High School Educators’ Ecological Literacy and Research Day
On Wednesday, August 6, there will be a High School Educators’ Ecological Literacy and Research Day held during the (ESA) Ecological Society of America’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. The events of the day are open to registrants of the ESA Annual Meeting.
The ESA Educator Literacy and Research Day focuses on how high school educators can integrate ecological literacy and research into their teaching practice and answer the question: Just what is ESA doing to link ecological literacy, research and the high school educator?
How do you get started?
You just need to register at www.esa.org/education_diversity/hseducator_registration.php. This day-long event begins with an orientation to ESA and the program for the day. Next, you are off to the morning Symposium: Ecological Literacy for All presented by leaders in the field of ecology that help you find your ecological “voice.” Then enter into a discussion of your findings with your peers.
Next on the agenda is the Plenary Session, Advances in Research presented by Diane Ebert-May of Michigan State University followed by the afternoon OOS: Training Biology Teachers in Ecological Research. Immediately after this presentation take part in a discussion Population Halved AS Invasive Mussels Rule presented by Dr. Russell Cuhel, a microbiologist from the UWM-Great Lakes WATER Institute, to explore how to utilize ecological issues to do real research in the classroom. A full complement of papers in ecology and education are presented in afternoon poster sessions ending with a hearty wrap up discussion.
Additional Opportunities for High School Educators
AGENDA: Enhancing Ecological Thought by Linking Research and Education
7:00 AM-8:00 AM (by invitation only)
Part 1: ESA Educator Day Breakfast: Inquiry Approaches to Ecological Principles in the Classroom
What is ESA and What Can It Do For You?
Ecological Principles: How Can Educators Clarify?
What Are We Doing Today to Link Ecological Literacy, Research, and Education?
8:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Part 2: SYMP 12: Ecological Literacy for All
8:00 AM -
Ecological literacy and environmental education
8:20 AM -
Ecological literacy and science education
9:00 AM -
ESA Educator Day Discussion: How Can Teachers and Students Develop an Ecological Voice?
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Part 3: ESA Educator Day Informal Table Topic Discussions
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Part 4: Advances in Research—Diane Ebert-May
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Part 5: Training Biology Teachers in Ecological Research
1:30 PM -
Teachers in the Woods-Conceptual Modeling, Analytic Thinking and Research Experiences
1:50 PM -
Ecosystem Research with Alternative High School Students
2:15 PM -
ESA Teacher Day: Population Halved As Invasive Mussel Rule
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Part 6: ESA Conference Posters with A Focus On Teachers and Ecology
6:30 PM
Part 7: Wrap-Up Discussion: What Did We Learn?
DETAILED AGENDA
7:00 AM-8:00 AM
Part 1: Opening Educator Breakfast: Inquiry Approaches to Incorporating Ecological Principles into the Classroom: Linking Research and Education (by invitation only)
This session, with its breakfast, is the formal opening of the ESA Teacher Strand for twenty- five regional high school educators. This session sets the stage for educators to present their needs regarding improving their ability to incorporate ecological literacy and research into their instructional practice and what ESA can do to help them meet these needs. An overall research question is set for the day: How can ecological literacy and research be incorporated into the high school curriculum?
What is ESA and What Can It Do For You?
Speaker: Member of the ESA Education Committee
Ecological Principles: How Can Teachers Clarify?
Speaker from the Literacy Symposium, Meg Lowman
What Are We Doing Today to Link Ecological Literacy, Research, and Education?
Speaker: Member of the ESA Educator Strand reviewing the day’s agenda.
Materials: Teacher Packet with references to online resources, citations, formal education programs such as Project Learning Tree, SEED, NODE Online real data project.
Organizer: Dave Oberbilling
Co-organizer: DC Randle
8:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Part 2: SYMP 12: Ecological Literacy for All
ESA Regional teachers will participate in the symposium Ecological Literacy for All to join in a scholarly and visionary look at the vital topic of ecological literacy for all citizens. They will be encouraged to examine why a strong and clear voice about universal ecological literacy from the ecological community will contribute to the broader educational movements for environmental citizenship and sustainability in important ways. Teachers will specifically examine the need for ecologists to provide a clear vision from the field, to connect to other disciplines and look to the future and consider if they too are part of that voice.
