Educator Spotlight: Rachel Harris

Rachel Harris, an environmental science undergraduate student at Appalachian State University, recently completed her NC Environmental Education Certification. Rachel works full-time on hydrology research and enjoys being outdoors in nature. She also likes to make her research accessible to the public through environmental education and outreach.

Rachel says her favorite part of earning her certification was the outdoor experiences, especially the guided hikes. “The program really allowed me to work more in groups and learn through guided instruction.”

When asked what experience stood out for her, Rachel says it was applying what she learned in the Methods of Teaching Environmental Education workshop to her work with K-8 students. “I was better able to teach different age groups, and I started noticing how tweaking a lesson really makes a different to your audience.”

For her community partnership project, Rachel developed labels and scavenger hunts for the Fred Webb Jr. Outdoor Lab and Rock Garden which is part of the McKinney Geology Teaching Museum, a teaching and outreach initiative of the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University. “I noticed we weren't really able to include younger students in the more complex aspect of the garden, so I made educational signs that can be attached to the current signs which allowed the younger students to be introduced to more complex environmental education subjects in a relatable way.”

Rachel says the certification program changed her approach to teaching. “The EE Certificate helped me develop teaching strategies to use with different age groups. I feel I was more naturally able to teach older age groups, but through the program, I have started to learn strategies that help me connect with younger ages during environmental education sessions.” As far as environmental issues are concerned, Rachel says the program caused her to consider multiple solutions for different environmental issues.