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Creating an Atmosphere for STEM Literacy in the Rural South Through JOURNAL OF GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION 63, 105–115 (2015) Creating an Atmosphere for STEM Literacy in the Rural South Through Student-Collected Weather Data Lynn Clark,1,a Saswati Majumdar,1 Joydeep Bhattacharjee,2 and Anne Case Hanks3 ABSTRACT This paper is an examination of a teacher professional development program in northeast Louisiana, that provided 30 teachers and their students with the technology, skills, and content knowledge to collect data and explore weather trends. Data were collected from both continuous monitoring weather stations and simple school-based weather stations to better understand core disciplinary ideas connecting Life and Earth sciences. Using a curricular model that combines experiential and place-based educational approaches to create a rich and relevant atmosphere for STEM learning, the goal of the program was to empower teachers and their students to engage in ongoing data collection analysis that could contribute to greater understanding and ownership of the environment at the local and regional level. The program team used a mixed- methodological approach that examined implementation at the site level and student impact. Analysis of teacher and student surveys, teacher interviews and classroom observation data suggest that the level of implementation of the program related directly to the ways in which students were using the weather data to develop STEM literacy. In particular, making meaning out of the data by studying patterns, interpreting the numbers, and comparing with long-term data from other sites seemed to drive critical thinking and STEM literacy in those classrooms that fully implemented the program. Findings also suggest that the project has the potential to address the unique needs of traditionally underserved students in the rural south, most notably, those students in high-needs rural settings that rely on an agrarian economy. Ó 2015 National Association of Geoscience Teachers. [DOI: 10.5408/13-066.1] Key words: STEM literacy, place-based education INTRODUCTION The program uses a curricular model that combines ‘‘I put the weather station right in between our garden and experiential and place-based educational approaches to the cotton field next to the school ...weusethedata from the create a rich and relevant atmosphere for STEM learning weather station with the garden that we are working on and that has the potential to engage traditionally underserved then our parents use it in the cotton field for their crops.’’ students in the rural south. This model is particularly salient as new national standards are adopted for teaching Science Theresa Do, middle school teacher in K–12 education. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) highlights the importance of Ms. Do is one of 30 middle school teachers from rural students collecting data and analyzing claims and evidence parishes in northeast Louisiana that participated in a within a real-world context. ‘‘Experiential education is a professional development program that provided teachers process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill, and their students the methods and materials to collect and and value from direct experiences’’ (Proudman, 1995, 1–2). A analyze data from large-scale and school-based weather critical element of experiential education is a shift in the stations as a way to support student literacy in STEM locus of control from the teacher to the learner, as she or he (science, technology, engineering, and math). Her school is directly experiences authentic learning tasks. The role of located in one of the poorest regions of one of the poorest teacher becomes that of architect and coach, creating the states in the United States. structures and support that facilitate learning in a dynamic real-world setting. ‘‘Demographics make a difference in terms of learning Place-based education (PBE) aligns pedagogically with because of resources. Especially in science—it is all about an experiential approach, but situates the direct experiences geographically and culturally. Place-based science education technology and how it can be relevant and used in every has proven to be a successful approach for engaging diverse life.’’ (Do) learners in meaningful scientific inquiry, and has been advocated for its relevance and potential to attract under- Received 13 June 2013; Revised 14 July 2014 and 1 December 2014; accepted 17 represented groups to science (Emekauwa, 2004; Lim and January 2015; published online 13 May 2015. Calabrese Barton, 2006). The approach grounds scientific 1University of Louisiana at Monroe, School of Arts, Education and Sciences, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Monroe, Louisiana concepts in the student’s own environment, and actively 71209, USA engages students in the collection of local data to address 2University of Louisiana at Monroe, School of Arts, Education and local issues (Sobel, 2005; Smith, 2007). Key characteristics of Sciences, Department of Biology, Monroe, Louisiana 71209, USA PBE include an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum 3 University of Louisiana at Monroe, School of Arts, Education and development, a focus on activities that ‘‘cross boundaries Sciences, Department of Atmospheric Science, Monroe, Louisiana 71209, USA between the school and community,’’ and a charge for aAuthor to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: students to ‘‘become the creators of knowledge’’ (Wood- [email protected]. Tel.: 318-323-8775. Fax: 318-323-1150. house & Knapp, 2000, 242). 1089-9995/2015/63(2)/105/11 105 Q Nat. Assoc. Geosci. Teachers 106 Clark et al. J. Geosci. Educ. 63, 105–115 (2015) Funded by Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (29%–54%) in the program schools was consistently below (LaSIP), faculty from the disciplines of education, biology the state average (53%–62%), as measured by the state and atmospheric sciences at the University of Louisiana at standardized tests, LEAP and iLEAP, in the areas of science Monroe (ULM) developed a field-based science teacher and math (Louisiana Department of Education, 2011). professional development program, Out Standing in the While northeast Louisiana ranks as one of the poorest Field (OSF), for area middle school teachers. The profes- regions economically and academically (Dreilinger, 2013), it sional development program, carried out in two phases, is rich in natural resources and has a unique ecosystem leveraged local natural resources by taking middle school (Creasman et al., 1992), making the region attractive for teachers and students into the field to do hands-on science teams of local, national, and international scientists to investigations in life and Earth sciences. conduct research in the area. Parts of Phases I and II drew During Phase I of the program (LaSIP 10-210-ULM-8), on funding from Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program 25 middle school teachers were taken to local research sites (LaSIP) to enrich the educational lives of middle school (e.g., Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge and students by providing field-based science investigations at Restoration Park, West Monroe, LA) to work side-by-side two local research sites—Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife with scientists with ongoing research at these sites. This Refuge (Black Bayou) and Restoration Park, West Monroe. collaboration provided teachers with local environmental Black Bayou is an urban refuge with a 1,600-acre shallow data that could be used to develop lessons and activities both lake with cypress, riparian areas, and upland mixed pine in the field and in the classroom. This phase took teachers habitat for wetland-dependent fish and wildlife. The other and students out of their classrooms and introduced them to site, Restoration Park, used to be a strip mine that has been the real-world science carried out in their local ecosystems. restored to a functioning wetland. This wetland system now Phase II (LaSIP 12-212-ULM-S) was designed to controls flooding from heavy storms in the West Monroe complement Phase I. This phase brought the field back to industrial area. Due to its proximity to the university, ULM the school site by providing teachers and middle school science faculty have several long-term research projects students with the methods and materials to establish a running in both sites. Therefore, these sites serve as ideal weather station at their respective schools. They could now platforms for unique educational, research, and recreational collect and analyze data from their own school-based opportunities for faculty and schools in the community. weather stations and compare their data to those of the permanent stations located in the field. All participating schools had remote access to field data from two research PROGRAM DESCRIPTION sites. Basic meteorological data was used to better connect In Phase I, 30 middle school teachers joined four core disciplinary ideas in life science (LS2: Ecosystems: university faculty to collect data at three research sites (Black Interactions) and Earth science (ESS2: Earth’s systems). Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Restoration Park, and In this paper, we focus on Phase II of the teacher professional development initiative in northeast Louisiana, Poverty Point State Historic Site). Data were brought into which provided teachers and their students with the the classroom through inquiry-based activities that were technology, skills, and content knowledge to collect data developed collaboratively as part of the program. Phase I of and explore trends, both from continuous
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