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You
are here: Salish Sea Expeditions: A "Sound" Education
The sailing vessel Carlyn headed downwind carrying her precious cargo: twenty-three sixth graders, most of who had never before done any real science. In the course of a 3-day voyage they had become scientists and sailors, and were collecting final data for their research project on varying dissolved nutrient levels in Puget Sound (as well as performing all sail handling and navigation. )
The students let out shrieks of delight as they were serenaded by four large sea lions. A couple of cormorants watched. The youth relished this awesome "charismatic megafauna" sighting as they lowered the Niskin bottle to collect one final water sample.
Suddenly, the water turned foul. A stretch of green sludge coated the surface, followed by the sudden smell of oil. The water shimmered with the colors of the rainbow, and the students' spirits sank as they realized Carlyn had entered a large oil slick- one that was heading directly for the sea lions.
Marine educators quickly assembled the students and orchestrated an impromptu discussion on the evident oil pollution. Where had it come from? What effect would it have? How could the students help prevent this from happening in the future? Experiences like this, and countless other "teachable moments" are commonplace on Salish Sea Expeditions' inquiry based science education programs for 5th -12th grade youth.
About Salish Sea Expeditions
Salish Sea Expeditions was founded in 1996 to inspire a passion for exploring, understanding, and respecting the marine environment through hands-on scientific inquiry on Puget Sound. In our eight-year program history, over 3,000 students, 500 teachers and 45 schools have participated in our hands-on science programs. All Salish programs are organized through our small headquarters on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and occur throughout Puget Sound between March and October on a 61' sailing research vessel. Each Salish program combines in-class instruction with field based opportunity, and each is hand-tailored to mesh with participants' unique interests and learning abilities.
Our expansive program goals include:
· Building appreciation for science as a dynamic discipline that can be part of students' everyday lives
· Fostering an understanding of and appreciation for the vital ecological role of marine ecosystems
· Preparing students for the Washington State Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) exams and helping teachers to better meet the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRS)
· Imparting the understanding that learning can be fun and is the responsibility of each individual
· Promoting the possibility of further study or a career in science
· Instilling in students a sense of empowerment and self-determination essential for tomorrow's leadersTo achieve these goals, we take youth on unique educational voyages that have three components: pre-trip classroom sessions, a 2-5 day research expedition, and post-trip classroom sessions. Following an inquiry based learning approach, Salish students are the key decision makers in every aspect of the program.
Research shows that students participating in out-of-classroom experiences are frequently overwhelmed by an immersion in unfamiliar surroundings. Their struggle to adapt to the new environment renders them less able to process and retain the educational content of the outing. To combat this documented "field trip novelty affect," Salish first builds a relationship with students through pre-trip classroom sessions in which marine educators orient students to the upcoming experience through slides and lectures, lecture on Puget Sound's natural and human history, explain the scientific process, and students to basic seamanship skills. Students share the questions that they have about Puget Sound and then decide which ones are testable using Salish's oceanographic sampling equipment. Salish staff guide students through the process of creating their own unique scientific research project and detailed expedition itinerary. Students must account for the needs of their fellow students, their research project requirements, and other pertinent information (e.g. tidal conditions, suitable overnight spots).
On the 2-5 day expedition they designed in the classroom, students conduct their research from the decks of the 61' sailing vessel, Carlyn. At sea, the group is divided into student groups called watches, and each student rotates through the various duties aboard the vessel including collecting and analyzing oceanographic samples, sailing and navigating the ship, and helping with cooking and shipboard chores. Each night, half of the students camp ashore at a marine state park, providing a chance to study shoreline and inter tidal environments, and the other half sleep on the boat. In close quarters onboard the ship and on shore, students must function as a team, assisting each other in fulfilling group research objectives, coordinating responsibility for the ship's operations, and cooperating to keep themselves well fed and rested. Participants gain confidence and find positive ways of interacting with their peers in what can often be a complicated and challenging environment. Science projects revolve around water quality issues, including nutrient and dissolved oxygen levels, salinity and temperature differences, plankton diversity and sediment analyses. Students also participate in ongoing water quality monitoring projects linked to government research efforts (King County, Department of Ecology) that are separate from their research project, and are able to connect their short-term research to longer-term professional efforts. Colleagues, volunteers and chaperones are continually amazed by the quality, breadth, and depth of research conducted by our students.
Salish educators return to the classroom following the voyage to assist students with data interpretation, evaluation of their research methods, and preparation of oral and written presentations. This essential follow-up reinforces what students learned in the field, connects it to classroom learning, and demonstrates how it can be applied to their every day lives Salish educators link student research to local environmental and water quality issues, and students discover the connections between human actions and research results. Students then present their data, as real scientists do, to peers, parents and community in a variety of ways, including poster boards displayed at local libraries, science fair presentations, and newspaper articles. Requiring the students to make a formal oral or written presentation holds them accountable for their data and increases the degree to which they actually understand and retain what they have learned. Students leave our programs with a heightened excitement about science and learning, enhanced confidence and teamwork skills, and a stronger commitment to human and natural communities.