Teachers then will listen to the following orals before attending an open discussion with their peers.
Title/Topic: Ecological literacy and environmental education
Speaker: David Orr, Oberlin College
Title/Topic: Ecological literacy and science education
Speaker: Charles W. Anderson, Michigan State University
ESA Educator Day Discussion: How Can Teachers and Students Develop an Ecological Voice?
Table Mentors ESA Members
Based on the research question suggested at the breakfast (How can ecological literacy and research be incorporated into the high school curriculum?) teachers will work in small groups hosted by ESA members to dialogue about how their students can develop an Ecological voice based on what they learned from the symposium and orals and how they can incorporate ecology into their teaching practice. There views will be shared with the larger group with in this session.
Organizer: Graduate GK-12 Fellows organized by Jennifer Doherty
11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Part 3: Informal Table Topics: Ecology and Education Standards, Ecology and No Child Left in Doors, Ecology Integration Into the Science Curriculum, Inquiry Approaches to Ecological Principles, and/or Teacher Packs for Ecological Literacy.
This is an informal discussion where teachers select the table and topic (growing out of their morning discussions). There is no particular leader only a topic to continue discussing.
How can ecological literacy and research be incorporated into the high school curriculum?
Organizer: Doug Glasenopp
12:15 PM – 1:15 PM
Part 4: Plenary Talk: Advances in Research— Diane Ebert-May
The regional educators will attend this session to gain background and an overview on research in ecology. This session will lay the groundwork for the hands-on workshop presented later in the day.
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Part 5: Training Biology Teachers in Ecological Research
Regional teachers will participate in Training Biology Teachers in Ecological Research to consider how many science classes lack the authenticity that makes science meaningful and exciting. Further they will explore how to teach science using inquiry techniques utilizing the environment as an educational context. The teachers then will be challenged how not only work in the field, but what to do with the data they collect there. This session stresses the importance of collecting data, follow-through data analysis, through the development of conclusions, to writing up results. Teachers will also be encouraged to consider working with computer modeling to present complex ecological topics to students.
Title/Topic: Teachers in the Tropical Forests: Island-level Comparison
Speaker: Jorge Ortiz, University of Puerto Rico
Title/Topic: Ecosystem Research with Alternative High School Students
Speaker: Sam Koss, Merlo High School
Title/Topic: Teachers on the Prairie: Models of Schoolyard Adaptations of Ecological Research
Speaker: John C. Moore, Colorado State University
ESA Educator Day: Population Halved As Invasive Mussel Rule
Dr. Russell Cuhel, Scientist University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Great Lakes WATER Institute.
Regional Teachers will use inquiry to and research techniques to collect real data from field research done by Dr. Russell Cuhel. He will present a problem from his own research on competing populations that can be measured to explore their impact. The Problem: The volume of prey fish in Lake Michigan has crashed at the same time numbers of invasive mussels have exploded. Biologists are worried about what the mussel explosion could do to Great Lakes’ multibillion-dollar fishing industry. How can the problem be examined and reported on? Teachers will use hands-on research techniques learn to collect, catalog, analyze, and present poster findings. All research techniques can be transferred to other field situations.
Organizer: Caroline Joyce, UW-Milwaukee JASON Project and Great Lakes Sturgeon Bowl
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Part 6: ESA Poster Session with a Focus On Teachers and Ecology
This session should feature posters on Ecological Literacy and the Educator. It has been recommended that some small tables to be placed in the poster area where other ESA members can meet with the Regional teachers to answer questions.
Also it is recommended that representatives from programs such as SEED, Project Learning Tree and others put up displays during this time for teachers to interact with.
Organizer: All
6:30 PM
Part 7: Wrap-Up Discussion: What Did We Learn?
This is a short wrap-up that begins with the opening question and what teachers have learned though out the day about Linking Research and Education.
How can ecological literacy and research be incorporated into the high school curriculum?
Organizer: All
