Current Research
Defining Ecological Literacy.
What are the goals for ecology education? What would we like students and other participants in our programs to know and be able to do? I have been collaborating with scientists and educators over the past 17 years to define the goals and intended outcomes of ecology education, including work on various national education standards initiatives, conceptual work in defining ecological literacy, and developing goals for education about urban ecosystems.
Understanding Ecological Learning.
How do people develop ecological literacy? What do educational programs need to do in order to build ecological understanding? How does one's background, personality and educational experiences all come together to influence your career development as an ecologist? These are some of the questions I am addressing through research and program assessment.
Developing Innovative Strategies for Teaching Ecology.
What are the best ways to teach ecology for diverse audiences of K-12 and college students, citizens and decision makers? Current ecology teaching initiatives include: curriculum development; teaching about the ecology of schoolyards and urban ecosystems; ecology education programs for undergraduates, , and children; informal ecology education for visitors; and use of the web for ecology teaching.
Professional Development for Ecology Educators.
How can we infuse the very best of ecological science and education into the training of educators? I have been building on our creative and scholarly work in ecology education to provide educators with professional development opportunities in the field. In most cases, these programs are both developmental - collaboratively building innovation with the educators - and for dissemination purposes. Current work includes the Ecology Education Fellows program, and workshops for teachers.
Recruiting and Training a Diverse Ecology Workforce.
The vitality of the field of ecology depends upon a diverse and well-trained workforce. The way we frame problems, seek solutions and apply knowledge depend upon having a scientific community with diverse strengths, perspectives, thinking styles, backgrounds, interests and concerns. Most of my work in this area focuses on undergraduates, including the Institute's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (REU), the Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability (SEEDS) program of IES, ESA and the United Negro College Fund), and the Baltimore Collaborative for Environmental Biology (BCEB) program of IES and Towson University. |
Selected Publications
- Schmidt, K.A., J.R. Goheen, R. Naumann, R.S. Ostfeld, E.M. Schauber, and A.R. Berkowitz. 2001. Experimental removal of strong and weak predators: mice and chipmunks preying on songbird nests. Ecology. 82:2927-2936.
- Ewing, H., K. Hogan, F. Keesing, H. Bugmann, A.R. Berkowitz, L. Gross, J. Oris, and J. Wright. Chapter 22. The role of modeling in undergraduate education. In Canham, C.D., Cole, J.J. and Laurenroth, W.K. Editors. The Role of Models in Ecosystem Science. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. In press.
- Berkowitz, A.R., K.S. Hollweg and C.H. Nilon. 2002. Editors. Understanding Urban Ecosystems: A New Frontier for Science and Education. Springer-Verlag, Inc., New York. In press.
- Berkowitz, A.R., K.S. Hollweg and C.H. Nilon. Chapter 30 - Urban ecosystem education in the coming decade: what is possible and how might we get there? In Berkowitz, A.R., K.S. Hollweg and C.H. Nilon. Editors. Understanding Urban Ecosystems: A New Frontier for Science and Education. Springer-Verlag, Inc., New York. In press.
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