- Jeffrey Ram
- https://physiology.med.wayne.edu/profile/aa2234
- Professor and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Wayne State University
- Joan Chadde
- Director
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, Michigan..., Michigan Technological University
- Amy Emmert
- Director of Education
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Belle Isle Conservancy
- Mario McGhee
- Educator (BIA) and Researcher (WSU)
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Belle Isle Aquarium, Wayne State University
- Marion Tate
- Research assistant
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Wayne State University
- June Teisan
- Education specialist
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Belle Isle Conservancy
- Sandra Yarema
- Assistant professor
- Promoting Student Interest in Science and Science Careers through a Scalable Place-Based Environmental Educational Program at a Public Aquarium
- https://www.biaquariumstem.org/
- Wayne State University
Facilitators’
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Public Discussion
Continue the discussion of this presentation on the Multiplex. Go to Multiplex
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Welcome to Detroit and the Belle Isle Aquarium, where students come to see fish, turtles, and frogs and leave with learning and excitement about what they, too, could be doing in the world of science. This project starts with teacher professional development to enhance their knowledge of biology and ecology and to help them prepare their classes to benefit the most from their field trip visit. Aquarium educators (and our education researchers) follow up with classroom visits, and teachers get the opportunity to reinforce lessons with small grants to enhance learning opportunities. Want to know more? Then after viewing our showcase video, join us on a "virtual field trip" (https://www.biaquariumstem.org/virtual-field-trip.html), created in response to COVID-19. Before COVID-19, every fifth grade student in the Detroit public school system could visit the Aquarium. Now, this trip is open to the world. Your students are welcome to join us wherever they are.
Points of discussion:
(a) The challenge of working with a large school system in which administrators, teachers, and curriculum are in a constant state of flux (even before COVID-19). How does that compare with your project?
(b) The pleasure of being a truly place-based site of informal education. Visits to Belle Isle and the Aquarium are family traditions in Detroit, and always a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. In what other ways should we use this opportunity to educate our kids?
Marilu Lopez Fretts
Deborah Fields
Deborah Fields
Love the ways you prioritized teacher agency and creativity in this grant. Building on and encouraging them to use their expertise in creative ways. Really love the idea of the mini-grants!
Michael I. Swart
Marion Tate
Research assistant
Yes, the mini-grants have been a wonderful incentive for teachers as a way to purchase materials to promote science in their classrooms. Teacher purchases from grants have included, for example, a bearded dragon, terrariums. This initiative has helped increase students’ curiosity about such topics as animal adaption, water sampling, food chains, and invasive species.
Michael I. Swart
Dajuanna Travier
Jeffrey Ram
Abigail Levy
Distinguished Scholar
Thanks for sharing this interesting work; and congratulations on adapting to COVID-19 with the virtual field trip. I'm very intrigued by the mini-grants for teachers, and curious what you're learning from the choices that they make about how to spend their grant money. What do they feel will enhance their learning experiences, and how do their ideas evolve over the course of their PD? Are you adapting your work with teachers based on the way the mini-grants are working?
Marion Tate
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Amy Emmert will respond to your question about the mini-grants.
Amy Emmert
Director of Education
Teachers’ choices about mini-grants often reflect what we provide as examples and the activities we conduct at the PD. And unfortunately, our teachers have had thier science units changed each year of this grant. Therefore, we have learned it is essential that any mini-grant example or activity must not only be meaningful to teachers and students but also adaptable and flexible. We are constantly adapting our suggestions and feedback to teachers on the mini-grants because of thier changing units.
I can say from organic feedback and thier palpable excitement while engaging in the activities, that thier knowledge and confidence grow after doing an activity and or using new technology. We see teachers who might not have otherwise included invasive species, exude excitement to embed quagga mussels in thier unit. Our researches can speak more to the data that supports this.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
June Teisan commented below in response to another inquiry: - the teacher-grant component of our work creates a natural opportunity to reconnect with each teacher and often their students. We regularly deliver the materials ordered by the teacher and while on-site at the schools are often drawn into further discussions while we're in the classroom ("Hey, it's the lady from the aquarium...remember when we ___?")
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
We've also tried to encourage students to "take charge" and create their own videos as a small grant project. You can see this recruitment in a video "invite" made by graduate students and assistants in the Ram laboratory at https://www.biaquariumstem.org/uploads/1/0/6/4/106486701/nsfgrantvideo.mp4
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Drum roll, please! I'd like to introduce our team and co-presenters. We all work closely together on all aspects of the project (especially organizing and leading our annual Summer Teacher Institute professional development); however, primary responsiblities are:
Jeffrey Ram: PI of the NSF ITEST project. Molecular aquatic ecologist and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory. Budget, Institutional Review Board papework, communications facilitation and web site manager.
