Name:
District:
School:
Address:
Grade Level:
# Years Taught:
Phone:
E-mail:
Home:
Address:
Grade Level in 1997-98:
Soc. Sec. No.:

1. Are you as part of a team from your school or district? _______

2. If so, please give the name(s) of your partner(s):

3. About your school:

• What type of school is it?
  ____ public       ____ private       ____ parochial       ____ Title 1

• Where is your school?
  ____ large city       ____ small city       ____ suburb       ____ rural area

• What percentage of your students are:
  ____ African American       ____ Latino/Latina       ____ Native American
  ____ Asian American       ____ White       ____ Other

• What is your school's total enrollment?

• What grade levels does your school include?

• Do your classes have inclusion or special needs children?

• How would you rate the support you believe you will have during the next school year for teaching schoolyard ecology from ...
  

  administrators:                  a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support
  other teachers:                  a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support
  your science curriculum:    a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support
  available equipment:          a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support
  grounds/maintenance staff: a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support
  parents:                             a lot of support   1  2  3  4  5   no support

4. Briefly describe your educational background (including degrees earned, science courses taken, science and environmental education workshops attended, etc.):

5. Briefly describe your teaching style or approach. Give an example of a typical science lesson or activity you use with your students that you think is effective.

6. Estimate the amount of time you spend, in minutes per week, teaching each of the following:
_____ reading and language arts _____ mathematics _____ science _____ social studies

7. Estimate the proportion of your science teaching time that focuses on ecology _______ %.

8. Would you describe yourself as a teacher who integrates science with other subjects?
( ) yes    ( ) sometimes    ( ) no
Please explain:

9. How often do you teach science outdoors?
( ) frequently, about once a week (30-40 times each school year)
( ) often, about 2-3 times a month (15-30 times each school year)
( ) occasionally, about once a month (6-15 times each school year)
( ) infrequently, every couple of months (3-5 times each school year)
( ) almost never, once or twice a year
( ) never

10. Indicate how often you use the following resources or strategies to teach science ...

textbooks:                                  very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
trade books:                               very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
worksheets:                                very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
experiments:                                very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
class discussions:                         very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
student projects:                          very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
cooperative learning:                    very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
student journal writing:                 very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
computers:                                   very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
lectures:                                       very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
demonstrations:                            very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
simulations or games:                    very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
films or videos:                             very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
portfolios of student work:            very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never
performance-based assessment:    very often   1  2  3  4  5   almost never

11. How much do you use an inquiry approach for teaching science?
I use no activities   1  2  3  4  5   All my science units

12. How comfortable are you with teaching ecology in the schoolyard?
I am not at all   1  2  3  4  5   I am quite comfortable

13. Rate your schoolyard as an ecology learning environment:
very rich   1  2  3  4  5   not rich at all

14. How would you define ecology?

15. Indicate your background knowledge, and interest in gaining knowledge, in each area pertaining to teaching ecology in the schoolyard. Use the first space for BACKGROUND the second for INTEREST: Use a scale from 1=low to 5=high.

• local plants _____ _____
• local animals (vertebrates) _____ _____
• local animals (insects and other invertebrates) _____ _____
• soils _____ _____
• local environmental problems _____ _____
• global environmental problems _____ _____
• scientific research methods _____ _____
• basic ecological principles & concepts _____ _____
• field research techniques _____ _____
• data analysis _____ _____
• cooperative learning _____ _____
• inquiry learning _____ _____

16. At the beginning of any new initiative teachers are sometimes concerned with a variety of issues. Indicate, by circling the appropriate number, your level of concern about each of the following issues:

How will schoolyard ecology fit into my current science curriculum?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Do I have enough knowledge about ecology?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Do I have enough knowledge about scientific inquiry?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

How will students respond to schoolyard ecology?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will there be time to use the schoolyard for science?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will students of all abilities respond to schoolyard ecology?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I have the resources to teach ecology in the schoolyard?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I have to alter my teaching style because of this project?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

How will I evaluate student progress?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will class management be more challenging outdoors?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Where will I get help if and when I need it?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I be able to integrate ecology with other subjects?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Can I do inquiry-based teaching?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will students do okay on district and state tests?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I be able to recognize my schoolyard's potential?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I be able to incorporate cooperative learning?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

Will I be able to make use of my schoolyard's potential?
not concerned   1  2  3  4  5   very concerned

17. Briefly state your reasons for wishing to participate in the Schoolyard Ecology for Elementary School Teachers (SYEFEST) program. How would you and your students benefit? What currently limits your use of the schoolyard for teaching ecology? Your use of inquiry-based techniques?

18. Please add any other information you think would be helpful in providing you with a positive SYEFEST experience, or that you feel would be helpful to us in evaluating our efforts.

Thank you for your time.

Please bring the completed form to your first SYEFEST session or mail it directly to:
Lead Teacher/Lead Ecologist/Project Leader
Institution or organization
Address
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Website: