TIP Spotlight: SubjectToClimate

From the Field

By Team Torace published on Jul 22, 2024

min read

Panel of SubjectToClimate mentors and mentees at Kean University

What is TIP?

Torace is a mentor matching platform that was originally developed to help match mentor teachers with student teachers, but we soon realized that Torace could support field experiences, new teacher mentoring, leadership development, etc. This got us wondering what other types of matching might be going on that we could support in education.

The Torace Innovators Pilot (TIP) Program was created in the spirit of continuing to innovate and expand the ways that “matching” can be used in education and education-adjacent fields. TIP partners were carefully selected for their unique and innovative programs that had a matching component. Each TIP partner was provided a customized version of Torace to meet their matching needs and we are excited to highlight the work of our TIP partnerships through the TIP Spotlight blog series.

There is more to come! In-depth case studies with key learnings and resources will follow and can be found on our TIP Resource page. To keep updated follow us on social media!

TIP Partner: SubjectToClimate

SubjectToClimate is a non-profit organization that connects educators to resources so they feel empowered to incorporate climate change into their classroom teaching. SubjectToClimate has created a platform that contains a wealth of resources and curated lesson plans created by trained educators. SubjectToClimate also supports states and regional networks with more customized resources to support local educational needs and goals.

Another SubjectToClimate offering is relevant professional learning so that educators can deepen their understanding of climate change and teaching pedagogy. SubjectToClimate provides various virtual and in-person professional development trainings and piloted its mentorship program for educators in the state of New Jersey.

Torace Matching

SubjectToClimate’s mentorship program aims to support educators new to SubjectToClimate’s resource platform to help them navigate the resources, use the resources in their classroom, and then feel confident creating their own climate change lessons. The goal is to create a community of climate change educators who can support and empower each other.

Torace supported the initial mentorship match that was piloted in the state of New Jersey because the state had recently adopted climate change standards. SubjectToClimate created a New Jersey Climate Education Hub with curated resources and lessons that were specific to the state and educators were able to access them for free. After New Jersey educators participated in a SubjectToClimate training, they had a chance to opt-in to the mentorship program. The mentees would create their Torace accounts, complete their Event Profiles, and select their Preferences at the end of the training and receive their mentor match within 2 days. The mentors were SubjectToClimate contributors, who were practicing educators, and they would be assigned up to two mentees. Once matched in Torace, the matches met throughout the academic school year.

The Results

Torace was able to support rolling matches throughout the academic school year in New Jersey. The following are data and feedback collected from participants.

SubjectToClimate mentors and mentees were invited to speak on panel at Climate Change K-12 Education Symposium at Kean University about their experience with the mentorship program.