Amy Emmert: Education Director for the Belle Isle Conservancy (managers of the Belle Isle Aquarium). Besides overall direction of education programs at the Aquarium, Amy is the "go to person" for our small grants program.
June Teisan: Organizes field trips for students, training facilitators, and following up with pre- and post-field trip interactions with teachers. June is a former Michigan Science Teacher of the Year.
Mario McGhee: a recent graduate of Wayne State University, you will see him as one of the leaders of field trips in our virtual field trip video. Mario is a model of success for our students, with much field experience and many scientific skills. He will begin grad school at WSU's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics in the Fall.
Joan Chadde: A leader in the organization of our teacher professional development summer workshops, Joan is an expert at "educating our educators." As Director of Michigan Tech's Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, Joan was recently (2020) named Informal Science Educator of the Year by the Michigan Science Teachers Assocation.
Sandra Yarema: co-PI of the project for Wayne State and an assistant professor in the College of Education where she isProgram Coordinator for Science Teacher Education. Sandra heads the research branch of our project, observing education activities and outcomes and supervising our research assistant, Marion Tate
Marion Tate: experienced teacher and graduate student in the College of Education, Marion collects, records, and analyzes data from focus groups, classroom observations, teacher and student survey, etc.
Many others make this project work, especially our participating teachers and our evaluators, Higher Ed Insight LLC.
Dajuanna Travier
Jacqueline Genovesi
Vice President
Thank you for sharing your project. You mention that "Visits to Belle Isle and the Aquarium are family traditions in Detroit, and always a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city." I am wondering if this is true for the under-served audiences you are targeting in this grant? If not, how are you helping these families also enjoy that family tradition? How might you do this if you are not already?
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Jacqueline, See June Teisan's comment below.
And here's my much wordier comment:
The special thing about the Belle Isle Aquarium is that it is always free! It is in a state park that you can walk or ride a bicycle into for free! (driving in does require a state parks pass, which costs $11 for the year and entitles you to free entry into ALL state parks for the year [if you can afford a car and the insurance--which is outrageously expensive in Detroit--the $11 state parks pass is likely affordable, although in these difficult economic times I would not be surprised if enforcement is waived; for most of the year even driving into the park is on the honor system. No gates; no bars; just a small roadside kiosk to purchase if you haven't already purchased the parks pass with your annual license plate registration.]. About the Detroit traditions: Belle Isle is THE place for family reunions in Detroit. Every summer, the picnic shelters and the sports fields and the kayak and canoe liveries are filled with Detroiters and their relatives sharing the environment. While the project doesn't specifically subsidize visits to the park beyond the school field trips (paid for by Detroit Public Schools Community District), we've told teachers that facilitating addtional visits to Belle Isle (or city parks, like Rouge Park in the northwest part of the city) to study the environment would be great small grants projects.
Belle Isle park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of Central Park in New York. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city was part of the design. Entering the park, you encounter a beautiful fountain, statues, even the formal gardens of the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. However, as you go up-island by car, bike, or foot, you encounter wonderful picnic areas, the Belle Isle beach, the view of Canada across the Detroit River, and then wilder and wilder areas as you enter the wet-mesic flatwoods forest on Belle Isle at the eastern end of the island, and if you are "in the know" you may even discover Hipster Beach (described as a secret beach only Detroit locals know).
Jacqueline Genovesi
Vice President
That is great! Thank you for sharing more about Belle Isle.
Roslyn Schindler
Jeff, you and your team have done much to wake up interest in Belle Isle. We need as much positive publicity as possible to get people to visit Belle Isle and appreciate that it is a gem in the city of Detroit. Thank you!
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
COVID-19 is putting a damper on activities at Belle Isle this summer. However, we expect that families will return again when disease prevalence makes it healthy to do so.
Jean Shane
Excellent!
Amy Emmert
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thank you for your comment. If you live near Michigan, come visit when we reopen. Always free. Before March we were open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the public. Monday to Thursday is reserved for our education work (e.g., field trips).
June Teisan
Education specialist
Jacqueline, Detroit has a poverty rate that's nearly three times the national average so your questions are spot-on. With restricted income can families avail themselves of the Belle Isle park or our Belle Isle Aquarium (BIA)? One way we work to ensure access is by making the aquarium free to the public. The non-profit Belle Isle Conservancy works tirelessly to bring resources forward to operate the aquarium and afford access to all free of charge.
