PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 13: Ecology Education I
Monday, August 8, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 520 C, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Schoolyard restoration at a middle school in suburban New Jersey: NSF GK-12 program enhances hands-on ecological education.

Galbraith-Kent, Shannon ^{*,1, 2}, Kolmer, Grant¹, ¹ Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA² Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

ABSTRACT- An educational partnership was made during the 2004-2005 school year between a middle school in populous central New Jersey (South Plainfield MS) and nearby Rutgers University. This partnership was facilitated through the National Science Foundation's GK-12 educational program, in which graduate and undergraduate students in math and science collaborate with science teachers in their classrooms. By incorporating ideas and resources from the university into innovative lessons, middle school students become involved in activities that are often not experienced until high school or college. At this middle school, a large outdoor courtyard was enclosed by the building and was an appropriate site for a native plant restoration. By encouraging the appropriate connections between math and science, both life science (7th grade) and physical science (8th grade) classrooms were involved in the planning and execution of the restoration.

Key words: education, schoolyard restoration, NSF GK-12, collaboration