Island Ecology for Educators

Island Ecology for Educators is an interdisciplinary course that is cross-listed between environmental studies and education students engaging both undergraduate and graduate students. This chapter aims to contribute to our understanding of environmental education practices by introducing the TTIP Teaching Model addressing (1) the importance of teaching about and in nature, (2) issues of teaching in the digital age, (3) benefits derived from interdisciplinary courses, and (4) building partnerships in your community. The TTIP model is the framework that the authors developed and adapted for creating an engaging platform for learning and teaching of environmental education and blends the aspects of teaching outdoors (T), technology inclusion (T), interdisciplinary courses (I), and partnering with experts (P). The discussion includes the outcomes of the course and recommendations for how to design similar environmental education courses using the TTIP Teaching model focusing on content application, pedagogical application, technology infusion, and partnership creation.