Jacqueline Genovesi
Amy Emmert
James Vonesh
Jeff & colleagues - thank you very much for sharing your project video. First off - I loved the use of animation at the start! Very well done! We are an urban campus as well and our project also focuses on themes of aquatic biodiversity and water quality - using bivalves as our champions to connect headwater (T&E Freshwater mussels) with the bay (oysters). I am excited to think about the potential for connecting students and teachers in very different parts of the country focused on similar themes. I saw you commented on https://stemforall2020.videohall.com/maps/1677.html - It would be cool to explore connecting across our projects in some modest way, getting students in Detroit, NYC, and Richmond, VA to share and compare their projects, findings, insights.
Krista Woodward
Michael I. Swart
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
As we said, we love molluscs, just not the ones that invaded our Great Lakes 30 years ago (zebra mussels and quagga mussels). Notwithstanding the negative consequences of this invasion, they do make ready biological material for seeing bivalve filtration and for more advanced students watching embryonic development under the microscope. Spawning and fertilization are easy to demonstrate, and cell divisions take place about one per hour, so it's possible to watch the amazing development of life in an afternoon, and see swimming veligers in a day.
The scene you saw with the long poles at the river was scraping quagga mussels from the steel sea walls. Over lunch, the teachers followed that up with an experiment on molluscan filtration, adding quagga mussels to one jar of algae and nothing to another, and seeing how readily and quickly the mussels filter the water. I'm sure neither New York harbor nor the James River want to get our mussels!
The teachers also love the macroinvertebrate search in the lagoon right behind the Aquarium and, in fact, it's a place where we focus on the diversity of water mites and some of their favorite diets: mosquito and midge fly larvae. I'd love to discuss projects on macro- and microinvertebrate biodiversity and the underappreciated ecosystem services that water mites provide for our environment and health. Please see our most recent water mite paper, at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32144638.
James Vonesh
I love that your storyline is so different! We have invasive Asian clams - and have plans to develop three storylines wrt bivalves over the life of the project - oysters = commercially important, downstream/bay, ecosystem services, etc; freshwater mussel = emperiled SE biodiversity, upstream; Asian clams = invasive species, upstream. It would be interesting to compare perspectives on invasive bivalves in systems dominated by different invasive bivalves. My guess is Quagga mussels are going to make a bigger impression :)
Marion Tate
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thanks for the feedback. We will follow up. One perspective on COVID-19 is that this is an invasive species moving fast and in real time, making an impact and changing the human ecology of interaction. I'm sort of identifying with some of those many native mussels that we've lost since the Dreissenid mussels invaded.
Erin C.
Great professional development!!! When you attend a training for educators and by educators, you GET something!!!! The level of engagement and activity line up was phenomenal! I still telling teachers about the great work that was done last summer—this was the PERFECT combination of excellence! Just wish there was room for ME!
June Teisan
Sandra Yarema
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thanks for the feedback. Take a look also at our "virtual field trip" at https://www.biaquariumstem.org/virtual-field-trip.html
Bradley Allf
What a lovely video, and the transition from the animated bit was beautiful. I'm wondering, even just anecdotally, if any of the project leaders have noticed a shift in the scientific or conservation attitudes of the participants in this project-- perhaps among teachers that have been bringing students to the aquarium for a long time or students that have become more deeply engaged in the aquarium?
Dajuanna Travier
Marion Tate
Sandra Yarema
Assistant professor
Both anecdotally and in our data analysis, we have noted a shift in attitudes of teachers. Many were unaware of the resources available, before participating in the project. Many are newly involved in composting, recycling, and environmental science projects on their own school campuses, and in leadership to institute such projects with other teachers in their buildings. The school district has also adopted our field trip structure for all classes at that grade level across the entire district.
Jacqueline Genovesi
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Bradley: having looked at your video, I have to say: I will definitely look through your citizen science projects to see whether we can use some of them to maintain engagment with students after their field trips to the Belle Isle Aquarium (a place-based informal eduation location and the topic of our video). Now, in the days of COVID-19, when at-home learning and engagement has become so important for our families and students, these tools are more necessary than ever. Thanks for sharing it with us. BTW: which modules would you direct us to for (a) teachers, (b) fifth graders, and (c) topics associated with biodiversity, water, fish, conservation, and ecology [major areas of inquiry at an Aquarium!]?
Cheryl Bodnar
This is a really great project. I think that the focus on educating teachers makes a really big difference as you can reach a lot of students through just empowering a single teacher.
Krista Woodward
Isabel Huff
Marion Tate
Sandra Yarema
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Teachers influence many students per year, and they are more effective science teachers if they gain great confidence and self-efficacy from their PD experience. Furthermore, if they stay engaged with the Aquarium no matter what school district they teach in or what grade level, the project will have a continuing impact. At least that is one of our objectives.
