Finishing Up at Wickiup

It has been an amazing summer experience out here at Wickiup Outdoor Learning Center.  We have done everything from water testing to helping kids learn how to fish.  We’ve cut cattails, and helped teach kids about archaeology.  We’ve blazed trails in our hikes through the lands surrounding the learning center, and we’ve taken water samples from a location on the Cedar River that sits almost directly across from the nuclear power plant.  We’ve been scorched by searing heat and tried to avoid, frankly, outdoor work in triple digit temperatures.  We’ve worked to develop an IOWATER learning system for younger kids, something we hope the naturalists here at Wickiup might be able to incorporate into their upcoming watershed education programs.  We’ve also established two water-testing sites that are within easy walking distance form our respective schools, opening up the possibility of continued testing into the school year.

A look at the Cedar River and some of our Test Sites on Google Earth

This externship experience has meant a great deal to me.  It has allowed me to solidify professional relationships with the naturalists at Wickiup Outdoor Learning Center, who represent together an invaluable resource for science content knowledge and also for potential connections to other environmental-oriented groups in the area, including the DNR.  The naturalists’ knowledge base provides a really interesting local context to anything I might teach in biology or environmental science.  How many science textbooks highlight issues specifically facing Iowa’s waterways and water bodies, or specifically the biota that we find in this great state.  There may be some at the college level, but at the basic level there are few or none.  The naturalists, with their knowledge, have provided me with the power to use and develop local examples for the concepts that are addressed in the courses I teach.  What is the water cycle?  If looked at from a purely abstract viewpoint, it is a little dull.  However, if instead I talk about a glass of water that comes out of a Cedar Rapids faucet, and follow that through the water cycle, in first a local and then a global sense, the water cycle becomes a much more relevant topic to the students who drink the water in Cedar Rapids.

Nitrate and Nitrite Testing

It’s hard to overstate the IOWATER testing techniques we’ve mastered during the externship program this summer.  I started the summer with only a very vague idea of what it takes to test water in Iowa, and how water testing is accomplished.  I’ve always enjoyed working and playing in and near the water, but really didn’t understand the methodology behind water testing.  Now, I feel like I have a good command over the water testing methods, and by cataloguing the experiences, in excel sheets, online Google forms, and with pictures, I’m confident in my ability to bring this exciting science-investigation opportunity to my students at Cedar Rapids Washington High School.

This summary blog post would not be complete without lauding the work and interesting experience that both of my teacher colleagues have brought to the externship experience this summer.  Both Kathy and Angie have been amazing partners in our journey to become better STEM teachers.  Since both have more teaching experience than I, it’s been an incredible perk of the program to hear how they approach issues of classroom management, grading, and a variety of other issues.  We have had, during the summer, a level of collaboration that only wish time allowed during the school year. 

My fellow externs and I

This being my second year, it’s also my last, and I’m going to miss participating in this program.  I know that the lessons I’ve learned and professional relationships that I’ve developed will continue to be valuable for years to come.

A member of the woodland culture and I share a moment, looking off into the distance.

Bringing Science Professionals into the classroom

It’s a constant struggle.  Teachers say that students need to know certain things in order to be effective in a given workplace.  Take for example careers in science.  It’s one thing for a teacher to say that you might have to know the names and general properties of each group of elements in chemistry in order to be a chemical engineer, but those words might not come with as much credibility, as they might if they came from the mouth of, let’s say an industrial chemist.  So I really think there is a valuable role for outside professionals to play in the classroom.  

After last year’s internship, I grew interested in inviting professionals and/or academics into my classroom to share their experiences in the science career field, and answer any questions that students might have about careers in science.  I had a friend who I went to school with who was working on his Master’s thesis in limnology at Oklahoma State, and as much as I would have liked to bring him in, the distances made it impossible.  However, I was able to hook up my iPad to the smartboard and set up a video conference call of sorts between the class and my out-of-state colleague. 

There was a certain novelty to the experience that the students seemed to appreciate.  That was the first thing that I noticed.  Everyone paid excellent attention to the things my friend, Mr. Nikolai, had to say.  He gave a short presentation on the work that he does in limnology, using both biological and chemical factors to diagnose the health of reservoirs.  

Mr. Nikolai, on Grand Lake in Oklahoma, collecting sediment cores for analysis.  Not exactly stuffy lab work, is it?

After he had completed this part of his presentation, I allowed students to pose the questions that they had prepared ahead of time.  Many of the questions were insightful, and a surprising number of the questions dealt directly with what it’s like to be a graduate student, and what it might be like to have a career in the DNR, or with other agencies or private firms that may hire limnologists.  Students were especially interested about cultural eutrophication, the degradation of water bodies due to anthropogenic sources of nutrients.  Mr. Nikolai referenced several instances of algae blooms on Grand Lake, a massive reservoir in eastern Oklahoma.  In preparation for the video-chat meeting, we had watched several news report videos from You Tube that described the impact of the algae bloom on recreation.

Water samples from Grand Lake

Students were amazed to find out that some algae species (cyanobacteria in fresh water) can produce neurotoxins which can cause significant health problems in otherwise healthy people.  The line of questioning stayed with these neurotoxins for most of the time we had to talk to my friend, with one exception.

