Submitted by Ray Beckett, Ph.D. (not verified) on March 18, 2008 - 13:35.
Several years ago the Unversity of Utah implmented an enquiry-based demonstration project in 31 middle schools and high schools in Utah, Idaho and Washington. This highly successful project, which was initially funded by the EPA, is now being expanded to included a new group of science teachers and students in six western states.
Comments from several teachers whose students participatd in the demonstration project are as follows:
Terry Ekberg, Science Teacher, West High School, Salt Lake City, UT. “The student’s eyes are opened to how ‘real’ science is done in the ‘real’ world. They get experience which cannot be done just in the classroom.”
“Dr. David A. White, Science Teacher, West High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. “The research study entitled, ‘An Evaluation of the Water Quality of West High School,’ was developed and implemented by students at West High. It was directed toward assessing the water quality that enters into the culinary water system of the school, and also determine the leaching effects, if any, of some of the water pipes that inhabit school’s older buildings (some dating back to the 1920’s). This successful research project led to the creation of a new course, ‘Science Project Class.’ It capitalizes on the students’ excitement about hands-on environmental scientific research. The students’ experience and enthusiasm over their initial water quality research initiative also led to the development of a water quality research study of the streams that enter into the Jordan River. The water samples collected from local streams were compared to the water quality samples of the Jordan River; a river that begins at the north end of Utah Lake and runs north into the Great Salt Lake. The physics students in this course were given the assignment to develop a light-sensing meter to determine the density of the river’s water, including the depth to which sunlight can penetrate the water before light no longer registers on the light-sensing meter. The students also gathered samples of the river’s sediments to determine if any heavy metals were present. Such projects serve as examples of the successes that can be achieved by involving high school students in real-world project-based, environmental research activities.”
Vicki Turner, Biology and Chemistry Teacher, Juan Diego Catholic High School, Sandy, UT. “This project enhanced my curriculum and allowed me to be more effective and project oriented in achieving the goal of skills based training and the realization of the importance of mathematics in understanding the natural world. I think this is a worthwhile program, and I would like to get a group [of students] involved next year. We are offering a new class called ‘Science Research’, and this project would be ideal for that class.”
Reva Beth Russell, Biology Science Teacher, Lehi High School, Lehi, UT.) “This has been one of the most exciting things I’ve done. It has also cost me lots of extra time. If I weren’t getting some compensation for it, I might give it up. The project kept the students alive, and they kept my interest alive.”
Amy Pace, Earth Science Teacher, Wayne High School, Bicknell, UT. “I think this is a great idea. Students need to realize what real science is. It is also a great way to rejuvenate students in the spring. It has been a great learning tool for my classes, especially the writing the grant part of the project.”
Randy Stacy, AP Environmental Science Teacher, Mountain Crest High School, Hyrum, UT. “The EPA project was very valuable for our class. We strongly encourage this program be continued.”
Robert Stagg, Science Teacher and Department Chair, Quincy High School, Quincy, WA. “I thought it was a great program. It promoted real research with a realistic process of acquiring the funds to conduct it. I’m not sure how it has affected the decisions to attend college, though it did make some of them want to take an advanced high school science class that earns college credit. I think it was a great help to our staff for getting kids involved in answering their own questions, and it gave us the equipment to be able to do it in future years as well. In fact, it has spurred on a whole adoption of related research projects in almost all of our science classes. The student involvement in grant writing has also helped us win other grants that support this kind of research.”
Kathryn Randozzo, Science Teacher, East High School, Salt Lake City, UT. “I think the program was wonderful. It means a lot to these kids when their work enables them to gain an outside of the school walls experience.”
The target audience for the expanded project will include 36 secondary school science teachers per year from UT, ID, OR, WA, MT, and NV, and approximately 1,050 students per year, or 5,250 students over five years, grades 7-12.
