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SYEFEST Testimonial, Millbrook, New York, 1995 By Peggy Hanson, Millbrook Ecology Institute What am I doing here?? The question kept rolling around in my head. I had decided to take the two-week SYEFEST summer course on the enthusiastic recommendation of another fourth-grade teacher, who had participated the previous summer. I didn't share her enthusiasm, but I had concluded the experience would be good for me. I therefore approached it with the set of attitudes normally associated with painful but necessary medical treatments. For the introductory meeting, we had been instructed to bring a bag of dirt from our schoolyards. I chose a spot as close to the school building as possible and quickly shoved some dirt into a plastic bag, muttering, "I can't believe I'm doing this." I imagine I must have made quite an impression at the introductory meeting. When asked to share concerns we might have about the upcoming experience, I volunteered, "Well . . . I don't like the outdoors!" The truth is I don't bike, hike, camp, jog or even picnic! I might well have added: "And I don't like science very much either." As we examined the dirt samples we had brought, the other teachers were exclaiming over their discoveries. I sat glumly looking at my pile of dirt, in which I saw: dirt. Many of the other teachers had all kinds of insects in their samples. I had none whatsoever, and tried to fight off that familiar high-school science feeling that said, "See? You're just no good at this. Even your dirt is no good!" July 10, 1995 I drove to the first day of the two-week summer institute. It was eight in the morning on a very hot day in July. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for whatever was to come. We were asked to keep a Journal, and on this first day I wrote, "I am impressed by other teachers' openness to new ideas and approaches." Looking back, this seems significant - the first cracking of defenses and a dawning awareness that other attitudes were possible. We were assigned to small groups and asked to list fifty questions about the schoolyard. I remember wandering about aimlessly, feeling unfocused and inadequate. I wasn't used to looking beyond the surface of things, and I had long ago lost the habit of wondering about the world. I didn't really have any questions--other than "What am I doing here?"--but I tried dutifully to comply with the instructions and to contribute something. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and I remember the relief with which I finally noted question number fifty and headed back indoors. That first afternoon, we split into groups for outdoor investigations. My group decided to examine which way vines twine. As we tromped through the woods looking at vines, I learned about galls for the first time. I was astounded to discover that there were something this commonplace about which I know absolutely nothing. It was like discovering in middle age that there were these things called chairs you'd never noticed before. Although I cannot report that I was enchanted by being in the woods, I did experience powerfully how much of life I had been screening out. This realization is reflected in my Journal entry the next day: "I am so much more comfortable with words and ideas than with physical objects. The physical world feels sometimes threatening, sometimes boring - something to be endured rather than appreciated." Four days after my initiation into SYEFEST, I wrote in my Journal: July 14, 1995 For me, the activities have gotten more interesting and comfortable each day. The concept of "population" helped organize what we were doing and put it in a context where I could use it (and will be more likely to remember it.) I seem to need to know "what 's the point." I seem to need a theoretical framework to hang things on. Otherwise it's kind of like busywork. . .something to do--but what does it mean? Does open inquiry work best late, rather that early, in a unit? For learners like me at least, I think this is the case. Around this time, we did an activity with sticky traps, and discovered that the yellow traps seemed to attract a greater number of bugs called leaf-hoppers. As we examined these bugs under a hand lens, I was amazed by their dazzling color and intricate design. Again, I had the powerful experience of realizing how little I knew about common objects I had passed by every day of my life. July 20, 1995 On the last day of SYEFEST, I wrote in my Journal: I see the schoolyard as a real, rich, readily available resource now. It seems crazy not to take advantage of it. I have learned a lot of specific techniques that will give me confidence in guiding activities. I have learned some content that has been helpful. Most of all, I have learned about seeing. I find I am beginning to observe more, and feel more friendly toward that physical world as it has more familiar, recognizable things in it. I notice more every day. More than anything, this is what I'd like to give my students. I am looking at the world in a new way! May 7, 1996--SYFEST Follow-Up Session 3 As I stepped outside with my group of fellow teachers, I felt eager to look around and see what questions we might come up with. The first thing that caught our eye was moss on a nearby tree trunk. We began talking about moss and lichen, and soon realized we had dozens of questions. This is unbelievable, I know, given what I have already written, but they were questions about which I really was curious! We quickly jotted down an entire page of questions, including the following: Does moss grow in more abundance on a particular side of trees? Does lichen? Does moss or lichen grow in greater abundance in sun or shade? In wet or dry conditions? On certain kinds of trees? Is moss or lichen good or bad for trees? Believe it or not, I was sorry we had to limit ourselves to one question! I had an absolutely wonderful time that day choosing a question, designing an investigation, carrying it out, and reporting our findings to the group. In the process, I learned a lot about moss and lichen. I also learned something about myself and how much the SYEFEST experience had changed me. I was amazed at my own level of participation and involvement. Was this person moving through a scientific process with confidence and enthusiasm really me? How on earth did this transformation occur? To my knowledge, I was not brainwashed