Amy Wagler
Great project! I love the idea of the mini-grants for supporting inservice teachers. The fifth grade is such a critical age to reach kids to study STEM-kudos! I think the approach is excellent and should prove to be so effective when focusing on the teachers!
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
We purposely chose fifth grade because of ample documentation and first hand reports that this is such a critical age for student choices about their future interests. To quote from our grant proposal: "research also indicates that among the greatest factors in student persistence in STEM career paths in high school is their pro-science mind-set upon entering high school (Sadler et al., 2012). In interviews of scientists and graduate students, 65% indicated their interest first began before middle school (Maltese & Tai, 2011). Students often report that their science teachers had most inspired their interest in science (Aschbacher et al., 2010). Students’ sense of self–efficacy in science is a strong predictor for middle school science achievement (Britner & Pajares, 2006). “Because self-efficacy influences academic achievement, a drop in confidence during the middle school years can have a negative influence on students’ high school and college achievement…[and] can block the pursuit of careers in mathematics and science.” (Britner & Pajares 2006, p. 496). Thus, middle school can have a profound impact on students’ decisions to pursue STEM careers. Therefore, to stimulate a shift in the number of students entering STEM careers, we have chosen to focus on fifth-grade teachers and students"
Andrea Gingras
Dajuanna Travier
Wing Cheung
Great video and project! I really like the drone shot you took inside the aquarium. We do a similar drone PD workshop for educators in our NSF project. I wonder if you can share your best practices for recruiting teachers, and strategies for keeping them engaged after the workshop.Thanks!
Michael I. Swart
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Our best practices for recruiting teachers include
(a) all recruitment materials and registration forms fully accessible on-line
(b) registration completion links immediately to an on-line teacher consent form--yes, we did have to do a lot of administrative work to get this approved by our IRB, but once approved, it works like a charm. About half the teachers do ti right away. Others, we have to send friendly reminders.
(c) person-to-person links to bring the recruitment web site to the attention of additional teachers. Previous participants are asked to tell their colleagues. After the school system decided that all fifth graders should do a field trip to the Aquarium, we recruited the teachers (and hence their classes--but consenting the parents and students is another challenge) during and after their class' visit. So sometimes, classes have visited before their teacher is part of the research arm of this project--but then they sign up for the PD to further improve their class' experience the next year.
After the workshop is easy: they get programmed to bring their class on the field trip to the Aquarium and this is encouraged (practically, required) by the school system. However, keeping them engaged after their class has come on a field trip has been a challenge.
Keeping teachers engaged requires great effort and consistent follow-up, sometimes stymied by changes in the school curriculum and personnel, administrative reorganizations in the school system, and the general demands on teachers' time. The small grants have provided an incentive for continued engagment for some, as have our after-field trip visits for follow-up and student research surveys. We have some star teachers in our follow-up but also considerable drop-out, a big challenge especially for the gathering of research data.
June Teisan
Education specialist
Thanks for your feedback and questions Wing.
We've employed numerous strategies for getting the word out about the Summer Institute. Word of mouth is important: we ask participants from prior years (this is our third cohort) to share info with colleagues. We stay in close contact with district science and math leaders and they have emailed info out to teachers. I've contacted the county science and math consultants and they too have shared the institute details. Last spring I attended a two-day workshop hosted by the district for community groups and educators and I made sure to sneak in an "elevator pitch" to the group and during breaks I passed out my business cards to teachers and principals who were interested.
We host a "reunion" at the aquarium in October and the summer cohort is eager to reconnect. Those who attend enjoy a delicious dinner (good food is always appreciated) and we pay a stipend for participating. We have a Facebook group for the cadre where everyone is free to share photos of work in their classrooms and our staff shares other STEM opportunities outside of our organization to fuel ongoing teacher development. We see each teacher, with their students, at the field experience but also for a pre-visit to their classrooms prior to the trip so that f2f energy is maintained. To sum up: fostering relationships with our cohort of educators is key.
Alex DeCiccio
This is a great project. It just seems so tangible and the combination of learning about one's own place and wrapping that into their identity, as well as, building confidence and capacity with their potential interests.
Other than physically bringing the visitors into the aquarium space, can you describe a couple outreach and engagement strategies that you like to deploy remotely?
Our work at the Inner Space Center often ties, in an interactive way, informal education centers and institutions like yours to researchers and explorers aboard research vessels. It would be cool to see if there are any potential synergies in the future between our groups as we are always looking for ways to illuminate the deepest parts of the ocean for everyone. I find that some of the challenges lie in developing emotional connections when discussing observations at sea. After the "wow" factor wears off, the audience is looking to tie the information into their personal world to retain and attach that information in more meaningful ways.
Your work really seems to be succeeding and addressing the underlying concept of this challenge and would enjoy listening to more of your stories!