The proposed project is designed to strengthen a student’s capacity to learn from their own experiences by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with other students in the development and implementation of out-of-the-classroom, project-based initiatives addressing real-world environmental problems in the community. A training workshop will be held at the University of Utah during August to instruct middle school and high school science teachers concerning environmental issues and the techniques of scientific research and project proposal development and implementation. The teachers will organize their students into a research team, with a PI, Co-PIs and task leaders, who will then develop a research project addressing an environmental problem in the community. The University will issue mini-grants to fund the projects, and participating teachers will receive a stipend for their participation in the program. The workshop instructors will include faculty members from the Teaching and Learning Department of the College of Education, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, the College of Mines and Earth Sciences, and several departments within the College of Science at the University of Utah, including environmental experts from the Department of Environmental Quality in several western states.
As a result of participating in the E-STEP initiative: (1) Students’ interest in science and protecting the environment will be enhanced as a result of their real-world, project-based outside of the school walls experience. (2) Their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills will be enhanced. (3) The students’ interactive communication skills will be strengthened by being able to work as a member of a research team in addressing environmental problems in collaboration with students in other schools. (4) Students will be able to apply skills learned in their Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Math and English classes, etc. in helping to resolve real-world, environmental problems. (5) By using the project’s interactive web site, the students will be able to access information and materials in different ways and to obtain answers to their research questions and to get help without physically having to leave their schools to meet with graduate students and research faculty at the University of Utah. Further, the interactive system will also improve efficiency for students, and teachers alike. (6) Students will learn that they can make a difference, individually, and collectively in solving and preventing environmental problems. (7) By participating in environmental research activities the students will be able to connect what they learn in school with the outside world. (8) The students’ interest in pursuing a college degree leading to a career in a scientific or engineering discipline will be greatly enhanced. (9) The E-STEP initiative will serve as the training ground for future environmentalists whose interests will be centered on protecting the environment and developing an understanding of environmental issues. (10) E-STEP will serve as a tool in helping teachers create projects and activities that encourage hands-on learning and assist in helping students achieve standards in math and science as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Funding from the National Sccience Foundation to implement this project in six western states is pending.
Environmental science and education project (E-STEP)
Submitted by Ray Beckett, Ph.D. (not verified) on March 18, 2008 - 13:35.
Several years ago the Unversity of Utah implmented an enquiry-based demonstration project in 31 middle schools and high schools in Utah, Idaho and Washington. This highly successful project, which was initially funded by the EPA, is now being expanded to included a new group of science teachers and students in six western states.
Comments from several teachers whose students participatd in the demonstration project are as follows:
Terry Ekberg, Science Teacher, West High School, Salt Lake City, UT. “The student’s eyes are opened to how ‘real’ science is done in the ‘real’ world. They get experience which cannot be done just in the classroom.”
“Dr. David A. White, Science Teacher, West High School, Salt Lake City, Utah. “The research study entitled, ‘An Evaluation of the Water Quality of West High School,’ was developed and implemented by students at West High. It was directed toward assessing the water quality that enters into the culinary water system of the school, and also determine the leaching effects, if any, of some of the water pipes that inhabit school’s older buildings (some dating back to the 1920’s). This successful research project led to the creation of a new course, ‘Science Project Class.’ It capitalizes on the students’ excitement about hands-on environmental scientific research. The students’ experience and enthusiasm over their initial water quality research initiative also led to the development of a water quality research study of the streams that enter into the Jordan River. The water samples collected from local streams were compared to the water quality samples of the Jordan River; a river that begins at the north end of Utah Lake and runs north into the Great Salt Lake. The physics students in this course were given the assignment to develop a light-sensing meter to determine the density of the river’s water, including the depth to which sunlight can penetrate the water before light no longer registers on the light-sensing meter. The students also gathered samples of the river’s sediments to determine if any heavy metals were present. Such projects serve as examples of the successes that can be achieved by involving high school students in real-world project-based, environmental research activities.”
Vicki Turner, Biology and Chemistry Teacher, Juan Diego Catholic High School, Sandy, UT. “This project enhanced my curriculum and allowed me to be more effective and project oriented in achieving the goal of skills based training and the realization of the importance of mathematics in understanding the natural world. I think this is a worthwhile program, and I would like to get a group [of students] involved next year. We are offering a new class called ‘Science Research’, and this project would be ideal for that class.”
