Tim Muhich, Climate Educator and Researcher
Supporting high schools and their teachers to deliver transformative climate change education
Background
I study how exceptional climate educators help students develop into impactful long-term climate engaged citizens who are hopeful about their future. Through my work with U.S. high schools I facilitate interdisciplinary professional learning communities to help implement cohesive, comprehensive, and locally appropriate climate change education for students. Before becoming a climate education researcher, I taught high school science and climate change classes in Michigan and Maryland for a decade.
I am currently serving a PhD candidate in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.
I will be graduating with my PhD in May of 2028. At that point will be seeking an academic position in climate education. To see if I may be a good fit for your institution, my CV is linked below.
Exceptional Climate Change Education
Over the last three years, through student surveys, I identified exceptional climate educators across the U.S. from various subjects and school settings, and investigated what they did that was so effective with the goal of learning techniques novice climate educators can implement. For every exceptional climate educator in the study, I spent an hour with their nominating student learning their perspective on what their teacher did, and why it was so impactful. Each teacher then sat for a series of three one-hour long interviews on their background, CCE methods, the meaning of their experience, and recommendations they have for novice climate educators. Findings of this research are currently being developed for publication in academic and practitioner versions. Results will be shared here soon.
Because I believe in the need for multiple approaches beyond science to address climate change, I have been working with artist and University of Michigan student Sophia Quiroga on watercolor representations of what these educators do that is so effective for their students. These representations are depicted below, are under copyright, and may not be used without written consent.
Bring a CCE PLC to Your School
I partner with public secondary schools in the U.S. to facilitate professional learning communities in support of a whole-school approach to CCE. My PLC's are based on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory's Change Laboratories, and follow an expansive learning cycle. If you and 5-20 of your colleagues are interested in brining this PD to your school, contact me at my email in the CV below. I can facilitate PLCs in person for schools within 2 hours of central Michigan. PLCs can be facilitated online for schools outside this region. Schools that participate in my ongoing research into effective CCE will receive PLC facilitation and a year of implementation support for free.
While every PLC evolves in its own way based on local needs, a general starting plan is listed below:
Session 1: Reflect on Current Practice and Context
Session 2: Contextually Appropriate Components of CCE
Session 3: Envisioning Possible CCE Futures
*Session 4: Examining resources and implementation planning
Session 5: Support with implementation
Session 6: Reflection and consolidating
*Session 4 may be broken up across multiple meetings at participant discretion based on ambition of envisioning.