Holly Morin
June Teisan
Education specialist
Thanks for the feedback Alex. A few of the outreach and engagement efforts we employ:
- before students come to the aquarium two of our team members enact a pre-visit to the classrooms (those of our summer institute teachers). We "set the stage" showing an overview of the facility, spotlight some of the species they will encounter, offer a preview of the activities they will participate in during field experience, bring a brief lesson about terrestrial and aquatic food chains, and discuss STEM careers. We've found that students offered this chance to 'see what they will see' ahead of time allows them to delve more deeply during the on-site activities, and answer questions and help settle any nerves kids have about the excursion (we've found that many are fearful of going over the bridge to the island so we talk them through that concern)
- we offer the option of a classroom post-visit where, once again, aquarium staff bring an enrichment activity to the students at their school. The goal is to help them reflect on the experience and again highlight STEM careers.
- the teacher-grant component of our work creates a natural opportunity to reconnect with each teacher and often their students. We regularly deliver the materials ordered by the teacher and while on-site at the schools are often drawn into further discussions while we're in the classroom ("Hey, it's the lady from the aquarium...remember when we ___?")
Again, thanks Alex. And know that we're always interested in discussing potential connections with other organizations to explore synergies!
Andrea Gingras
Holly Morin
Alison Billman
Director of Early Elementary Curriculum
Thank you so much for sharing your project. It seems like a perfect intersection of informal and formal learning spaces--one that really raises the opportunities for children to learn. You highlight the enthusiasm of some of the teachers--it sure did make me smile. As you think about sustaining the teachers' engagement from year-to-year I wonder, have you ever thought about the possibility of adding a citizen science component in which the classrooms play an active role in collecting data or in producing infomercials about issues related to the river and perhaps those pesky mullusks?
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Definitely interested in developing citizen science components. We saw some other video showcase projects that do this and will follow up. Regarding infomercials: On another project--a statewide project with teachers about invasive species education--one of the follow up projects did exactly that. Take a look at our "lesson plans" page, and especially the student videos for a fourth grade class in Caro, Michigan, at https://www.biaquariumstem.org/preventing-the-spread-of-invasive-species-through-informercials.html We reported (actually the teacher reported) on what her class had created at the 2019 Michigan Science Teachers Association conference, along with several other teachers reporting from that project on multimedia creative projects that their classes had done. See https://www.biaquariumstem.org/multimediacreative-projects-lp.html
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Regarding videos: Here's one that my graduate students made to entice students to propose making a video about plastics in the Great Lakes (we have a polluting plastics exhibit in the Aqaurium). Seems like a good invite to me, but no small grant applications have come in yet proposing to do it. I think making your own video is a great learning experience (you learn better what you try to teach!). Perhaps this year, when teachers are encouraging at home projects. Here's a link to the video recruitment video: https://www.biaquariumstem.org/uploads/1/0/6/4/106486701/nsfgrantvideo.mp4
Leigh Peake
I would love to connect as there are so many overlaps between our projects -- the combination of informal and formal learning, focus on 5th grade (for all the reasons you suggest), and the recent shift to virtual. Also, as Alison above suggests in her comment, we've just begun to add a citizen science component to the program that isn't represented in our video. I'm already scheming a post-COVID trip to see what you're doing in person!
Holly Morin
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
We've just found out that we are going to have to do our Summer Institute professional development this summer by a virtual method. We will be brainstorming the tools and techniques we will use next week. Many ideas at this video showcase may come in handy. Ideas for virtual interaction and learning about food webs, adaptations, observation, etc. will be discussed. Perhaps will ship "do it at home" supplies to participants, because we can't sacrifice "hands on" to "no hand shakes". Suggestions welcome.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Welcome to Detroit, whenever you would like to come (but please wait until the epidemic subsides). I'll comment further after I look at your video.
Michelle Quirke
Jeffrey, What an exciting project and video. I especially like the teacher comment, "Reignited my passion for science." The video captured the excitement and learning and the reason why 5th grade is an impactful time for future STEM interest. The video ignited my interest in learning more about the project!
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Michelle: Indianapolis is not so far away! Come up and visit. We've just received word from our school system that if we do the Summer Institute this summer it will have to be "virtual." Now that should be interesting. Lot's of brainstorming will be going on next week as we grapple with how to make our PD as engaging as the on-site workshops. We've talked for years about how teachers and students can take the field trip activities into "their own backyards." We may actually put this to the test. It might be virtual with us, but "actual" to them. Ideas about virtual PD in an eco- and aqua- related project are welcome!
