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2010 Conference Due to overwhelming interest in this year's conference we are nearing our site's maximum capacity! If you are interested in attending the conference, please contact the conference registrar, Tamara Whitmore to send her an email about registration availability. Click the following link to go to the Conference Agenda Page Click this link for Directions to the Chewonki Foundation Campus, this link will take you offsite. 2010 Workshop Descriptions Strand A- A1 Marine Habitats Up-Close and Personal: Bringing the Ocean Indoors Students in the Mount Desert Island Area had a unique opportunity to study eelgrass habitats in classroom aquaria last year. MDI Biological Laboratory scientist, Dr. Jane Disney, served as an "Ecologist in Residence" in five middle schools during fall 2009, helping students to appreciate the intricacies of life in an eelgrass bed and design experiments addressing questions about the effects of water quality, invasive species, light penetration and other variables on the success of eelgrass habitats. In addition students learned about the threats to eelgrass in Maine and what they can do to make a difference. A marine tank will be set up for participants to observe and identify organisms that inhabit eelgrass beds in the Gulf of Maine and practice measuring water quality parameters including oxygen, salinity, and temperature. The workshop will include group discussion of how deep content knowledge produces more effective shore stewards.
As a tool to give students K-12 for use in field science exploration, sketching allows for data and information to be gathered, while preserving ecosystem components. Four techniques used by nature journalists are used, in a manner similar to the writing process that builds on successive efforts that yield a detailed image. Contour, memory, gesture and detailed sketching techniques will be demonstrated and taught for teachers to use in their classroom. This is not “art” instruction, but teaching acute, focused observation skills used by scientists, naturalists, archaeologists, field biologists, etc. A comprehensive bibliography and materials list will be distributed, as part of an 11-page instructional hand-out.
A description is forthcoming.
The GreenSchools workshop will explore two Investigations and how they can be used with students at the middle school level. We'll peruse the GreenSchools website and review tools and surveys needed to complete two of the five investigations: Water & Energy. The purpose of this Water Investigation is to help students learn about water use in their school and on the school grounds. Students will gather information about the source, cost, and quality of their school's water supply. They will also investigate water conservation practices at their school. Students will investigate water use in their school and on the school grounds. Students will develop an understanding of how individual and collective student actions can affect water conservation. Through this investigation, your students will determine how much energy your school uses, as well as the main sources of energy for your school. Students will investigate energy use at their school. Students will use monitoring equipment, such as thermometers, watt meters, and light meters, to take various measurements and record results. Students will develop an understanding of how individual and collective student actions can affect energy usage. Students will discover the connection between energy use and the depletion of natural resources. A5 Brain Research, Nature Education, and Fun How come we are so moved by the out of doors and so frustrated in the classroom? What separates learning experiences from rote memorization? How do we truly unlock the potential of differentiated instruction and multiple intelligence theory in an easy to apply way that passes the rigor of our curriculum? How do we gain the respect that nature education deserves in the education community? If you wondered about any of these questions, or want to have fun exploring them, learn how we have been successfully integrated modern brain research with cultural tools to provide educators and students alike with tools to enrich growth, learning and curiosity about the world we live in. Be prepared to go outside!
We often think of the media as a distraction from the environment, but for high school students it can be an important motivator as well. In this workshop you will learn how a series of commercials, podcasts, and YouTube clips became the sparks for environmental action in the Norway Lake watershed and how you can use similar strategies in your teaching.
Come take the quiz yourself. This fun ecological quiz is a place-based tool that can be used in multiple ways with any age. (You need only to change how you word the questions or how much you cover.) As a pretest it can be used by students to gauge their own learning. Used by teachers in the Ecological Teaching and Learning graduate program, examples of how and when it has been used will be shared. Strand B- B1 2010 Ecology is for Everyone! — Systems, Interdependence and Environmental Literacy Ecology is the science of making connections, a systems-based approach to sustainability, and is an effective way to integrate environmental literacy across the curriculum. Learning to “read the landscape” serves as a narrative approach to introducing ecological concepts. This multi-media presentation will provide concrete examples of FBES's educational methodology. B2, C2 Project WILD Aquatic (2 session blocks) Project WILD Aquatic is a set of 40 multidisciplinary wildlife and conservation activities targeted at grades K-12 that focus on aquatic wildlife and the importance of stewardship of their habitats. Hands-on activities take a closer look at whales, wetlands, turtles, salmon, invertebrates, marine & freshwater environments and more! Activity guides are available upon full completion of the 2.5 hour workshop session, which is full of active participation, background information about Maine wildlife, and a variety of related handouts, posters and prizes.
This interactive workshop session suggests engaging, hands-on activities to introduce children to climate science. While so much coverage of climate change has ominous overtones, this session suggests ways to get kids excited about and committed to lifestyle changes that can make an important difference in our planet's future. The key is to promote climate-science education to large numbers of children, who, after all, are our only hope for a healthier Mother Earth.
With the push for renewable energy sources and the growth of wind-generated electricity in Maine, UMaine Extension wants to educate our youth to learn the fundamentals behind wind energy. What can we use wind for? Where does the wind blow? How do we capture wind and make electricity? Armed with the information in the new 4-H Power of the Wind curriculum, teachers and group leaders will be prepared to teach middle-school students the foundations of wind energy. Using interactive, hands-on lessons developed by leading engineering students will gain a new appreciation for alternative energy. This training is for educators of primarily 5th-8th grade student and youth groups.
