Appendix 2 - TEACHER SURVEY

1996 Post-Institute Teacher Survey

Name:

School:

1. Overall, how would you rate your Summer Institute experience?
One of my best educational experiences 1 2 3 4 5 Almost a waste of time

2. What was the best thing about the Summer Institute?

3. What improvements would you suggest for future SYEFEST Summer Institutes?

4. Overall, was the Summer Institute experience:
       __ Very challenging
       __ Just right
       __ Unchallenging
       __ almost too difficult
       __ started where I was
       __ too easy

5. Did you have the chance to work with children as part of the Summer Institute? Yes / No
If so, how helpful was this? If not, how helpful would this have been?
very helpful 1 2 3 4 5 not helpful at all

6. Did you have the chance to work on your own schoolyard during the Summer Institute? Yes / No
If so, how helpful was this? If not, how helpful would this have been?
very helpful 1 2 3 4 5 not helpful at all

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

Explain:

8. Indicate, by circling the appropriate number, your level of concern about each issue:
not concerned at all 1 2 3 4 5 very concerned

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Please estimate the percentage of time you spent during the Summer Institute on each of the 7 categories of activities listed below. Feel free to write in a category if a prominent activity type is missing. Your percentages should add to 100%. Then give your recommendation for how much time should be spent on each type of activity in the ideal SYEFEST Institute and explain in the space provided.

Activity Type	% of Total Time Spent	Recommended % of Time	Explanation
1. Doing your own guided- and open-inquiries, experiments, etc.
2. Getting to know schoolyards through site visits, surveys, tours.
3. Learning ecology concepts and principles, lectures, discussions.
4. Learning about local organisms, identification, natural history.
5. Making, acquiring and/or learning about resource materials.
6. Reflecting on teaching and learning, journaling, discussing.
7. Crafting your own schoolyard ecology teaching units and plans.
8. Other (please explain)

10. We'd like you to assess yourself in the following areas, each relating directly to one of our goals for SYEFEST. Consider where you were before the program and where you are now, thereby reflecting on how much you've grown.

a. Your knowledge of the inquiry process, i.e., how scientists create knowledge.
BEFORE: totally naive 1 2 3 4 5 sophisticated
NOW: totally naive 1 2 3 4 5 sophisticated
b. Your ability to use the inquiry process to ask and answer your own questions.
BEFORE: not at all 1 2 3 4 5 completely
NOW: not at all 1 2 3 4 5 completely
c. Your motivation to use an inquiry approach to teach schoolyard ecology.
BEFORE: not at all 1 2 3 4 5 totally motivated
NOW: not at all 1 2 3 4 5 totally motivated

11. Please describe in a paragraph or two your growth as an inquirer and your growth as a teacher. Where possible, try to relate this growth to specific aspects of the Summer Institute. IF YOU KEPT A JOURNAL, you can select a few entries and/or attach copies to substitute for these paragraphs.

12. Please complete the following table giving your candid view of the usefulness of each activity or component of our Summer Institute. In your comments, include suggestions for improvement if you can.

Use the scale 1=not at all useful, to 5=extremely useful.
Activity or Component	Rating (1 - 5)	Comments
Institute Task I - Assignment to produce school year plans.
Institute Task II - Assignment to make plans for a resource collection
DAY 1 - Question posing in the morning
DAY 1 - Designing and conducting your own study in the afternoon
DAY 2 - Presentations of research results
DAY 2 - Reflections on learning and teaching - writing and sharing
DAYS 2, 6 & 9 - Guided autecology inquiries (Noxon Rd.) in general.
DAY 2 - Guided inquiry - Bagged Branches
DAY 2 - Guided inquiry - Seed Preferences
DAY 2 - Guided inquiry - Sticky Traps
DAY 3 - Concept mapping - introduction and Apopulation@
DAY 3 - Writing and sharing ideas about how to study populations
DAY 3 - Estimating schoolyard populations - insect sweep netting.
DAY 3 -Estimating schoolyard populations - quadrat plant sampling.
DAYs 3 & 4 - Three overnight studies of populations (pitfall traps, telltale bait stations, mark re-capture)
DAY 4 - Making Your Own Key using tree twigs.
DAYs 4 & 5 - Transect study of forest trees at Overlook and Seymour Smith.
DAY 5 - Reflective writing and discussion about inquiry.
DAYs 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 - Resource Fairs, i.e., exposure to Athe boxes@
DAYs 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 - Time to work on Institute Tasks.
DAY 6 - Time to read Eco-Inquiry.
DAY 6 - Discussion of Eco-Inquiry and building curriculum units (w/ Kass)
DAY 6 - Conclude initial studies and design and set up follow-up studies at Noxon Road.
DAY 7 - Discuss class management and schoolyard ecology
DAYs 7 & 8 - Designing and administering a performance assessment.
DAY 8 - Doing the performance task of designing a study at Traver.
DAY 8 - Discussion of community ecology and statistics.
DAY 8 - Schoolyard enhancement and Project Wild w/ Susan Eschbach.
DAY 9 - Project Learning Tree w/ Bob Herberger
DAY 9 - Discussing the assessment activity and ATen Lessons@
DAY 9 - Conclude follow-up studies and make presentations
DAY 10 - Critical and creative thinking at the Avole pens@
DAY 10 - Roundtable of school year plans
DAY 10 - Discussion of plans for school year sessions and support
The SYEFEST Aalumni@ teachers from 1994 and 1995.
The Questions of the Day and the discussions they generated.
The contribution from Eco-Inquiry
The contribution from the Lead Teacher, Linda Olsen
The contribution from the Lead Ecologist, Alan Berkowitz
The contribution from the Program Coordinator, Catherine Corey

Other comments would be appreciated.

Please feel free to add any information about your Summer Institute which you think might be helpful.