during my ten days at SYEFEST, yet this brief experience changed profoundly my attitude toward science, my teaching of science, my understanding of science process, and my interest in the natural world. My husband of twenty-five years watches bemused as I stop to point out a gall or kneel to observe and insect. I cannot honestly think of another experience that has had a comparable impact in such a short period of time--changing lifetime attitudes and practices. So, the obvious question is, How did this happen? What are the ingredients that made this experience so powerful and effective? Though it is difficult for me to be objective, I will attempt to step back from the experience and analyze the key factors. First, the co-leadership of a scientist and a classroom teacher was critical. I doubt very much if the experience would have worked nearly so well if either party had been missing. Each lent credibility to the enterprise. I couldn't say, "Yes, but he doesn't understand the realities of the classroom, "or "Yes, but she doesn't have specialized science training." Furthermore, the mutual respect these two individuals (Alan Berkowitz and Linda Olsen) showed--both for each other and for each other's professions--was enormously important. I never felt patronized, but I also never felt overwhelmed by a bunch of incomprehensible scientific information. Finally, the expertise and careful planning that the facilitators brought to SYEFEST were obvious factors in its success. Clearly another element that had a great impact on me was the hands-on nature of the program. As I became excited about what I was learning, I became eager to teach similar lessons to my students. We didn't talk about teaching ecology using schoolyards; the schoolyard became our classroom as we became the learners. Having experienced a number of activities as a learner, I could appreciate their instructional value, and I gained confidence in my ability to lead students through them. As important as it was to be a learner, however, it was equally important to have time to reflect on the experience and to think as a teacher. Keeping a journal allowed us to step back from the experience and analyze what was happening, making an important bridge from hands-on learning to our future classroom practices. Closely related is that SYEFEST allowed us time to develop unit plans with support from a rich collection of resources that were provided to us. This was a key component. So often teachers leave workshops with a pile of handouts and the best of intentions, only to return to their regular classroom routines, filing the handouts in a pile to "think about later." Again, the unit planning time helped build the bridge between our learning and our classroom practice. When the school year started, I pulled out my unit plans and walked effortlessly over that bridge. Time for discussion with colleagues was another important element. Teachers rarely have time to talk to one another, and yet this is such a valuable means of professional development. The impact of other teachers' attitudes on my own the first day of the two-week institute has already been noted. As time went on we had ample opportunity to discuss our understandings, questions, plans, and concerns with each other. We helped each other to grow. Once the school year started, I attended several follow-up sessions. This structure provided a great deal of support as we tested our plans in the classroom, encountering unexpected problems and benefits. The follow-up sessions also allowed us to continue to develop as learners, and to reflect on the ways we were changing. A final, and for me most powerful, factor was the accessible and logical nature of the material itself. Prior to SYEFEST I had long ago come to the conclusion that science simply didn't make any sense. From memorizing the chart of the elements in the third grade to cramming for Physical Science 101 exam as a college freshman, I had become convinced that there was no point in trying to understand "this stuff," because logic didn't seem to have any utility at all. To my astonishment, in SYEFEST I began to have "right" answers to many content- oriented questions. I had never experienced even a minimal level of success in science before, and I had therefore avoided the subject whenever possible. Suddenly I began to feel that somehow, for some reason, I could learn "this stuff!" This is also, I think, why schoolyard ecology makes such an ideal introduction to science for elementary school students. It is rooted in concrete experiences, and taps into children's natural curiosity. Anyone who has spent time with young children knows they are famous for asking a million questions; here is an approach to science that richly rewards that tendency. Also, as children learn to become good observers, they become fully engrossed in child-sized details in a way most adults can only envy. Although I was clearly "converted" by the end of the two-week summer institute, I had not really anticipated how well-suited the curriculum would be for my fourth-grade students. For the first time, I had the experience of teaching science in a way that seemed perfectly matched with the way children think and learn. Their enthusiasm and responsiveness fed my own. I will therefore let my students' voices conclude, as they expressed their thanks to Alan Berkowitz after a classroom visit in June: "I really like the way Mrs. Hansen did science this year. It used to be just a real boring subject. But now it's a fun thing.- Billy" "I had a great time having you here with our class. I was the child who asked you about the caterpillar that turned out to be a beetle. I named him Justin after myself. I enjoyed learning about insects and bugs.- Justin" "I think it's really fun going outside for science. I used to hate science. But now it's really cool.- Lindsey" These are sample inquiries submitted to our SYEFEST evaluator as part of a "Teacher Reflection Task" - a request for lesson plans, handouts, or desritions of activities they were doing with their students during the 1995 school year. We include them here to give SYEFEST Institute Leaders a sense of the kinds of inquiries teachers actually do with their students. We've tried to select common inquiries used in a variety of grades. I. Syefest activity notes Kindergarten activities from a California SYEFEST teacher
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