Reva Beth Russell, Biology Science Teacher, Lehi High School, Lehi, UT.) “This has been one of the most exciting things I’ve done. It has also cost me lots of extra time. If I weren’t getting some compensation for it, I might give it up. The project kept the students alive, and they kept my interest alive.”
Amy Pace, Earth Science Teacher, Wayne High School, Bicknell, UT. “I think this is a great idea. Students need to realize what real science is. It is also a great way to rejuvenate students in the spring. It has been a great learning tool for my classes, especially the writing the grant part of the project.”
Randy Stacy, AP Environmental Science Teacher, Mountain Crest High School, Hyrum, UT. “The EPA project was very valuable for our class. We strongly encourage this program be continued.”
Robert Stagg, Science Teacher and Department Chair, Quincy High School, Quincy, WA. “I thought it was a great program. It promoted real research with a realistic process of acquiring the funds to conduct it. I’m not sure how it has affected the decisions to attend college, though it did make some of them want to take an advanced high school science class that earns college credit. I think it was a great help to our staff for getting kids involved in answering their own questions, and it gave us the equipment to be able to do it in future years as well. In fact, it has spurred on a whole adoption of related research projects in almost all of our science classes. The student involvement in grant writing has also helped us win other grants that support this kind of research.”
Kathryn Randozzo, Science Teacher, East High School, Salt Lake City, UT. “I think the program was wonderful. It means a lot to these kids when their work enables them to gain an outside of the school walls experience.”
The target audience for the expanded project will include 36 secondary school science teachers per year from UT, ID, OR, WA, MT, and NV, and approximately 1,050 students per year, or 5,250 students over five years, grades 7-12.
The proposed project is designed to strengthen a student’s capacity to learn from their own experiences by providing them with opportunities to collaborate with other students in the development and implementation of out-of-the-classroom, project-based initiatives addressing real-world environmental problems in the community. A training workshop will be held at the University of Utah during August to instruct middle school and high school science teachers concerning environmental issues and the techniques of scientific research and project proposal development and implementation. The teachers will organize their students into a research team, with a PI, Co-PIs and task leaders, who will then develop a research project addressing an environmental problem in the community. The University will issue mini-grants to fund the projects, and participating teachers will receive a stipend for their participation in the program. The workshop instructors will include faculty members from the Teaching and Learning Department of the College of Education, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, the College of Mines and Earth Sciences, and several departments within the College of Science at the University of Utah, including environmental experts from the Department of Environmental Quality in several western states.
As a result of participating in the E-STEP initiative: (1) Students’ interest in science and protecting the environment will be enhanced as a result of their real-world, project-based outside of the school walls experience. (2) Their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills will be enhanced. (3) The students’ interactive communication skills will be strengthened by being able to work as a member of a research team in addressing environmental problems in collaboration with students in other schools. (4) Students will be able to apply skills learned in their Earth Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Math and English classes, etc. in helping to resolve real-world, environmental problems. (5) By using the project’s interactive web site, the students will be able to access information and materials in different ways and to obtain answers to their research questions and to get help without physically having to leave their schools to meet with graduate students and research faculty at the University of Utah. Further, the interactive system will also improve efficiency for students, and teachers alike. (6) Students will learn that they can make a difference, individually, and collectively in solving and preventing environmental problems. (7) By participating in environmental research activities the students will be able to connect what they learn in school with the outside world. (8) The students’ interest in pursuing a college degree leading to a career in a scientific or engineering discipline will be greatly enhanced. (9) The E-STEP initiative will serve as the training ground for future environmentalists whose interests will be centered on protecting the environment and developing an understanding of environmental issues. (10) E-STEP will serve as a tool in helping teachers create projects and activities that encourage hands-on learning and assist in helping students achieve standards in math and science as required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Funding from the National Sccience Foundation to implement this project in six western states is pending.