Mutual Benefits of Teacher/Scientist Partnerships

Abstract University ecologists, science educators and natural resource agency scientists have been working with science teachers in a partnership called "Teachers in the Woods". Teachers work with field scientists to implement a variety of ecological research and monitoring projects on federal agency land. Scientists and teachers were interviewed to obtain insights into the benefits of this partnership. These partnerships generated greater teacher knowledge of local ecological communities and processes and fostered a mutual respect for the work of both classroom teachers and scientists. Background Natural resource agencies have relied on volunteer-collected data since their inception. The earliest examples of volunteers participating in natural resource monitoring activities date back to the late 1800s when the US Weather Service documented rainfall and air temperature using data collected by volunteer observers (Firehock & West, 1995). Today, volunteers continue to collect data for a large percentage of National Weather Service Stations and their participation with other agencies in water quality data collection has become widespread. State and federal agencies have been utilizing more volunteer-collected data as one way of reconciling decreasing agency budgets with increasing mandates to monitor resources. Agencies have also responded by implementing improvements in volunteer training programs. Additionally, these agencies are increasingly recognizing the merits of working directly with the public to garner wider support for their missions. Teachers constitute a unique group of volunteers. One of the most significant impacts of engaging science teachers as researchers is the consequential modification of their teaching practices in response to their experiences. Having personally benefited from direct experience in ecological science alongside practicing scientists, teachers are better situated to create authentic science experiences for their students. Creating authentic opportunities for environmental learning, in contrast to standard practices in traditional science education, is important to make science more meaningful to students (Darling-Hammond, 1996). Although students' inquiry into authentic questions is desirable, there is a considerable gap between this goal and how it is implemented in classrooms (National Research Council, 1996). Creating meaningful scientific investigations for students involves placing them in real-world situations, enabling them to emulate the behavior of scientists who similarly collect and analyze data, and thereby make a direct contribution to the field of science. When students are also provided with the opportunity to situate their project in the community or publicly present the results of their work, they will more likely place a higher value on their learning. Teachers in the Woods (funded by NSF ESIE grants # 9619052 and #0101957), has provided professional development for approximately 260 science teachers through a six week summer forest research experience. Throughout the course of the program, faculty from Portland State University (PSU), Oregon State University (OSU), and scientists from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) worked alongside teacher participants as they conducted monitoring projects at local National Forest and National Park sites. Following their summer research experience, teachers created projects near their schools to engage their students in authentic ecology fieldwork. The program has successfully generated greater teacher motivation, confidence, knowledge, and skills in the instruction of biology and environmental sciences in the field. Teachers attributed their success to enduring professional contacts with scientists, other like minded teachers, and science educators, typically lasting a year or longer, and to their six-week field experience conducting authentic ecology research and monitoring projects (Dresner, 2002). …