Dr Patricia Born is a teacher, researcher and scholar in the field of human-environment relations, teacher self-efficacy and climate education. She has worked as an educator for 26 years in capacities ranging from park naturalist to classroom teacher. She has been in higher education working to support teachers for a decade. Dr. Born works in a teacher preparation program where she is core faculty for elementary school teacher candidates. As well, she develops and leads professional development and graduate coursework for educators working in classrooms as well as non-formal education settings. Her research is centered on the importance of nature in teacher efficacy and well-being. She studies mechanisms for increasing teachers' connection to nature and how that translates to support of their students' conservation behaviors and nature-engagement. She is also actively engaged in researching human-animal relationships with an aim to better understand the perception of value of those relationships in developing dispositions toward conservation and sustainability.
Patty also oversees the Teacher Field School at Hamline University, which is a collaborative effort between Hamline University, Freshwater, and the University of Minnesota.The Teacher Field School is a professional development series dedicated to increasing teacher capacity for nature-based education throughout Minnesota. Funding is provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
