At the Institute for Applied Ecology, we design our education programs to embody the following characteristics:

place-based:  the local community is the starting point for teaching concepts in science and culture; students learn about where they live

hands-on: students actively use all of their senses to explore nature, stewardship, and science

conservation in action: the activities we do with students are tied to efforts to meet local, regional, and national conservation goals

inquiry-based: students learn science by asking and answering questions as a guide to discovering the world around them

service-learning: the learning activities that students do directly benefit their community, motivating students by giving extrinsic value to their work

skill building: students learn valuable skills in science, horticulture, problem solving, critical thinking, and stewardship

professional and peer mentoring: students build relationships with peers, older student mentors, and professional mentors that give them multiple perspectives and confidence

experiential: students don't just learn about restoration, students DO restoration