The professional development component of the AMBIENT project focuses on both philosophical issues (such as transforming teachers' views of what it means to 'know" a subject deeply) and on pragmatic issues (such as how to implement particular instructional approaches or to use specific sets of developed curricular materials). The project maintains a balance between practical and philosophical perspectives, with the understanding that at different times in the process, it may be wise to focus on one or the other, but that neither is sufficient alone. AMBIENT incorporates the following key components:

• Interdisciplinary Teams
• Science Inquiry
• Integrated Math and Social Studies
• Language Arts through Power Writing
• Infusion of Technology and Environmental Ethics
• Career Professional Speaker Series

A development team has been assembled that includes Investigators, Educators, Environmental Health Scientists, Subject Coordinators (Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health Occupation Specialists) from M-DCPS, and Specialists from the Florida Department of Education Offices of Curriculum Support, and the Environmental Education Service Project, and the United Teachers of Dade. The team has worked together to design a plan that is classroom relevant and fits in with other district- and state-wide initiatives.

The design of the AMBIENT professional development component is a combination of new curriculum, coupled with the use of existing curricular materials. Summer workshops and school year mentoring opportunities will develop and refine the AMBIENT curriculum. Teachers will spend their time learning environmental health issues in the ways that their students are learning them; trying out and discussing different units, and focusing on what their students are learning.

An integrated environmental health curriculum involving contaminants of air, water, food and soil as interdisciplinary curricular themes in 4 modules have been created by the development team. Each Module is structured around a health issue and organized in similar manner to the existing SECEME Summer Institute and INSTAR instruction, and GLOBE curricular materials. Each includes:

1. background information for teacher review and preparation with a lecture segment;
2. lab activity and/or field experience;
3. computer spreadsheet or Geographic Information System (GIS) exercise;
4. activity that illustrates a health "investigation";
5. an ethics discussion session or role-playing session;
6. Power-writing mini-thesis on a social science topic.

The six activities within each Module are designed so that the implementation is either through an interdisciplinary application by one teacher or cross-disciplinary use by several teachers. All activities are designed for conformance with the Florida Sunshine State Standards.