professional development opportunities through our TeachLive initiative.
Young people aged 16 - 18 from across Australia join student-only teams during the school holidays and learn first hand about conservation research. Click here for an example of outcomes achieved through previous support for this program.
This program aims to give tertiary students the chance to experience the challenges and rewards of scientific field research whilst widening their professional network and improving their teamwork and communication skills.
TeachLive is an innovative teaching and learning program which places teachers on Earthwatch research projects where they not only receive a unique professional development experience but also get to link back to their students in the classroom via a dedicated TeachLive website http://www.teachlive.org.au/.
Climate change related effects on rainfall and temperature are causing changes in plant flowering times and animal breeding and migration cycles. ClimateWatch is a monitoring program that will allow community groups, schools and individuals to develop their understanding of climate change and natural processes and contribute to the work of the scientific community by making and recording their observations of the natural world.