Politics and science intersected during an algal bloom on Grand Lake in Oklahoma, as a congressman took the unusual step of disagreeing with state DNR and health officials, ignoring warnings to stay off the lake.  He later recanted, but the state agencies were infuriated at the mixed messages that could compromise lake visitor safety.

To summarize, almost all the students enjoyed the teleconference are were eager to hear more about the water and nutrient cycles, due I imagine in no small part to Mr. Nikolai’s presentation and discussion on limnology.

I will definitely try to continue these types of interactions between students and professionals in science, in the future.

First Month Reflections

This week I was not at Wickiup because I was on my honeymoon in Hawaii.  However, I had a couple long plane flights to reflect on the summer externship experience thus far, and I was able to think of a couple ways that this experience might result in changes to my classroom and my teaching style that could benefit my students.  

While I admit that seismic changes in my classroom may not result from this experience, there are a number of unique experiences this summer that will cause me to re-evaluate practices in my classroom.  I think that if anything, the need for work and learning outside the classroom has been brought into focus during my experience at Wickiup Hill this summer.  It seems to me that students just learn better and retain information in a more reliable way when they can attach their learning to a discrete experience, rather than to a story they’ve read in a book or a dry description a teacher might read off of a powerpoint presentation. 

I will certainly put more emphasis on out-of-classroom learning.  Last school year, I held class outside of the classroom only on one or two occasions.  This year, I plan to take students outside more often, especially during the ecology units of both my environmental science classes and pre-AP biology classes.  I believe it’s important for them to learn how water quality is studied, and what types of things can be learned by monitoring the water quality.  I’m hoping that they will be able to place themselves in the role of scientific detectives, gathering and analyzing the available evidence to make a claim about a water quality value, whether good or bad.

To address the second part of the blog post question, my students may not realize that anything has changed, because these students I have this fall won’t be the same that I had last year.  But to the spirit of the question, I imagine that the students will notice the amount of inquiry instruction will have increased when compared to my instruction last year.  I will have expanded latitude in developing lessons that utilize inquiry at their cores, especially as I pick up several sections of environmental science skills classes.

Through my experience this summer at Wickiup, I believe I’ve been inspired to try new methods of differentiation in my classroom.  Real world experiences allow students to reach the same concept from different angles.  By combing inquiry instruction with various mediums used in direct instruction, more students may eventually understand the important underlying concepts.  

Since I teach a good number of students living in a fairly urban area, getting outside for things like water testing may give these students a better sense of context when learning about environmental issues.  If the “environment” or “nature” is not an experience you’ve had, it might be easier to dismiss practices like recycling and other environmentally conscious practices.  However, if you’ve spent time in nature, experienced it in a positive way, you might be more likely to pay attention to classroom discussions of environmental protection, etc.

21st Century Skillz dat Killz (6/25-6/29)

The project that we’re working on out here at Wickiup could not be more applicable to math and science basic (and advanced) concepts and also to 21^st century skills.  Through our water testing and curriculum development for the Wickiup naturalists, we’re both modeling and learning how to teach basic math and science concepts and 21^st century skills.  STEM is really set up around the idea of an amalgamation of 21^st century skills, math, and science concepts.

Kathy (left) and Angie (right) doing chemical testing of otter creek.

Well, first let’s talk about civic literacy, a 21^st century skill whose importance in the sciences is perhaps understated.  One of the essential concepts of civic literary is to, “Understand the rights and responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate the value of lifelong civic action.”  The project that we’re working on here at Wickiup is pursuing this goal whole-heartedly.  Through volunteer action, more Iowa waters than ever before have been tested for pollutants.  Through work on IOWATER, students might come to understand that responsibility that all citizens share to protect their resources.  Part of that protection is based on water quality testing.  It’s impossible to protect something if you don’t know whether it’s in trouble or not.  Promoting environmental awareness, protection ,and activism all fall under this 21^st century skill category.

Otter Creek looking downstream.

Another 21^st century skill that teachers have the responsibility of modeling and helping students’ development states that students should, “Communicate and work productively with others, incorporating different perspectives and cross cultural understanding, to increase innovation and the quality of work.”  In effect, instructors today need to model and teach effective collaboration.  Through our work on our project, we are modeling, learning about, and practicing tight collaboration.  The lessons we learn while working with each other during this project can be used to help students in the future.  The water testing that we’re performing requires collaboration.  We’ve remarked on various occasions how it would be nearly impossible for one person to successfully carry out all the data collection for a IOWATER site.  In an even broader scope, it’s important that students think of a community as a group of collaborators, who come together around common interests to protect their water resources.

Reading the phosphate color comparator.

The work on water testing that we’re performing at/around Wickiup Hill Nature Center is inquiry guided.  We ask ourselves the question, where might water quality differ between two locations.  Through the knowledge that we’ve gained so far, we make a hypothesis about a certain comparison of sites.  We then go and perform an investigation.  We test for a number of different chemicals, and then analyze the data, comparing the results downstream form the results upstream.  If the two vary significantly, we ask, “Why?” and the cycle begins anew.  In scenarios where travel and field trips are not possible, students could still work with real data collected from IOWATER volunteers, or even Kathy, Angie, and me.  In cases where students do not directly sample and never see the river whose data they’re working with, it would probably be helpful to have a number of pictures included with the tables, making the whole experience seem a bit more real.

