Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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Earth Expeditions take teachers around the world
By
Kate Westrich
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has partnered with Project Dragonfly at Miami University to create opportunities for educators to learn about inquiry-driven, community-based learning. Earth Expeditions focus on issues that affect the world and some of them actually take participants to locations around the world.
Beginning in September of each year there are three courses—focusing on plants and people, primate behavior and conservation or habitats, adaptations and evolution—offered at the Zoo. There are also field expeditions that occur at various times throughout the summer with follow-up work in the fall taking students to the Philippines, Argentina, Thailand, Belize, Namibia, Trinidad or Costa Rica.
No matter whether people sign up for coursework locally or opt for the international expeditions, the focus of Earth Expeditions is on participatory models of education. Dan Marsh, director of education for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, stressed that inquiry-based education is not a new concept and has, in fact, been around for thousands of years. "Inquiry is a type of instruction that involves the student in ways most [teaching models] don’t," said Marsh.
These programs, which are worth graduate education credit, are led by inquiry-based education experts from Miami University and biology and conservation experts from the Zoo. In participatory models of education, Marsh said "the biggest challenge for teachers is that it takes them out of the driver’s seat." Students actually help direct the focus of learning by asking questions and researching the answers.
The field expeditions offer an experience most people cannot get while traveling internationally on their own. "It’s not ecotourism," said Marsh, who has helped lead expeditions in Thailand and Namibia. "We have access to people and places most people don’t. The experiences are authentic."
In part because of the way Earth Expeditions are organized, people are bringing those authentic experiences back with them. As part of both the zoo-based work and the expeditions, students have to do either an Education Action Project or an Inquiry Project. The purpose of these is to encourage educators to take when they have learned from Earth Expeditions and apply it. One teacher worked with her first grade class to answer the question, "Who plays more: students or gorillas?" The first graders, with the help of some fourth grade students, worked through the scientific process starting off with the hypothesis that gorillas would play more. In the end they learned that in fact first graders play more. "It sounds light," said Marsh, but the teacher helps those first graders work through the same scientific process that Jane Goodall uses.
Earth Expeditions are also helping people to take a close look at the environment and conservation. "Our hypothesis is that people know a lot about conservation problems, but action is low," said Marsh. "We think that by doing inquiry, by being invested in questions personally, people will be motivated to find an answer."
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is also working to let teachers know that they are available to help them work with their students to study conservation. "Getting them to use this living resource in the middle of the city is what it’s all about," said Marsh.
Earth Expeditions started in 2004 and are now drawing participants from around the world. Approximately 140 people participate in the field expeditions annually and 60 in the courses at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. For more information about Earth Expeditions, visit http://earthexpeditions.org.
Kate Westrich is a Cincinnati native and avid flip-flop wearer.
