Hartley, L. and G.P. Robertson
Presented at the All Scientist Poster Reception (2007-05-14 to 2007-05-14 )
The GK-12 program at Michigan State University’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Ecological Literacy in K-12 Classrooms of Rural Michigan, is a partnership among 11 rural school districts, more than 80 teachers at all grade levels, 8 graduate fellows, a post-doctoral coordinator, and 5 MSU faculty members. We began our program in 2006 with a one week summer teaching institute that focused on inquiry-based approaches to learning and helped foster partnerships between teachers and fellows. We paired each fellow with mentor teachers from 1 of 8 rural school districts in SW Michigan. Fellows and their teachers developed lessons based on fellows’ research areas and then presented those lessons to teachers from all 11 participating districts. Lessons had teachers comparing organic and conventionally grown foods, dipping their hands in pond water, and digging through soil. In the fall, fellows began working in their partner school districts. Each fellow spends most of their time in the classrooms of 1 or 2 mentor teachers, and also participates in other district science activities. Collectively, fellows have spent over 1800 hours in the classroom and developed over 30 ecology lessons. Fellows have led outdoor lessons in each partner district, including trips to nearby forests, local rivers, and even the next door neighbor’s corn field. In addition to the summer institute and classroom activities, we hold 4 workshops for teachers each school-year on topics in ecology, evolution, and teaching science. Workshops include presentations by MSU faculty and guest speakers, concurrent sessions in which pairs of fellows present original activities that teachers can take back to their classrooms, and time for district teams to meet, discuss, and refine partnership activities.
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