PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 18: Ecology Education I: K - 12.
Presiding: J Hanowski
Tuesday, August 5. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Meeting Room 104.
Teacher and student investigations of urban ecosystems with the Baltimore Ecosystem Study.
Berkowitz, Alan*,1, Grove, J. Morgan2, Steele, Karen3, Zipperer, Wayne4, Pouyat, Richard5, Nilon, Charles6, Middendorf, George7, Szlavecz, Katalin8, 1 Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY2 USDA Forest Service, Burlington, VT3 Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Towson, MD4 USDA Forest Service, Syracuse, NY5 USDA Forest Service, Baltimore, MD6 University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO7 Howard University, Washington, DC8 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
ABSTRACT- The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) School/Community Research Partnership Program connected BES scientists, teachers, students and community groups in order to engage students in on-going studies of the local environment. Emphasis was on integrating biological, physical and social dimensions in spatial and historical contexts, using an inquiry approach. We: 1) conducted professional development programs in urban ecosystem education with small groups of middle and high school teachers; 2) provided teachers with on-going support from small grants, scientists, peers and staff; 3) collaborated directly with teachers and their students in research; 4) linked school-based work with community resources; and 5) worked with a small number of students as interns. Program teachers had tremendous interest and enthusiasm, and impressive expertise in inquiry-based teaching, but reported that they did not teach outdoors frequently, nor did they teach very much about urban ecosystems. Concerns about having enough time to do field research and about fitting urban ecosystems into their curriculum were rated most significant, while concerns about their teaching skills were rated less important, in part reflecting the exceptional nature of the participating teachers. Teachers reported increased understanding of the local environment as a result of their participation, and felt more able to teach about urban ecosystems. Noteworthy achievements included: 1) a student-generated, comprehensive analysis of land use history of the city's reservoir system, with participating students showing gains in standardized test scores as well; 2) a multi-grade, multi-subject study of a whole school's grounds; 3) establishment of a summer soil research program for female high school students; 4) development of an earthworm sampling protocol; and 5) establishment of permanent soil and stream sampling stations at a school. Key factors leading to and limiting our success, insights about our initial hypotheses, and future directions will be discussed.
Key words: K-12 education, LTER, ecology education, urban ecology