In an ever-changing teaching environment, one thing stands out for many educators today: getting students involved in projects that have a meaningful impact on the society that they live in, while at the same time meeting established core curriculum and educational goals. In their article “Environmental Eduction in Action: How Expeditionary Learning Schools Support Classroom Teachers in Tackling Issues of Sustainability,” Meg Riordan and Emily Klein note the view of environmental education  as a ‘”creative and dynamic process in which pupils and teachers are engaged together in a search for solutions to environmental problems”‘ (120) and that teachers as well as students must be supported in this process. In addition, they note that this support comes in the form of professional development in areas such as “interdisciplinary planning, active investigation of local issues, and robust participation-with students- in activities around environmental improvement” (120).

In support of this model of teaching and teacher support, Riordan and Klein note two case studies in which this type of teacher support was offered, and how it effected student’s learning. One case study, conducted in a 7th grade class, looks at a class asking the question ‘”what sustains us?”‘ while the second case study, conducted in a 9th grade class, examines a class considering ‘”the value of resources”‘ (124). In both case studies, multiple teachers across various educational disciplines play a role in guiding the students to their ultimate objective, as “expeditions involve other teachers as an ‘integral part of it'” (125). Because of challenges such as these, and the ever changing dynamics of a modern day classroom, Riordan and Klein draw several conclusions from the case studies. First is the “importance of real world experiences” (129) and exposing both teachers and students to this type of learning. Additionally, “the content knowledge and instruction strategies needed to be an effective science teacher are not static” (130), and because of this, teachers must continually undergo professional development to ensure both they and their course are relevant. Finally, “research suggests that teacher professional development should involve participants ‘in the active investigation and amelioration of the real world problems of relevance to the communities in which they teach”‘ (132). If all of this is taken into mind, Riordan and Klein argue, teachers can provide, and continue to provide, “rich inquiry based experiences” (135) to their students for years to come.