Teaching and learning approaches
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done so many different activities with this map! I
give it to them early in term and invite them to
make notes throughout the course. And I ask them
to add a layer of their own personal experience. I
want them to make particular kinds of references
to their use of the natural world and their potential
impacts on it.
We have aspects of world travel running through
the course where they talk about where they've
been and where they'd like to go. People bring in
artifacts, photos, stories, etc. For example, I have
had students who have been snorkeling at the
Great Barrier Reef in Australia. So, first, they're
talking about coral reefs, a habitat type. They
might then do a research paper that demonstrates
where in the world coral reefs are and something
else about their ecology based on the primary
literature. They might also choose to do one of
their 'flexible assignments' about how to protect
coral reefs. Through these assignments, they help
show fellow students that if you go on a coral reef
tour when you're traveling, reputable companies
would tell everyone: “Don't step on the coral, it'll
kill it!” And to wash off sunscreen and chemicals
before stepping into the water. There is so much
potential for linked assignments all based on a
students'
interests
and
experiences:
what
ecosystem is it you have traveled to, what living
organisms are found there, how does that relate to
abiotic (non-living) components? They can choose.
They focus on the ecology and often on learning
from their fellow students, and it is often re-
packaged into something on the course website or
something to be used by future students. “If you go
to this part of the world, where there is this
ecology, here are five things you need to know to
protect it.”
This is just one example of how the map triggers
the kinds of research and class contributions
students do. They then include it at the end of the
term as part of a learning portfolio. The world map
is then also a focused way for students to pay
attention to what other people contribute and
what I contribute throughout the term. And they
have to figure out a creative and attractive way of
presenting it. It shouldn't have every detail from the
course on it; they have to choose. What I want to
impress to the students is there isn't just one way to
describe an ecological system. Science does not
have just one answer to every question. The
“answer” depends on how persuasive your
argument is, and to a great extent, what interests
you.
There is a big emphasis in all of the activities and
lessons—whether
it
is
about
ecosystems,
biodiversity or nutrient cycles, which are the basic
principles of ecology that we work on in the
course—it always has the connection to students
and their lives. In another example, the first
outdoor classes that we have, I ask students,
“Guesstimate how many times have you walked
through some part of campus.” The next question
is, “Can you list five plants or animals that you've
seen on campus?” Many of them can't name one!
But by the end of the outdoor classes they've got a
giant list! I did my best to fit the course to my
philosophy that the more people know about
something, the more they're apt to care about it,
and take action to protect it.
I think even students majoring in ecology would
benefit from this course, because it looks at issues
from a much broader angle than most biology
courses do. I suppose there might be some faculty
members who would look at the content in my
course and say, “There's hardly anything there!” I
would counter by asking them to consider, in their
content-heavy courses, “How much learning is in
the course? And how much have they acquired
tools and attitudes that they can take away and use
for the rest of their lives?” I would always choose
students connecting one principle of ecology to
their lives and really showing that they understand
it by how they live it to the alternative of them
'being taught' ten principles that they say back in
the final exam but forget as they walk out the door.
-Alice Cassidy,
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