Resources for Teachers
Below you will find resources that we offer to 6-12 grade teachers including in-class programs and teaching support, online curriculum resources, virtual field trips, and professional development courses.
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Hoʻākea – Mauka to Makai celebrates the rich traditions of Hawaiian voyaging, inspired by the upcoming Moananuiākea voyage of Hōkūleʻa. This final session in the series is designed to cultivate a “Navigator Mindset,” fostering leadership, stewardship, and critical thinking to help educators and students address the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Maui County Department of Education teachers in grades 6-12 are invited to a free, hands-on professional development event focused on Polynesian navigation and the core values of voyaging. Hosted by Maui Huliau Foundation, Hui ʻO Waʻa Kaulua, Mānaiakalani, and Puʻu Kukui Watershed Preserve, the session will take place on December 7, 2024, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at Māʻalaea and Waikapū. More details will be provided upon registration.
Kūkulu Pilina PDE3 Course
Our new companion course for our Kūkulu Pilina professional development series is open to teachers or administrators at the four participating schools: King Kekaulike, Kalama Intermediate, Lokelani Intermediate and Lahainaluna. Kūkulu Pilina: Strengthening HĀ Through Community Connections and ʻĀina-Based Education focuses on strengthening the Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ) outcomes—Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Well-Being, and Hawaiʻi—through culturally responsive teaching and ʻāina aloha practices. Participants will deepen their understanding of place-based education and its role in connecting students to ʻāina and community. The course blends theory, practical skills, and action research, empowering educators to design curricula and implement school-wide practices that foster HĀ outcomes and create meaningful, student-centered learning environments. Since this is a new version of the course with a different portfolio, this course is also open to teachers who have taken our previous course. Teachers can register on Learnsoft.
Hoʻākea partnership
Hoʻākea – Mauka to Makai honors the rich history and traditions of Hawaiian voyaging. Sponsored and supported by the DOE, various waʻa (canoe) and aloha ʻāina (land and ocean based) organizations will provide hands-on learning experiences that perpetuate foundational values and perspectives of the canoe and those who came before us. In partnership with the Moananuiākea Voyage of our beloved Hōkūleʻa, this event aims to inspire our students, schools, and larger community to embrace the “Navigator Mindset” and become the leaders, stewards, and critical thinkers that can meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
From September 17-21, we collaborated with Hui O Waʻa Kaulua and Lele Aloha to host four days of field trips for over 1,250 students, ending with an ʻOhana day for DOE families. Students enjoyed a full day of outdoor learning activities immersed in Hawaiʻi’s cultural practices. This statewide partnership includes plans for a hands-on teacher workshop in November (date TBA) with waʻa and ʻāina-based partners. Above are the kaiapuni students of Pāʻia Elementary with Mānaiakalani after releasing sail with the crew. Below are photos from the workshops we helped host for teachers on Maui and in Kualoa, Oʻahu in summer 2024.
In October, we are also assisting Polynesian Voyaging Society with another two weeks of field trips for over 1,000 students as part of the Hōkūleʻa’s Pae ʻĀina sail visit to Māʻalaea.
Kūkulu Pilina Professional Development
Kūkulu Pilina is a professional development series and PDE3 course for Maui DOE secondary school teachers focused on the potential for community partnership and ʻāina-based education to deepen HĀ (BREATH) through ʻāina aloha practices contextualized to their particular place and community. Both the PD series and the PDE3 course are facilitated by Maui Huliau Foundation staff in partnership with various ʻāina-based organizations on Maui. We recently launched a new page on our website dedicated to these programs.
Field Trip Support for Teachers
As a part of the Kūkulu Pilina program, we are able to support teachers with planning field trips for whole grade levels or single classes. How we can help:
– Coordinating buses – Connecting with partners – Customing lessons & activities – Day of chaperoning – Pre/post field trip lessons
ʻĀina-based Resources for Teachers
During the 2021-22 school year, we launched a new page on our website to provide resources to promote community partnership and ʻāina-based learning both in the classroom and in our Maui community. On that page you will find virtual huakaʻi (field trips) and online activities created with program partners during the 2020-21 school year as part of our Maui Aloha ʻĀina Virtual Classroom. We also added a list of community partners and teachers professional development resources.
In-School Filmmaking Support for Teachers
Maui Huliau Foundation now offers support for in-school filmmaking projects with teachers, as well as student-led film projects. This initiative launched in spring 2022 has allowed us to reach more students and respond to the growing number of requests we have received from teachers and community groups. Teachers can visit our filmmaking program page using the button below to request support for film projects with their students that have an environmental or ʻāina-based focus.
Resources for Teachers’ Presentation
This video presentation shares a brief overview of resources that Maui Huliau Foundation can offer to middle and high school teachers of all subjects including filmmaking, climate literacy, campus sustainability efforts, and ʻāina-based education with community partners.
Careers in Conservation
As part of our Careers in Conservation series, Maui Huliau Foundation and our program partners, welcome the return of our Careers in Conservation events in fall semester 2024. At these free events, high school and college students will learn hands-on career skills from professionals working to protect Maui’s natural resources and ecosystems from mauka to makai through activity stations run by local professionals working in these fields. Learn more about each event below and register today using the button below. Dates will be announced early in the 2024-25 school year. To find out more information, visit our Careers in Conservation page!
Customized Climate Literacy Curriculum
In this 20-minute workshop, Program Director, Lily Solano presents an overview of resources available for grade 8-12 teachers as part of our Huliau Climate Literacy Project. She shares a brief overview of the units focusing on climate change causes, impacts, and solutions, including example in-class and virtual activities. She also shares information on student-led projects, field trips, and ways that our staff can assist teachers in implementing a customized program for their students ranging from 2-10 weeks. We can also provide teaching assistance and help facilitate student-led projects focused on climate change solutions. Visit our program page using the button below to access our online classroom and learn more.
Student Produced Films
Our YouTube Channel contains nearly 100 films created over the past decade by students in our Huliau Environmental Fimmaking Club program! These films have been selected over 160 times in festivals around the world. These films are organized in to playlists by topic such as “Plastic Pollution”, “Native & Invasive Species” and “Sustainable Agriculture”, making it easier to find a relevant film to show to your class (they are also organized by the year they were created). We also have a virtual huaka’i (field trip) playlist (shown right) containing 12 virtual field trips created during the 2020-21 school year with our students and program partners. These field trips also have self-guided and virtual activities for students in our Maui Aloha ʻĀina Virtual Classroom, which you can find on our Virtual Classrooms page.
Virtual Huakaʻi Playlist
Internships
During the 2024-25 school year, we will be offering paid internships with our Zero Waste Schools & Green Events programs for high school students. Students can visit our internships page for details.
Zero Waste Education
Maui Huliau Foundation and our program partners can provide support to teachers, cafeteria staff, eco-clubs and individual students looking to implement waste reduction and sustainability projects on campus. For example, we have assisted with student-led cafeteria waste audits, including recommendations for how cafeteria waste can be diverted from the landfill via reuse, composting and/or recycling.
You can email info@mauihuliaufoundation.org to request help with these projects. You can also click on the button below to visit our zero waste education page, which includes videos, activities and other zero waste/sustainable lifestyle resources, many of which were created by our Leadership Council.