The Need for Salish Programs
Children are born with a natural curiosity about the world around them. By ninth grade, however, this innate interest has too often faded or been transformed into apprehension-or even fear. [1] Reflecting this trend, the scientific literacy of U.S. high school graduates is well below the international average. [2] This steep decline in science and math achievement after fourth grade is attributed to content-laden science curricula that lack real-world applications. In Washington, this decline was recently confirmed by the fact that only about one-third of the State's 8th - and 10th - graders passed the first state science exam in 2003. [3] A lack of instruction in scientific inquiry is cited as a major reason the passage rate was so low.
Capturing children's attention early, and continually nurturing their inherent scientific curiosity, is critical to achieving scientific literacy. The National Research Council's 1996 National Science Education Standards (NSES) endorse inquiry-based education as the ideal way for students to gain knowledge and an understanding of the world around them. Research shows that inquiry-based learning fosters scientific literacy and understanding of science processes, develops vocabulary knowledge and conceptual understanding, advances critical thinking skills, and promotes positive attitudes toward science. [4]
Salish Sea Expeditions' ocean related inquiry-based programs are well-designed to stem the tide of scientific illiteracy. Their hands-on multi-disciplinary nature lends itself to teaching the basic principles of biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and mathematics in an engaging, novel manner. Principles of the core sciences, many of which are relatively abstract, become more tangible and easier to grasp when introduced through ocean examples. [5]
Furthermore, most students in Western Washington, despite their proximity to Puget Sound, have little opportunity to connect with and constructively explore the marine realm. This is especially true for students from modest backgrounds, who are typically foreigners to the vast ecosystem in their own backyards due to the expense of boating. Students lack a full awareness and understanding of the Sound, its health, the benefits it provides, and its connection to the region's collective well-being.
Puget Sound is a central ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest, a major component of our local watershed, and affects the lives of all Western Washington residents. The Sound provides habitat for a wide variety of life and supports major economic and recreational uses. As the region's human population increases, water quality threats to the Sound from pollution and development also grow. Stewardship of Pacific Northwest natural resources will fall to the next generation of scientists, managers, activists, and involved citizens. Appreciation for and understanding of local ecosystems is the first critical step towards being willing and eager to assume this responsibility.
Salish programs not only advance science education, they also foster a strong connection between youth and the marine environment. A study of forty schools in twelve states found that students exposed to hands-on and environment-based approaches to learning like Salish become enthusiastic, self-motivated learners, and gain a wealth of added educational benefits including: a comprehensive understanding of their environment, advanced thinking skills leading to discovery and real world problem solving, and community involvement. [6] This underscores the power programs like Salish Sea Expeditions, which use the student's world as a conduit for reaching and engaging students.
Measuring Results
After eight successful years, Salish is pleased with high praise in teacher recommendations and student evaluations, rapidly growing enrollment, and a high participant return rate. (Over 80% of spring 2003 clients were returning teachers and their classes.) We believe that we are delivering outstanding hands-on science education programs that help students develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Recognizing the importance of program evaluation, we are quantitatively testing this belief in 2004 through a thorough outcomes-focused evaluation process that will demonstrate overall impacts of Salish programs on participants. The results of this evaluation will enable Salish to fine-tune our curricular offerings to better meet the needs of our students and teachers, and to better align programs with local and state education standards.
References
1 McManus, D.A. et al. (2000) Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence: Report of a Workshop Sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Ocean Springs. MS: University of Southern Mississippi .
2 Calsyn, C., P. Gonzales, and M. Frase. (1999) Highlights from TIMSS [Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study]. Washington D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics .
3 Shaw, Linda. ( 2003) "Only one-third of students pass first WASL science test." The Seattle Times, October 18th, Local Section.
4 Lindberg, D.H. (1990) What goes 'round comes 'round doing science. Childhood Education, Winter 67(2) 79-81.
Lloyd, C. V., & Contreras, N. J. (1987) What research says: Science inside-out. Science and Children, October 25(2), 30-31.
Narode, R., et al. (1987)Teaching thinking skills: Science. National Education Association. ED 320 755.
Kyle, W. C., Jr, et al. (1985) What research says: Science through discovery: students love it. Science and Children. October 23(2), 39-41.
Lieberman, Gerald A. and Hoody, Linda L. (1998) Closing the Achievement Gap. State Education and Environment Roundtable.
5 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. (2004) Preliminary Report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Chapter 8: Promoting Lifelong Ocean Education. As viewed May 14, 2004, http://www.oceancommission.gov.
6 Calsyn, C., P. Gonzales, and M. Frase. (1999) Highlights from TIMSS [Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.] Washington D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics.
Ellie Linen Low joined Salish Sea Expeditions as Co-Director in 1999 and was appointed Executive Director in 2002. Since 1999, under Ellie's guidance, Salish Sea Expeditions has grown from a start-up program serving 200 students to a full-fledged organization reaching hundreds of students a year. Ellie holds a MMA in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Williams College in Massachusetts. Prior to joining Salish Sea Expeditions, Ellie worked for a variety of non-profit organizations including the National Audubon Society in Washington DC, the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA, and the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, MA. Her career also includes three years of marine research on oceanographic vessels worldwide. She has received a number of awards and Fellowships for her academic work, and has published a number of scientific works in peer-reviewed journals.
For more information about Salish Sea Expeditions, please visit www.salish.org, email ellie@salish.org, or call (206) 780-7848.
©June 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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