Barbara Biber Convocation 2026: Hopeful Teaching About Our Changing Climate

Date/Time
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
6:00 PM EDT - 7:30 PM EDT

Location
Bank Street College of Education
Tabas Auditorium
610 West 112th Street
New York, NY 10025

This event will also be offered via Zoom. Registered guests will receive a Zoom link prior to the event.

Event Title
2026 Biber Convocation
Dr. Lauren Madden | Hopeful Teaching About Our Changing Climate

Description

Around the world, climate change education is building momentum. But how do we ensure our youngest learners have opportunities to think critically about this global challenge without inciting fear or confusion? Lauren will share concrete strategies for use across classroom settings and informal learning environments using examples from her extensive body of research, along with firsthand observations and shared anecdotes. We’ll think about ways to leverage creative thinking, nature exploration, and technology to center instruction on hopeful solutions.

About Dr. Lauren Madden

Dr. Lauren Madden is a professor of elementary science education at The College of New Jersey. Lauren serves as the editor for Science and Children, the elementary-level journal of the National Science Teaching Association. Her work advocates for scientific literacy and the health of our planet through teaching and learning. Since 2020, her key focus has been supporting teachers in integrating climate change into their instructional practices across subjects K-12. Her research has been published in many prestigious venues including, What Teachers Want to Know About Teaching Climate Change: An Educator’s Guide to Nurturing Hope and Resilience (Grades K-12). In 2026, Lauren was awarded a Sound Science Fellowship for the National Center on Science Education, working to ensure all children have opportunities to use evidence-based reasoning as they learn science. Her expertise in climate change education in New Jersey has been featured prominently in many media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, NPR, and The Star-Ledger.

About the Barbara Biber Convocation

The Barbara Biber Convocation is an annual event that serves as the centerpiece of the Bank Street Graduate School of Education orientation and a welcome for incoming graduate students. The event provides an opportunity for the College community to engage with seminal thinkers on leading issues in education. The esteemed lecture honors the contributions of Barbara Biber to both Bank Street and the wider educational community.

Dr. Biber was a central figure shaping the institution that evolved from the Bureau of Educational Experiments to become Bank Street College. A keen observer of children and classrooms who immersed herself in the phenomena of children’s and teachers’ lives, her writings achieved a rare depth of insight and conceptual elegance. As a researcher and scholar, she continuously reexamined and refined her thinking. This lecture memorializes her progressive legacy.

More information can be found on the Barbara Biber Convocation page

Cost
Free

Contact
graduateschool@bankstreet.edu

RSVP
Attention Graduate Students: Please note, all new and returning graduate students are invited to attend. After Dr. Madden’s talk, there will be program gatherings (offered in-person for on-campus programs, and via Zoom for online programs) for new students and students who started classes in the summer term. All students will receive a Welcome Week email in August with more details of what is planned for the first few days of the fall term.