Professional Learning Opportunities

Current Opportunities:

The Monmouth University Climate Change Learning Collaborative (MU CCLC) was developed by Michelle Schpakow, Ed.D., Catherine Duckett, Ph.D., and Peter Jacques, Ph.D. in collaboration with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute (UCI), and Monmouth Conservation Foundation. With the funding support of the NJ Department of Education’s Expanding Access to Climate Change and NJ Student Learning grant, the MU CCLC will prepare NJ K-12 teachers to teach climate change in developmentally appropriate ways across all grade levels and subject areas. Monmouth Conservation Foundation, NJ Sea Grant Consortium, and the Urban Coast Institute will offer place-based curriculum and experiential learning opportunities.

Location: New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, 22 Magruder Road, Fort Hancock, NJ 07732 (for GPS use “22 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732”; for directions click here)

Experiential Learning Opportunity with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC)

Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook (Monmouth County)

Friday, November 6, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Understanding Climate Science for Primary School Teachers (Grades K-6)

This hands-on, interactive workshop will help you build confidence and practical skills for teaching climate science and its impact on coastal communities and marine ecosystems. You will explore research-informed approaches for communicating climate science in engaging, age-appropriate, and hopeful ways while experiencing a variety of classroom-ready activities, games, demonstrations, and outdoor investigations. Topics include weather vs. climate, the greenhouse gas effect, biodiversity and food webs, coastal resiliency, and climate solutions. A field study will provide opportunities to investigate shoreline biodiversity, observe waves, and explore changing coastal conditions. The workshop will also highlight strategies for empowering children to understand environmental challenges and participate in community-based solutions. While many activities focus on coastal environments, the knowledge, teaching strategies, and resources shared are transferable and adaptable to a wide range of communities throughout New Jersey, including urban, suburban, and inland communities. You will leave with practical resources and engaging activities to adapt to your own classrooms or bring a lesson of your own and let us help you adapt it to include climate science.

This workshop will take place rain or shine and will have both indoor and outdoor components utilizing NJSGC’s headquarters and Sandy Hook’s natural coastal environments. Please dress for the weather in comfortable clothing and footwear that may get sandy. Feel free to bring your laptop or notebook. Coffee/tea and light snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch and a refillable water bottle. All field equipment will be provided by NJSGC.

Location: New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, 22 Magruder Road, Fort Hancock, NJ 07732 (for GPS use “22 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732”; for directions, click here)

Please click here to register by November 1, 2026. Space is limited to 30 participants.

Experiential Learning Opportunity with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC)

Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook (Monmouth County)

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Climate in Every Classroom: Practical Tools for Teaching a Changing World (All grades)

Join us for a hands-on workshop designed to help you confidently incorporate climate topics into the subjects you already teach. Participants will explore essential climate concepts, local impacts, climate literacy, and solutions while discovering meaningful connections to English language arts, social studies, math, art, health, technology, elementary education, and more. Learn how to engage students in climate-related topics without needing to be a science teacher. The workshop emphasizes place-based learning, media and data literacy, student agency, and practical strategies for connecting climate to existing curriculum and standards. Participants will leave with classroom-ready resources, new ideas, and a climate-integrated lesson or activity they can adapt for their own students and communities. The strategies and resources shared are designed to be transferable across New Jersey’s diverse communities, from coastal and urban areas to suburban, agricultural, and inland communities.

Feel free to bring your laptop or notebook. Coffee/tea and light snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch and a refillable water bottle. All materials will be provided by NJSGC.

Location: New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, 22 Magruder Road, Fort Hancock, NJ 07732 (for GPS use “22 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732”; for directions, click here)

Please click here to register by December 1, 2026. Space is limited to 30 participants.

Experiential Learning Opportunity with New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC)

Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit (Monmouth County)

Saturday, April 10, 2027, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Climate in Every Classroom: Practical Tools for Teaching a Changing World (All grades)

Feel free to bring your laptop or notebook of choice. Coffee/tea and light snacks will be provided, but please bring your own lunch and a refillable water bottle. All materials will be provided by NJSGC.

Location: New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, 22 Magruder Road, Fort Hancock, NJ 07732 (for GPS use “22 Magruder Road, Highlands, NJ 07732”; for directions, click here)

Please click here to register by April 1, 2027. Space is limited to 30 participants.

Teachers and administrators from New Jersey public schools are eligible to attend Climate Change Learning Collaborative events/opportunities and use services provided by the Climate Change Learning Collaborative. Teachers from New Jersey public schools are eligible to receive a stipend for attending Climate Change Learning Collaborative events/opportunities outside contracted hours and substitute teacher coverage for attending Climate Change Learning Collaborative events/opportunities at an offsite location during contracted hours. Teachers will be required to complete a post-event/opportunity survey to receive a stipend or substitute teacher coverage. The MU CCLC’s partnering Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Monmouth County, Mercer County, and Union County will be given priority in event/opportunity attendance and the disbursement of stipends or substitute teacher coverage.