DeeDee Wright
Bravo! I think it is so important for teachers to extend their own learning and science experiences. It feeds their intellectual soul that leads to their creativity in designing classroom activities and experiences that meet the needs of their students. In my own work leading professional development for educators, I've found that teachers who participate in these types of PD are more likely to replicate open inquiry in their classroom; they develop a comfort level with long-term investigation and uncertain outcomes.
Krista Woodward
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
One of our most effective professional development leaders is a former Michigan Science Teacher of the Year. Teachers appreciate the advice of someone who has been in the trenches with them and can speak about teachers' needs authoritatively. (That's June Teisan in our video and has added many comments to our Discussion thread. Thanks, June).
Dajuanna Travier
June Teisan
Education specialist
Great phrase DeeDee "It feeds their intellectual soul"!! As a career K-12 educator before joining the aquarium education team I wholeheartedly agree that enriching PD fuels creativity. And I'd add that it fosters risk-taking in pedagogy by offering a supportive environment for teachers to try new methods. Thanks for your comments!
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Michelle: Indianapolis is not so far from Detroit. Please come and visit. Right now we are planning a transition to a virtual PD with our teachers and how to transition our research questions in this new experiential environment. We've encouraged teachers to take the field trip lessons in our past Summer Institutes at the Aquarium back to their classrooms and their backyards, and come up with creative place-based lessons where they are. It will be interesting to see if we can come up with a model that will facilitate their own "backyard ecology" and at the same time share with other teachers in how that will help them teach about food webs, adaptations, and other aspects of life science at the fifth grade level. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. (sorry for this duplicate response; for some reason this comment had temporarily disappeared.).
Shihao Li
Thank you for sharing your great project.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thank you for visiting and leaving your comment.
Michal Livni
Jeff: I look forward to bringing my Grandkids to the Belle Isle Aquarium when it reopens. It looks like a great place to visit, and I thought the virtual field trip that you also provided the link to was awesome.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thank you for your input. We creating a lot more "virtual visits" and activities on-line, so that city people, especially, will view the Aquarium as theirs. Always free, and now on-line. Please look at our other activities for kids, at https://www.biaquariumstem.org/kids-corner.html
Tammy Hurvitz
I love the way that this project creates an experience that is so much more than a single field trip. From the teacher institute to the mini grants, this is a creative way to extend the students’ experience of the aquarium into their classroom experience as well.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Tammy: Thanks for your comment. What we hope to develop is a continuing sustained relationship teachers, students, and their families. Even the research consents draw the family in. We have the usual consents in English, but we also provide, where needed, parental consent forms in Spanish and Arabic.
Mark Bealo
I absolutely love that pond ripple analogy: "pouring into the lives of these teachers maximized that impact." Oh how I wish countless administrators would take those words to heart and implement them consistently. Keep up the great work!
June Teisan
Education specialist
Thanks Mark :) I join you in the hope that those who support classroom educators grasp the power of pouring into teachers...when we help them refresh the well they in turn have more to pour out to kids.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
We've just received word that if we are going to do our 4-day Summer Teacher Institute this summer (as we planned) it will have to be "virtual". This is a challenge that we think we are up to; however, this Showcase also seems like the perfect forum to get suggestions as to what professional development activities work best on-line and asynchronously for a project that is focused on ecological science, adaptations, aquariums, and water quality (and professional careers associated with those) for fifth grade teachers. Your comments are welcome!
Alex DeCiccio
Alex DeCiccio
Hi Jeffrey, you are doing the right thing by prompting this awesome forum. Our group has had lots of experience creating virtual experiences and step one is to not force in-person expectations in a remote environment. Create a map first of what you may need and what your audiences will as well in going remote.
These are all problems worth solving and know that we are all in the same boat!
Leigh Peake
Would love to talk about this, Jeffrey, and compare notes. I know we will learn by sharing what we're doing but hearing all that you invent as you reinvent your Institute. We've been doing both in-person and blended PD for teachers conducting ecosystem investigations. We make substantial use of video, particularly around field-based protocols. We also distribute responsibility for the success of the Institute. We typically have returning teachers and we engage them richly in the conversation so their classroom experience is front and center for those not yet as experienced. I guess the other thing we decided to do this year is spread the sessions out over a longer period of time -- either 1-1.5 hr/day over the course of a week or even 1 session per week for a month. That kind of thing. Anyway, just a few thoughts. Can't wait to hear what you invent!
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Our leadership team is following this thread. It is good to know that there are many projects "out there," like yours, ready to provide advice and even some already built tools. Thanks for the input. One of the topics of conversation has been the amount of time per day on-line and what do teachers have time for "off-line" in these stressful times. A member of our team, June Teisan (you've seen her comments on this thread a few times) brought to our attention two articles (of many) that capture some of the current struggles and future concerns about K-12 education from a teacher perspective.
