PFI Workshops

PFI workshops on Earth and Environmental Science themes for K-12 educators are funded primarily by the USDA Forest Service, which allows PFI to provide these workshops for free. Registration includes free room and board, free instructional and classroom materials, and a great experience (for free!) with other dedicated educators.

Our workshops are based at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina, which provides access to its facilities, computer labs, science labs, and multi-media classrooms. Participants in our workshops spend much of their time outdoors, in Pisgah National Forest as well as other locations, to complete their hands-on inquiry into local ecosystems. Participants will experience the rich diversity of flora and fauna of the southern Appalachian region that is supported by its geological base, and will also examine human effects on the local environment.

PFI brings in regional experts to describe the beauty, the diversity, and the interactions that create the dynamic landscape that is all around us, no matter where we live.  PFI strives to provide participants with a well-rounded learning experience that presents the issues in a scientific manner that enhances the knowledge base of participants.

One major goal of our workshops is to provide participants with outdoor opportunities that are complete learning experiences.  We try to provide our participants with opportunities to increase their own knowledge as well as receiving materials for use in their classrooms. We hope that a PFI workshop will serve as a starting point for educators to use their own unique skills to develop and enhance their lessons, instructional materials, and the manner in which they relate the environment to their students.