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 Strategies
The modeling strategies we describe include:
- Your leadership team as a model.
- Your Institute plan as a model.
- Your personal behavior as a model.
Your Leadership Team as a Model
Form a Lead Teacher/Lead Ecologist team to run your SYEFEST Institute. You don't have to go it alone! In fact, you probably shouldn't. One of the clearest results of SYEFEST has been the incredible value of the Lead Teacher/Lead Ecologist Partnership. The benefits start with very tangible ones for the teachers participating in SYE Institutes.
But, the benefits don't stop there. In fact, one of the most surprising results of
SYEFEST was the universal benefit experience by the lead teachers and lead ecologists themselves. They report that the experience of working together to train teachers
in schoolyard ecology dramatically altered the way they teach - from all subjects in an
elementary classroom to upper level science at the university level.
Below, Frank Kuserk, Lead Ecologist, Bethlehem, Pa., SYEFEST, provides two articles on how to locate a partner and how to make your partnership work:
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"Finding a Partner"
 Finding a partner to work with can be a difficult task. It is somewhat ironic that while both Lead Ecologists and Lead Teachers are engaged in essentially the same profession, education, they oftentimes have very little contact with one another. Each is most likely employed at different institutions, they attend different professional meetings, and they travel in different social groups. Isolation between the practitioners of education in the U.S. is the norm rather than the exception. How, then, can teacher/ecologist teams be built?
One common place which can serve as a bridge between the world of elementary and higher education are departments or schools of education at colleges and universities. Colleagues who teach in these departments can be ready sources of contact between ecologists and teachers. Tell them of your interests and ask them to suggest individuals who might be interested in establishing a SYE partnership. Education department faculty also have a good feel about which of their colleagues in the university takes a special interest in teaching. While faculty in higher education do teach, many also are engaged in research or other pursuits that may limit their time and ability to become effective SYE partners. SYE partnerships require intensive efforts by both the Lead Teacher and Lead Ecologist, so both must be honest with themselves and their potential partners about their commitment to the team.
Sometimes elementary school teachers themselves are adjunct faculty at a college or university, teaching a section or two of a science methods class. This presents a unique opportunity, since both members of the team share a common environment. Moreover, these individuals not only have the experience of teaching in an elementary classroom, but they have also might teach courses on how to teach science to elementary school students. Another connection right in the scientist's own backyard might be former students who are now working at local elementary schools.
There are numerous other ways to find SYE partners. Sometimes higher education faculty and elementary school teachers do participate in joint workshops, meetings or other programs. Seeking out these opportunities might not only provide a contact, but it might open you up to new and exciting ideas on teaching. There are several professional organizations such as the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) (links?) that count as their members both higher education faculty and elementary school teachers. Look to see who in your area belongs to these professional societies. In addition, don't overlook the possibility that your own child's teacher or professor might be an interested SYE partner.
If you belong to an environmental or nature-oriented group such as the local Audubon Society or watershed association, look to establish contacts there. Are there any school teachers or college professors who participate in the groups' activities? You've already established a common interest in ecology, why not expand it into a SYE partnership? Ask the group's leaders if they know of anyone who might be interested. Science fairs are also places that bring teachers and scientists together. Bring your students or volunteer to be a judge at one of these events and see what happens.
Finally, contact elementary school principals or university department heads or deans about potential contacts. It might be easier for ecologists than elementary school teachers to do this, but it is worth your time and effort. Building bridges along the entire educational line is something that is both enjoyable and rewarding. |
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"Making Your Partnership Work"
Understanding Each Other's Language and Perspectives
Partnering with someone who comes from outside your own discipline or domain can be an exhilarating experience, or it can be an absolute disaster! Collaboration means understanding the other person's language and professional culture. It also means recognizing that there are invisible walls which initially, at least, separate elementary school teachers and professional ecologists and which may prevent them from communicating effectively. For better or worse, the separation between the elementary, secondary and higher education communities creates a hierarchy that is sometimes difficult to overcome. Indeed, the term "higher education" gives the impression that somehow the people involved in this endeavor are somehow "better" or "more important" than those who teach on the rungs below. Needless to say, however, this can be a major impediment to establishing a good partnership. From the beginning, the relationship between Lead Teachers and Lead Ecologists must be one of mutual respect and understanding as to what each brings to the team. Ecologists, in particular, must be cognizant of the fact that they are likely to be seen as being the "dominant" or "expert" partner and take steps to overcome this, for while they are most likely the team member with the greater "content knowledge," their teacher-partner is the one who is more likely to possess the necessary "pedagogy knowledge" on how to effectively teach others.
One of the many benefits of opening up to the other person's point of view is that one can bring a fresh perspective to your own teaching. Both Lead Teachers and Lead Ecologists have overwhelmingly told of their new insights which they have obtained. Ecologists, in particular, have been quick to point out how differently they now view their own role as an educator and how participating in SYEFEST has improved the courses which they teach.
Making the Most Out of Planning Time
One of the many characteristics of teachers is that they are busy people. There are lectures and lessons to prepare, papers to grade, and meetings to attend. And, of course home life doesn't end! Planning for a SYE Summer Institute takes plenty of time and effort, and trying to find the time to plan effectively can be the most significant challenge that a Lead Teacher/Lead Ecologist team can face.