Sustainability on multiple levels resonates so many of us. We want to do the right thing and the good thing. Environmental sustainability, organizational sustainability, and personal sustainability are all interwoven. Join in a playful and engaging journey on personal and professional sustainability using renewable energy and energy conservation as the framework for discussion. Assess your personal and professional habits and physical spaces from a whole-systems thinking approach. Be the change you seek in the world. Borrowing lightly from NESEA's Clean Green Power curricular unit and Stephen Covey's work First Things First, individually and collectively we will take a look at the confluences of environmental sustainability, organizational sustainability, and personal sustainability using renewable energy and energy conservation as the framework for discussion. Be prepared to laugh, perform, and sing while gaining a deeper perspective on yourself, your habits, and how you live your life at home and in the workplace through the lens of sustainable living and the values we attribute to sustainability. The activities facilitated in this workshop are “reenactments” of project you can do with your students, co-workers, and family.
This presentation will discuss the University of Maine Farmington's “green” building curriculum originally funded by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to advance educational experiences that focus on reconciling humanity with nature and promoting environmental health, social justice, and economic prosperity. The presentation will outline the entire curriculum centered around UMF's LEED certified Education Center. This curriculum may be replicated at any educational institution. Attendees will learn about the inter-disciplinary collaboration involved in this project and how science and education faculty educate the community regarding environmental sustainability. The presentation will also include how the project has grown since the original grant providing workshop participants with strategies such as wiki site development, tour protocols, student service learning project ideas, and assessment of the curriculum.
Environmental education (EE) competes with other subjects for the attention of students and those who allocate resources to various fields of study - from teachers to State administrators. And like the other areas of endeavor, the EE community must advocate for itself - because if we don't, no one else will. Fortunately, in recent years the environmental education field, locally and nationally, has built up its advocacy capacity with goals such as: include more EE in the curriculum, have teacher training include EE, increase funding for EE at various levels, and more. This session will bring participants up to date about these advocacy efforts and help organize a new cadre of advocates on behalf of the field. Everyone will be equipped with new ideas and inspiration to take home to their colleagues and organizations to create an even greater capacity for the field. The session will cover the basics of advocacy at the local, state, and federal level, including step-by-step instructions of how to work with legislators and organize your own individual advocacy efforts. Experts in the field will give us the deep background, and at the same time we will agree that there will be no dumb questions. We will provide participants with advocacy toolkits to provide information on how you can play an active role in the public policy process. The workshop will highlight key ways to advocate for environmental education including: establishing ongoing relationships with legislators, administrators and staff (at every level, from school board to U.S. Congress) who need your expertise on EE issues; communicating with legislators, administrators and regulators; legislative visits; and more. We will help you pick out key environmental education issues important to you and give guidance on the best way to present those issues. Advocacy lies at the heart of the advancement of environmental education and all of us have an opportunity and obligation to voice our support! Strand C C1 Journaling the Seasons Outdoors Today, most Science classroom study no longer includes nature right outside. For over thirty years, Clare has taken students out the door to study and draw where they live and who lives with them. Kids love it and want more. How can we support the curiosity and love of nature study that kids innately have, if we no longer have time for it ourselves? Together, we will go outdoors and set up our own seasonal nature journals which we can adapt to our own interests and locations. Only pencil and paper needed and no other skills! Clare is the author of ten books on observing and drawing nature. Her eleventh book- My Eco-Log is due out soon. She will be selling her books. For more information on Clare, go to: www.clarewalkerleslie.com
Citizen Science begins with a click of your digital camera and your commitment to place-based learning. The Picture Post digital-cam system (http://picturepost.unh.edu) is an easy-to-use and free set of tools for students, citizens and researchers to monitor change-over-time in a local environment. This place-based learning strategy uses repeated digital photographs to build a standardized set of images on our website. You record the 360-degree landscape and the sky. All you need is a digital camera and a computer, a Picture Post location and your commitment to place-based learning. Examples of studies include reforestation at Mackworth Island, and wetlands on Portland Trails Back Cove. Share your images with our growing community of citizen scientists. Bring your digital camera and laptop computer to the workshop and participate immediately.
During this workshop we will identify some key challenges educators face in connecting with today's students, moving them beyond apathy to excitement, and empowering them to be leaders in their lives and communities. We will discuss how the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), a national non-profit, inspires youth with an engaging, multimedia presentation, and channels student energy into environmental action. We will also examine how ACE employs social networking tools, as well as face-to-face interactions, to create a sense of community. The workshop will provide space for participants to think creatively and collaboratively about ways we can all develop empowered student leaders through environmental education.
Come experience powerful (and brief!) outdoor science excursions to the schoolyard. Consider how to incorporate these at schools to impact student science learning no matter what the science curriculum. Participants will receive expert teaching strategies to strengthen the outdoor experience and simple inexpensive tools to make the outdoor experience a more comfortable learning experience. By doing science outside the classroom doors we believe we help children connect to the outdoor world. You will walk away either inspired to do this with students OR ready to inspire colleagues to do this! We will go outside--rain, snow, or shine! Participants will receive handouts that further the work we will touch upon in the workshop.
Two shipwrecks, separated by nearly two centuries and 2,000 miles, share a common story of life, death, and rebirth as underwater habitats for marine life. Knowledge of currents, tides, and time played a key role in locating and identifying these wrecks. We'll discuss how currents are investigated in the Gulf of Maine and show how to make “grapefruit drifters,” which have been used to track currents in Casco Bay. This workshop incorporates lessons in the physics, biology, and stewardship of the ocean.
Leave No Trace is an internationally recognized program with seven science-based principles for minimizing impacts from our backyard to the backcountry. Interactive activities involve problem solving, decision-making and discussions on ethical behavior. Learn how Leave No Trace can be incorporated into math, science, geography and social science.
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