Leigh Peake
Thank you for these!
Kathleen Meister
I have recently moved from K-12 educator to informal educator. I have had the opportunity to interact with many facets of the Education Program and have been amazed at the program the Ed. Team puts on both for teachers in the summer and students throughout the year. The students walk out the door after a field trip still asking questions! Jeff, Amy, June and their staff and volunteers make the Belle Isle Aquarium a great experience for our students.
Amy Emmert
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Katie,
Thanks for your input. Your volunteer work at the Aquarium is always appreciated.
Sandra Yarema
Dajuanna Travier
This video is very inspirational and powerful! Keeping the main thing, the main thing is truly the focus! Students first! Students are motivated and exposed to the endless STEM possibilities at one of Detroit's gems, the Belle Isle Aquarium. Urban students taking a field trip to the oldest aquarium in the world to explore the Great Lakes and the ecosystem first- hand, will stimulate, the scientists within, hands down. Ultimately, teachers participate in a 4- day hands-on PD; followed by an interactive student field trip which promotes STEM, while increasing urban students' interests in science, engineering, math and technology careers.
Sandra Yarema
Amy Emmert
Dajuanna Travier
How to maximize the 4-day Summer Teacher Institute(virtual PD?)
Being a past participate, I immediately thought of the following:
Acronym-"STEM"
As far as planning for the virtual PD, each day could focus on a letter in the word "STEM." This would help each planner/presenter maximize their day by covering what they seek to cover.
S- tudy, Samples, Surveys, Science(Day 1)
T- eacher collaboration thru Technology(Day 2)
E- cology systems, Environment, Ecosystems investigations, Experiments(Day 3)
M-any careers(stem) and Michigan programs(Day 4)
Sandra Yarema
Amy Emmert
Amy Emmert
Director of Education
Dajuana, I LOVE this suggestion! I think now that we are moving it online, it will be more important than ever to be deliberate with connecting the content presented on each day.
Dajuanna Travier
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Dajuana: What a great outline. I'm sure we'll discuss it as we plan this summer's virtual PD. Your outline is especially on topic for our ITEST project which is not just about the science and technology, but also about the many careers that students can set their minds and passions towards. For others who may be following this thread: Dajuana is a fifth grade teacher and the "publisher" for her class of the Travier Times, a weekly newsletter of science and other subjects for her students. She also wrote a reflection on her Summer Institute experience for the MAEOEgram, the on-line newsletter of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (see p. 21).
Dajuanna Travier
Donald Brown
Amazing project Dr. Ram! I hope to visit you at Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit the next time when the pandemic Covid 19 leave us to go back to USA. It will great visit the education project working in place.
Here in Universidad de Valparaíso we have many experiences related to attract the interest of child and young students for Science. I am attaching a web page from our Facultad de Ciencias where you can see some brief descriptions of some initiatives, I am sorry they are in Spanish my native language in spite of my English name.
https://ciencias.uv.cl/?page_id=4380
Sandra Yarema
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Muchas gracias, Donald, por compartir información sobre tu programa en Valparaíso. El programa que tiene para estudiantes de tercer y cuarto grado puede tener ideas que podemos usar en nuestras propias actividades. Gracias por compartir tu sitio web.
Ronald Ochoa
EL video es excelente. Llama la atencion lo acertado del comentario sobre la edad, es una clave para introducir a los jovenes en ciencias. Nacido en Costa Rica, rodeado de bosques y volcanes, fue hasta que cumpli los 12 an~os y que me llevaron a ver un museo de insectos que encontre las maravillas de la naturaleza. Microscopios, fotos, diferentes familias de toda clase de organismos con extraordinarios colores abrio la puerta de ese universo. Hoy en dia, gracias a ese viaje, me he dedicado a la entomologia y acarologia (ACARI, mites), y todos los dias hay algo nuevo que aprender... Mucha suerte con el programa, ciencia es la carretera al progreso, les deseo lo mejor.
Adrian Vasquez
¡Excelente comentario Ron!
Si estoy de acuerdo que estar expuesto a la naturaleza y otras experiencias en la ciencia es fundamental para continuar en careras de STEM. Pero también es bueno tener acceso a museos, acuarios, zoológicos y otros lugares de almacén de recursos de ciencia que pueden venir a ser muy útil para inspirar y animar a jóvenes perseguir una carrera en STEM.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thanks for your comment Adrian! For non-Spanish speakers, translation of Adrian's comments (by Google translate) is "Excellent comment Ron!