Typically elementary school teachers are more constrained when it comes to blocking out time to engage in planning. Whereas college and university professors oftentimes will have entire mornings or afternoons, or even entire days in which they might not have a class, teachers generally work every day of the week on a fixed schedule. In addition, before and after school responsibilities may extend that day even further. Thus, most, if not all of the planning that takes place for your SYE Institute will need to occur either in the evening or on weekends.
When planning for a Summer Institute, there are three issues which need to be discussed. First, there the pedagogical issues. What is it that you would like to accomplish with your audience? What ecological principles do you want to concentrate on developing and exploring? How can inquiry learning techniques best be integrated with content knowledge? How can a sense of the scientific process be developed? What is it that you want your participants to come away with immediately and in the long-term? Are both you and your partner in agreement on these issues or do you have differing views?
 These are all important issues that need to be discussed before you and your partner get down to the nitty-gritty of preparing a specific agenda. The philosophy behind the SYEFEST approach to ecological education is discussed elsewhere in this manual. What is important to remember is that you and your partner need to devote plenty of time talking about these issues at the beginning of your planning. Understanding one another goes a long way toward establishing an effective partnership.
The second issue focuses on developing specific activities that participants will do that accomplish the goals which you have set forth. Make sure that the activities you have planned can actually be accomplished at the site you have chosen. A good SYE Institute involves visiting and pursuing activities in the schoolyards of your teacher-participants. You will need to scout these out ahead of time to make sure that the essential ingredients needed to perform those activities are available. You can't do an exercise on stream ecology without a stream!
Consider how much time should be devoted to each activity and plan accordingly. Develop a specific agenda for each day of your Institute. Make sure that you have allotted sufficient time to perform each of your activities in your daily schedule. Also, make sure that you have a good mix of activities. You will want to have both active "hands-on" activities and more quiet "reflective" moments each day.  One of the things that teachers have said over and over again is that it is important to build into your schedule plenty of time in which your participants can develop their own lesson plans to take back with them after your SYE Institute is done. Doing this insures that your teachers have their lessons planned out ahead of time before the busy school year begins!
Finally, you need to plan carefully for all of those things required to make your workshop run smoothly. Taking care of room reservations and transportation needs ahead of time helps you later on. Remember, it's often those little details that can create the right atmosphere! One important suggestion is to schedule a part of your program at the Lead Teacher's school and at your teacher participants' schools. It's too easy to automatically have all of your activities at the college or university site. However, if the purpose of your SYE Institute is to show teachers how to use their own schoolyards, it is far better to perform your activities on real schoolgrounds. Also, by having scheduled days built in at the Lead Teacher's home base reinforces the concept of a true partnership between teachers and ecologists.
Tips for Finding Common Ground While Building on Individual Strengths
While not meant to be an exhaustive list of "do's and don'ts," the following list serves as a way in which to build bridges and strengthen teacher-ecologist partnerships:
 - Be honest with your partner and yourself about the time you have available and your level of commitment. Don't underestimate the amount of effort required to put on a SYE Institute.
- Talk about what you can and cannot bring to the partnership. Don't assume that it is the ecologist's job to cover all the content and the teacher's job to talk about teaching tips.
- Work on building bridges with your partner in ways outside your SYE Institute. Assist in an ecology activity with your Lead Teacher's class or lead a discussion on how students learn science in a course taught by your Lead Ecologist.
- Take time to reflect on what you've already done and what you still plan to accomplish. While it may be difficult to find the time to finish all that you've set out to do, make sure that you frequently assess your progress and take pride in what you have already done.
- Help each other gain the respect that they deserve back home. Ecologists need to write letters and speak to their Lead Teacher's superintendent, principal, parent-teacher group and school board members. Teachers need to tell university deans and department chairs about the contributions that their partner is making to the educational community.
- Be flexible and open to new ideas and ways of approaching a task. You'll be surprised at just how much you'll learn!
- Finally, take time to relax and have fun. Be sure to congratulate your partner and yourself for your hard work You both deserve it!
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Your Institute Plan as a Model
Think of your overall plan for the Institute - recruitment, pre-program activities, summer workshop, assessment and feedback component, follow-up and beyond - as a model for teachers to follow. In crafting your plan, try to make the hard choices underlying the tensions described in the Background and Rationale section of this Chapter. Specifically:
- Choose fewer topics and cover them in greater depth. (See "What Is Involved in Modeling Professional Practice," in the Background & Rationale section of this Chapter.
- Be careful how you bring in outside resource people who do not share your teaching philosophy, who might not model the behaviors you prize, and who will not have the same quality of relationship with your participants. (See Chapter 7.)
- Plan on spending a considerable amount of time outdoors, on schoolyards (as opposed to field trips to "natural areas," or watching videos or other indoor activities). (See the Background & Rationale and Strategies sections in Chapter 3.)
- Articulate your intended outcomes for teacher participants and be clear how the planned activity and sequence relates to these outcomes. (See Chapter 9.)
- Make sure you include frequent and diverse means of assessing your teachers' learning and achievement, and that you build in ways to give them feedback about their growth and yourselves feedback for program improvement. (See Chapter 9.)
- Plan to follow through with your teachers during the school year, continuing to model professional practice in your partnership with them, and your work with their students. (See Chapter 8.)
Your Personal Behavior as a Model
Practice what you aspire for in your teachers, specifically:
- Identify and uphold high standards
- Be an inquiry-based leader
- Be an outdoor, all-weather teacher
- Be a reflective practitioner about science and its nature teaching and its underpinnings
- Be flexible and responsive to your students
- Model a schoolyard environmental ethic
- Be enthusiastic
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