S. S. HERRON, J. L. ROBERTSON
Field Activities wit h S tudents
0
0. 5
1
1. 5
2
2. 5
3
3. 5
4
4. 5
none 1 to 23 to 45 to 67 to 8
number of teache
lessons
out s i de
number of teachers
approxim ate numb e r o f activities
Figure 2.
Field lessons conducted with students the follow-
ing year as reported by teachers.
Table 11.
Field lessons or activities used during the following school year as reported
by teachers.
Biosphere in a bottle Insect ecology
Using dichotom ou s key s Campus ecology
Water-testing techniques Chromatog r aphy wit h l o cal plants
Collecting microorganisms Leaf collection and identification
Developing observation skills Identifying organisms
in my 7th grade science classes. The trip was cancelled by the
School Board due to safety concerns.
Only one teacher stated that keeping students on task was a
major impediment to conducting field activities. In response to
question number 2, one teacher stated that the field course sim-
ply affirmed his or her understanding or appreciation of science.
Most responses, however, fell into two categories. One teacher
gave responses that included both categories. Representing one
category, five teachers thought that being able to transmit
first-hand knowledge of the ecosystems in Florida to their stu-
dents helped them be more effective teachers. A response of
this nature included:
The individual research topics led to a greater understand-
ing of data collection and record keeping that I now share with
my students. As a result, my students are more able to develop
their own research area and communicate their findings with
greater ease.
Representative of the second category, four teachers spoke of
a better understanding of ecology as a science because of the
field course. Two such responses follow:
(I have) more understanding about the interrelationships of
animals in a habitat, especially in the Everglades. I now see the
alligator as not only a predator but as behaviorally the reason
the Everglades work as they do as a habitat and migration
sanctuary for such a diversity of animals.
The main change that I had was concerning the amazing
work being done in Florida on conservation efforts for all of
the sites that we visited. Often we only hear of the problems
without much mention of the scientific creativity involved in
solving them.
Each teacher gave detailed responses to question number 3.
One noted that snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas was the most
valuable experience in the field course. Two teachers reported
that the opportunity to work both independently and coopera-
tively was the most valuable experience. Another referred to
this indirectly when providing this response:
The most valuable to me was watching our instructor keep us
focused, while allowing us to organize and carry out our field
study work. I have often failed at getting the point across to
high school students when collecting and analyzing data from
field work.
The remaining four stated that the opportunity to actually
experience nature and conduct field studies was the most valu-
able experience. One such response follows:
I feel the hands-on experiments we conducted as well as the
“up close and personal” experiences with the wildlife and plant
life enabled me to bring those experiences—along with a re-
newed enthusiasm to my classroom […] these experiences will
help me to be more comfortable conducting similar activities
with my students.
In response to the final question, seven of the eight respon-
dents stated that there were no invaluable experiences. How-
ever, one teacher talked about the group report as the least
valuable experie n ce:
I don’t recall any wasted moments except a tiny bit of frus-
tration when making a group report on our findings. But hey,
this was still very valuable in learning to cope!
Conclusion
Both students and teachers demonstrated enthusiasm and en-
hanced understandings of the nature of science during their
field trips. For the Writing in the Sciences class, students ac-
commodated their research for a variety of audiences, showing
how local environmental concerns impact the immediate com-
munity, but also connecting their research to environmental
problems around the globe. In all classes, GLOBE participants
demonstrated increased knowledge of ecology, natural histories
of various organisms, and awareness of environmental re-
sources. For the teacher in-service class, a study conducted the
following summer revealed that teachers valued the course and
felt that their experiences helped them be more effective teach-
ers. Six of the eight teachers conducted field activities with
their students the following year, but also reported significant
challenges associated with the effort. In the current environ-
ment of high-stakes testing, the time and effort required to
conduct field studies is often used to justify the absence of au-
thentic field-based learning. At the same time, critical environ-
mental issues are finally being recognized across the nation.
The GLOBE program is a resource that enables students to
investigate their local environmental, while situating their ex-
perience within a global network of research.
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