If I agree that being exposed to nature and other experiences in science is essential to continue in STEM careers. But it's also nice to have access to museums, aquariums, zoos, and other science resource storehouses that can come in handy to inspire and encourage young people to pursue a career in STEM." In fact, what we try to do at the Aquarium is to provide a hybrid experience of (a) observation of animals and plants in suitable interior aquatic environments, (b) a hands-on laboratory experience, and (c) a field experience in nearby natural (actually "managed") features on Belle Isle. Now we are also going to have to add on: (d) finding new experiences of nature on-line.
Ronald Ochoa
EL video es excelente. Llama la atencion lo acertado del comentario sobre la edad, es una clave para introducir a los jovenes en ciencias. Nacido en Costa Rica, rodeado de bosques y volcanes, fue hasta que cumpli los 12 an~os y que me llevaron a ver un museo de insectos que encontre las maravillas de la naturaleza. Microscopios, fotos, diferentes familias de toda clase de organismos con extraordinarios colores abrio la puerta de ese universo. Hoy en dia, gracias a ese viaje, me he dedicado a la entomologia y acarologia (ACARI, mites), y todos los dias hay algo nuevo que aprender... Mucha suerte con el programa, ciencia es la carretera al progreso, les deseo lo mejor.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
For non-Spanish readers, the translation (via Google translate) is: "The video is excellent. It draws attention to the correctness of the comment on age, it is a key to introduce young people to science. Born in Costa Rica, surrounded by forests and volcanoes, it was until I was 12 years old that they took me to see an insect museum that found the wonders of nature. Microscopes, photos, different families of all kinds of organisms with extraordinary colors opened the door of that universe. Today, thanks to that trip, I have dedicated myself to entomology and acarology (ACARI, mites), and every day there is something new to learn ... Good luck with the program, science is the road to progress, I wish you the best."
Your comments add further testimony of a professional scientist to the importance of the middle school years to the making of a scientist. Thank you for your input.
Faiza Peetz, MD
Thank you for all you presented, I loved when you said"to no fault of their own." Because I really think it is so true, so children have no options.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Faiza: And especially these days, due to COVID-19, we all have "to no fault of our own" many new challenges in providing education and opportunities to the next generation. Not just the children, but also their parents and their teachers. That does not relieve each of us from taking individual responsibility, as well, for our own education in whatever circumstances, while at the same time striving together for everyone to be a life-long learner. Thank you for your comment
Michael I. Swart
Local ecological conservation in community organization through education! And, with follow-up support to teachers to reinforce curricular connections. A people network of caring. Thanks for sharing.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Our current challenge is figuring out how we can express that caring in a virtual community.
Joan Chadde
Director
DaJuana - Thanks so much for your comment on the importance of focusing on students. As June suggested near the end of the video---teachers are the essential link to reaching students. Teachers' enthusiasm, knowledge and encouragement of their students is critical to building students' confidence and sparking their interest in science and science careers. Thank you so much for your contributions to the teacher institute, writing your newsletter Travier Times for your students and their parents/guardians, and for writing an article about your teaching strategies for the newsletter of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental & Outdoor Education. Your work is much appreciated!
Joan Chadde
Director
DaJuana - Thanks so much for your comment on the importance of focusing on students. As June suggested near the end of the video---teachers are the essential link to reaching students. Teachers' enthusiasm, knowledge and encouragement of their students is critical to building students' confidence and sparking their interest in science and science careers. Thank you so much for your contributions to the teacher institute, writing your newsletter Travier Times for your students and their parents/guardians, and for writing an article about your teaching strategies for the newsletter of the Michigan Alliance for Environmental & Outdoor Education. Your work is much appreciated!
Kateri Kerwin
It's very encouraging to see all of the necessary layers of involvement that this project nurtures so that Detroit kids are exposed to STEM possibilities for themselves.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thank you for your encouragement.
Marshall Zumberg
Creating Stem Pathways in Urban Settings was an exciting view. Projects that stimulate teachers to expand their knowledge of science and educational strategies to excite their students is essential. This project will help elementary, middle school and high school students to understand acience and possibly choose an aspect of science as a career. As a retired university educator, I was particularly pleased that the project directly utilizes community based local Detroit science resources. This is one of the best ways to stimulate the teachers to also utilize community based instruction as an instructional tool to develop student interest in not just science but also the local community.
Jeffrey Ram
Professor, Wayne State University, and Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium Field Research Laboratory
Thank you, Marshall, for your input. We very much view every education project at the Belle Isle Aquarium as "place-based education." For 115 years, the Aquarium has been part of the Detroit community, through thick and thin, bankruptcy of the city, and beyond--and still free to come and go for everybody. Many of our volunteers are, in fact, retired teachers from the area.
Graciela Solis
Such important work! What challenges did you find in the virtual field trips (if any?).