The Cedar River and the nuclear plant beyond, near Palo, IA.

Slowly but surely, we’re developing the knowledge and skills necessary to increase inquiry in the classroom and also increase our concept knowledge of the material.

Addressing Concerns (6/18-6/22)

In conferencing with our Wickiup naturalist hosts, we had a hard time ferreting out their concerns regarding our externships.  The only slight worry we could force out of them was the possibility that they would not have sufficient work for us to complete this summer.  Although they did state this as a concern after a considerable amount of prodding, up to this point, adequate work demand has not been a problem.
We've been working solidly every day, finding new sites to test water quality, and working with the data we've collected thus far for comparison's sake.  We've also begun to help the naturalists (albeit in a limited capacity) with their programs, working as crowd control, extra instructors, and sometimes just as observers.

One thing slowing us down thus far-- the heat.  The heat has been absolutely oppressive, and it has kept us, in some cases, from the water sampling that we need to do to complete our project.  Luckily, my partners and I are in decent shape and have been able to brave the heat on a number of occasions, making sure to drink enough water and limit any strenuous activity.

The technical side of the project has begun to pick up.  We’ve started working with Google documents to streamline the collection of our data.  We’ve gone essentially paperless. Through the creation of a form on Google docs, we’ve opened up the data entry process to allow anyone with a smartphone internet connection record the answers to the various questions in the habitat assessment in iowater testing, and also the physical and chemical assessment.  Disappointingly, we have not yet figured out how to successfully add  the biological monitoring to our online form, but we’re working on it.  Once the data has been entered into the online form, it drops itself conveniently into a tidy little spreadsheet on Google docs, where it then can be downloaded and transformed as needed to meet our data analysis goals.

I can think of a number of other ways to incorporate the use of Google doc forms in the classroom.  I think surveys sometimes bore students, but practice quizzes modeled on Google forms could be a good tool for formative assessment.  We’ll have to see how students would react the Google forms, if I brought them into the classroom.

My partners in this externship have been great to work with thus far.  Both maintain a great balance between focus and good humor.  It also feels as though we’ve hit our stride with respect to efficient water monitoring.  While I record data and answer habitat questions on the form, Kathy and Angie perform most of the chemical tests.  By the time I’m finished with the habitat questions, Kathy and Angie usually have numbers ready for me to enter for chlorine, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and nitrite, and water temperature.
There are only minimal concerns with our project moving forward.  I’m sure that we will overcome any challenges to our project ambitions in the days and weeks ahead.

A happy return (6/4-6/15)

First, I want to emphasize what a great privilege it is to be back at Wickiup Hill Nature Center.  Despite the construction and hectic nature of their summer, they’ve invited me back to work with them, and that’s a huge compliment that I do not undervalue.  

I suppose my chief concern at the beginning of this externship was to make sure that my performance and usefulness would be at least equivalent to that of last year’s experience.  Last summer was very successful in terms of the project we completed, and the amount of both method and content knowledge we developed.  Also, last summer was my first opportunity for true professional collaboration as a practicing teacher (or soon to be actively practicing).  It seemed as though there might be the possibility of continuing the research that was started last year on prairie restoration, but through initial conversations with our Wickiup hosts, it became clear that they would like us to focus on watershed and water quality testing this summer.  

I feel fairly comfortable in the content we’re using this summer.  I took several aquatic biology classes, as well as a limnology course in undergrad and enjoyed them immensely.  I look forward to using those skills as we test water quality in different sites in the mid-Cedar watershed.  We hope also to assist the Wickiup naturalists in designing their watershed education programs for students as the summer progresses.

Another concern I have is whether or not we’ll have enough time to complete all of our goals this summer.  I know that I tend to make ambitious estimates of the work I’m capable of in a given amount of time, and I would hate to commit to a certain product, and not deliver for our Wickiup hosts.  I’m doing what I can to manage expectations and set realistic goals for this summer’s work.

We’re addressing these concerns primarily by planning ahead.  We’re finding the places that have yet to be tested for Iowa water quality, and coming up with a game plan to hit all the places that will be relevant to water quality/watershed programs that the Wickiup naturalists are putting together.  The new exhibits in the Wickiup Hill Nature Learning Center will include an exhibit about water quality.  It will target younger kids for the most part, but we think we might be able to add to their exhibit’s appeal for older students by bringing in higher level learning materials and perhaps bona fide Iowater testing opportunities at the Wickiup site. 

We believe that this would be valuable in a number of ways.  First, students would be gathering data just as scientists do, using instruments and indicators to estimate the concentrations of chemicals in the water.  Also, students later on will be able to look at previous data that’s been gathered at Wickiup and try to discover any trends that may be occurring.

I am extremely excited for the upcoming summer externship, and I think that with the help of my two colleagues, we will be very successful in both learning new things, and helping our hosts improve their abilities to educate students.