Published: Monday, June 7, 2010
Teachers learn aboard 65-foot research vessel
A workshop aboard the M.V. Indigo and at Edmonds Community College allows teachers to take wildlife, coastal habitat and water quality lessons to their own classrooms.
LYNNWOOD — For a group of south Snohomish County teachers, going to class meant stepping aboard a 65-foot research vessel and doing the learning while someone taught them.
Last month, a handful of local teachers participated in a two-day workshop on land and water to learn how to help restore Puget Sound. The teachers learned about marine science, wildlife tracking and navigating the vessel.
The workshop provided teachers with resources and education to take back to their classrooms to offer hands-on, interactive lessons about watershed education.
Teachers spent a weekend working with local scientists and community organizations to learn about wildlife and marine life. Classes were held aboard the M.V. Indigo, a 65-foot steel marine research vessel, and in classrooms at Edmonds Community College. The lessons focused on tracking wildlife, protecting and restoring coastal habitats and ensuring water quality.
Students from Edmonds Community College’s Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field School assisted during the classes and shared their experiences.
The goal is to give teachers a meaningful experience while connecting with the information they are learning, said Tom Murphy, chairman of the EdCC anthropology department.
“Students can take a creative role in the scientific process,” he said. “We want it to be real; it’s not just a made-up assignment.”
Murphy said the teachers benefit from the interactive lessons.
“It inspires teachers,” he said. “It shows them learning can be real.”
Amy Johnson, program coordinator for the EdCC Center for Service-Learning, said the workshops are a fun way for teachers to get hands-on experience.
Johnson said the teachers who participate come with varying levels of knowledge about marine life, making the dynamics more engaging.
“It’s good to see those dynamics and watch them mentor each other,” she said.
Teachers benefit from networking with community groups and other teachers to bounce ideas for lesson plans to take back to their students. Combing through resources to come up with lesson plans can be time-consuming, she added.
The workshops were provided with the help of a $100,000 watershed education grant.
In 2009, Edmonds Community College and Whidbey Island-based Service, Education and Adventure (SEA) received the grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The two groups used the funding to offer free workshops for K-12 educators across the state. During 2009, SEA offered six marine-based workshops to 68 teachers across the state.
SEA co-director Susie Richards, who taught at the K-12 and university levels, said the program supports teachers. The workshops don’t dictate a lesson plan for teachers, but instead give them tools and resources to help them engage their students in watershed education.
“We want to provide teachers with that experience and with tools,” she said. “Sometimes learning is observing and exploring.”
Richards said students will benefit from their teachers bringing back hands-on lessons particularly about real-life issues, such as restoring Puget Sound.
“Kids are connecting with authentic needs and issues,” she said. “That’s often missing from traditional classrooms.”
Last month, a handful of local teachers participated in a two-day workshop on land and water to learn how to help restore Puget Sound. The teachers learned about marine science, wildlife tracking and navigating the vessel.
The workshop provided teachers with resources and education to take back to their classrooms to offer hands-on, interactive lessons about watershed education.
Teachers spent a weekend working with local scientists and community organizations to learn about wildlife and marine life. Classes were held aboard the M.V. Indigo, a 65-foot steel marine research vessel, and in classrooms at Edmonds Community College. The lessons focused on tracking wildlife, protecting and restoring coastal habitats and ensuring water quality.
Students from Edmonds Community College’s Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field School assisted during the classes and shared their experiences.
The goal is to give teachers a meaningful experience while connecting with the information they are learning, said Tom Murphy, chairman of the EdCC anthropology department.
“Students can take a creative role in the scientific process,” he said. “We want it to be real; it’s not just a made-up assignment.”
Murphy said the teachers benefit from the interactive lessons.
“It inspires teachers,” he said. “It shows them learning can be real.”
Amy Johnson, program coordinator for the EdCC Center for Service-Learning, said the workshops are a fun way for teachers to get hands-on experience.
Johnson said the teachers who participate come with varying levels of knowledge about marine life, making the dynamics more engaging.
“It’s good to see those dynamics and watch them mentor each other,” she said.
Teachers benefit from networking with community groups and other teachers to bounce ideas for lesson plans to take back to their students. Combing through resources to come up with lesson plans can be time-consuming, she added.
The workshops were provided with the help of a $100,000 watershed education grant.
In 2009, Edmonds Community College and Whidbey Island-based Service, Education and Adventure (SEA) received the grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The two groups used the funding to offer free workshops for K-12 educators across the state. During 2009, SEA offered six marine-based workshops to 68 teachers across the state.
SEA co-director Susie Richards, who taught at the K-12 and university levels, said the program supports teachers. The workshops don’t dictate a lesson plan for teachers, but instead give them tools and resources to help them engage their students in watershed education.
“We want to provide teachers with that experience and with tools,” she said. “Sometimes learning is observing and exploring.”
Richards said students will benefit from their teachers bringing back hands-on lessons particularly about real-life issues, such as restoring Puget Sound.
“Kids are connecting with authentic needs and issues,” she said. “That’s often missing from traditional classrooms.”
Story tags »
• Edmonds • Edmonds Community College • Conservation • Natural resources • Nature • Wildlife HabitatComments
(
