An exploration into the components of effective professional development for science educators: A case study with the environmental education program Project Learning TreeRTM

Science learning standards have evolved to include more inquiry-based learning with a focus on science experimentation. Professional development for educators provide an avenue in which educators can learn how to comply with these new science learning standards. Professional development allows educators to increase their individual knowledge base through hands-on learning with their peers. This research project specifically looked at the professional development workshops of the environmental education organization Project Learning TreeRTM (PLT). Through a mixed-methods approach of surveys and interviews, it was found that participants who took Secondary module: 2-3 hour workshops used PLT curriculum more frequently in their everyday professional lives compared to those who did not take those workshops. Recommendations for future PLT workshops would be to offer more theme-based and audience-specific workshops for a shorter time period to educators, along with supporting curriculum guides and access to online applications.