Operation Magpie was a citizen science project that involved the community in collecting data about magpies. This article describes one aspect of the project from an education perspective. The study began with a collaboration of teacher educators, environmental scientists and a local radio station. After an initial workshop with 75 teachers, three teacher educators met regularly with 13 primary teachers who each volunteered to plan and teach a unit of work on birds. Meeting regularly in focus groups, the teachers shared their pedagogical strategies that supported students to connect with their
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Yvonne ZeegersKathryn PaigeDavid LloydPhilip Roetman
The article discusses citizen science projects focused on entomology, and examines their usefulness for engaging students in science education and providing meaningful hands-on educational experiences. Advice for incorporating citizen science into lessons and curricula are offered, and the applicability of entomology to science education standards is touched on.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Renee ClarJames WandersheeJohn GuytonMichael Williams
This paper focuses on an early stage of developing curricular materials to support students' learning of scientific inquiry. The materials being developed and tested, called Classroom FeederWatch (CFW), aimed to support science inquiry and were developed by a collaborative team of private curriculum developers and scientists (ornithologists). Inquiry dimensions were influenced at the outset by the newly released National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1996) and by prior successful experiences of ornithologists with inquiry
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Deborah TrumbullRick BonneyNancy Grudens-Schuck
This poster was presented at the 2014 AISL PI Meeting. Led by Washington University, Making Natural Connections: An Authentic Field Research Collaboration (DRL-0739874), is a series of two field-based informal science education programs in environmental biology targeting St. Louis area teenagers. The project aims for engagement of science research institutions and career scientists in the execution of informal science education programming, bringing real and dynamic context to the science content and allowing for deep and transparent career exploration by teenage participants. Project goals
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Washington University in St. LouisSusan FlowersKim MedleyKatherine Beyer
This project takes advantage of the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public in scientific inquiry, dialogue, and exploration. The project has two specific programs: (1) The development, implementation, and assessment of an informal museum event entitled 'Eight-Legged Encounters' which now has more than 25 associated activity stations. These activities encompass stations relating to (a) classification and systematics (e.g., 'What is an Arthropod', 'Create a Chelicerate', and 'Assemble an Arachnid'), (b) spider-specific stations focused on silk (e.g., 'Build a Burrow', 'Cribellate vs. Ecribellate Silk', 'Weave a Web', and 'Catch a Moth'), and (c) research related stations (e.g., 'Microscope Madness' and 'Community Experiment'). In addition, there is a stand-alone module entitled the 'Path of Predators' that includes an activity booklet and eleven stations that walk participants through the eleven living arachnid orders. Each stations has original artwork backdrops, clay sculptures, trading cards, and collectible stamps (participants place stamps on a phlylogenetic tree depicting the current hypothesis of evolutionary relationships among the eleven orders). Most stations have live animals and prizes are given to participants that complete their stamp booklet. 'Eight-Legged Encounters' has been hosted at the Nebraska State Museum (Morrill Hall) twice, with record-breaking attendance (>800 people in
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
University of Nebraska-LincolnEileen Hebets
The John G. Shedd Aquarium’s Department of Learning Planning & Evaluation synthesizes learning research, develops evaluation plans with Learning Group staff, and assists with data analysis and interpretation for education programs. The Research Associate’s primary responsibility is reviewing literature, both research-based and practitioner-based, and synthesizing these findings into comprehensive research narratives. These narratives are used by staff members in the Learning Group to help them determine their suite of experiences and instructional strategies. Depending on the topic of the
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) conducted a national survey of in-service teachers participating in Project ASTRO. The survey results document (1) the value that teachers place on supplemental astronomy education provided by professional and amateur astronomers, and (2) the difference that teachers perceive in the value provided by professional astronomers versus amateur astronomers. Survey participants indicated that they believe that the astronomer partner positively influenced students' attitudes toward science and that amateurs may be especially effective at the elementary
Mueller, Tippins, and Bryan's contrast of the current limitations of science education with the potential virtues of citizen science provides an important theoretical perspective about the future of democratized science and K-12 education. However, the authors fail to adequately address the existing barriers and constraints to moving community-based science into the classroom. We contend that for these science partnerships to be successful, teachers, researchers, and other program designers must reexamine questions about traditional science education and citizen-science programs and attend to
Gateway National Recreation Area (Gateway), a unit of the National Park Service, and Brooklyn College are creating a citizen science field observation program called "Sentinels of Shoreline Change."The project will develop collaborative learning communities around monitoring the resilience of Jamaica Bay, an urban estuary. Participants will provide scientists and resource managers with measures of the bay's resilience to human activities and climate change. The project focuses on 7-12 grade pre-service and in-service teachers, and Brooklyn College undergraduate students, while fostering collaboration between faculty, rangers and staff from the partner institutions and the general public. Gateway is responsible for managing the vast array of cultural and natural resources in Jamaica Bay for the public benefit. They have a history of teacher professional development and collaborations with formal education partners that emphasize authentic science research within the park. Brooklyn College is an urban, public liberal arts college with a diverse student population. It has competitive NCATE certified science teacher education programs; a strong collaborative working relationship between the Earth and environmental sciences and science education departments; and a history of successful place-based science education projects. Science Education for New Engagements and Civic Responsibilities (SENCER) is the funding source for this project which is subcontracted under an NSF grant.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
Brooklyn College, CUNYJennifer AdamsBrett BrancoDan Meharg
Vital Signs a community-based education program that links middle school students, citizen scientists, and scientists in the collection and analysis of environmental data related to invasive species. Vital Signs leverages technology to enable students to practice scientific inquiry, collect rigorous and consistent data, share the data and knowledge they have collected, and to serve as a distributed data collection network for the scientific community.
Each class K-8 has chosen a species of local animal to study and collect NatureMapping data. K-spiders, 1st-butterflies and moths, 2nd- birds, 3rd-insects, 4th-reptiles, 5th-wildflowers and weeds, 6th-fossorial mammals. We have produce a native plant garden, a field guide that we add to each year, a school mural. We study on the schoolgrounds, at a local creek area, in a local canyon and on a local mountain so the students can compare common animals and plants from 4 different areas.
OPIHI (Our Project in Hawaii’s Intertidal) is a school-based monitoring program of Hawaii’s rocky intertidal where students improve their scientific skills while gathering data in an area that has not been well studied in Hawaii. While taking part in OPIHI, students learn about topics in marine ecology and conservation, species identification, and sampling techniques. Most importantly, students build their confidence and interest in science. We hope this place-based learning connects students to their local environments and natural resources and encourages wise stewardship.
DATE:
TEAM MEMBERS:
University of HawaiiReefcheck HawaiiJoanna Philippoff