Explorations in Environmental Studies 2002-2003 The Scholarship of Teaching

1. Explorations in Environmental Studies 2002-2003 The Scholarship of Teaching

2. Today’s Presentation 1. Course planning 2. Course context 3. Course goal 4. Course approach 5. Course objectives 6. Course structure 7. Course assessment 8. Student feedback 9. Lessons learned

3. 1. Course Planning and Development Past College curriculum discussions Guidance from Huxley curriculum committee Syllabi from 301, 302, 304, 305, 325 “Attributes of a Huxley graduate” document Lessons learned during fall 2001 Suggestions from faculty queries Winter ’02 Meetings during Summer 2002

4. Past College Curriculum DiscussionsThe new core curriculum should... • seek a balance between breadth and depth. • have an applied dimension. • employ experiential learning processes such as field trips, laboratory work, field investigations. • be problem-focused. • deal with complex wholes; be holistic.

5. The new core curriculum should... • be interdisciplinary and multi-major. • deal with values in the context of why and how to maintain the quality of environment and the quality of life. • employ all of the above as methods of teaching (or ways of becoming an environmental professional), not simply as concepts.

6. The new core curriculum should... • provide a real-world problem identification and solution-driven experience. • include current topics and problems. • provide an opportunity to work collaboratively in small groups. • provide an opportunity to work with students from different disciplines, reflecting the reality of the work world.

7. The new core curriculum should... • enable students to practice the full complement of communication skills, including written reports and platform presentations. • require students to participate in organizational and decision-making processes required to accomplish tasks. • facilitate reflection on and evaluation of experience.

8. What we did next... • Core faculty 2002-2003 have adapted a syllabus based on... • information from past College curriculum discussions • guidance from Huxley curriculum committee • material in syllabi from 301, 302, 304, 305, 325 • concepts from “Attributes of a Huxley graduate” • lessons learned during Fall ‘01 • suggestions from faculty queries Winter ‘02

9. What we are doing…… • Developing a reader to support course objectives • Developing electronic access to information for student use • Developing a “menu” of guest lecturers • to supplement our experience • to introduce students to Huxley faculty and community experts

10. 2. Course Context • “Real-life problems seldom parallel well-structured problems; hence the ability to solve traditional school-based problems does little to increase relevant, critical thinking skills. Students need to interact with life beyond classroom walls. • “Real-life problems present an ever-changing variety of goals, contexts, contents, obstacles, and unknowns…to be successful in their chosen career, students need to practice solving ill-structured problems that reflect life beyond the classroom.” • From the Course Syllabus

11. 3. Course Goal “To introduce incoming Huxley students to interdisciplinary environmental problem solving while providing an introduction to environmental history and ethics, environmental science (natural and social), environmental policy, and the foundation for the development of reasoned judgment.” • From the Course Syllabus

12. 4. Course Approach • Essential Elements of Our Approach • Place-based case study • Small class size (<25 students), although some sessions will be combined • 2-hour blocks of time • Not in conflict with other required Huxley courses • First-quarter Huxley experience for students • Meaningful field and lab experience • Multidisciplinary, multi-major content • Interdisciplinary perspectives • Cooperation among faculty and staff • Links to the local communities

13. Multi-major – InterdisciplinaryGene Myers

14. Multi-major – InterdisciplinaryLynn Robbins

15. Multi-major InterdisciplinaryWayne Landis

16. 5. Course Objectives This course will enable students to….. • identify and define environmental problems. • understand environmental history, ethics, and policy. • understand environmental science (natural and social) and its relevance to environmental problems and ecological systems. • develop interdisciplinary, and well-reasoned, solutions to environmental problems. • practice a variety of writing styles. • practice oral communication and presentation skills. • become familiar with Huxley curriculum, faculty and expectations. • understand and avoid plagiarism. • experience a positive introduction to Huxley College.

17. 6. Course Structure: Units • Weeks 1-2 • B’ham Bay: Sense of Place • Situated Knowledge • History & Ethics • Weeks 3-5 • Science & the Environment • Ecology & Marine Ecosystems • Weeks 6-8 • Decision making • Case Method Discussion Teaching • Environmental Policy

18. Course structure (continued)… • Week 9 • Environmental Economics • Week 10 • Student Presentations

19. Example of Unit Structure • Environmental History • Selected readings • In-class discussions • Selected guest lecturers • Lenny Dixon,Lummi Tribe • Richard Vanderway,Whatcom Museum • John Miles,Huxley College • Gene Myers Huxley College Lummi Spirit Dancers, 1920, courtesy NWIC

20. Example of Unit Structure • Environmental Science • Selected readings • In-class discussions • Selected guest lecturers – all adapted to Bellingham Bay and briefed by Core faculty • Stefan Freelan Spatial Analysis • John McLaughlin, Ecology • Brian Bingham, Marine Science • Jack Hardy, Marine Environment • Field and lab experience

21. 7. Course Assessment • Course Entry Knowledge Assessment (Baseline) • In-class definition of terms • Take home essay • Reflective Journal • daily entries, submitted 3 times during quarter • Scientific Article Critique • Case Method Discussion Teaching • Participation • Written questions for selected guest speakers • Policy Memo and Presentation • Final Exam • In class and take home

22. Ethnohistory Conservation vs. preservation Hypothesis Scientific method Aldo Leopold Inferential vs descriptive statistics Population dynamics Species Ecosystem Limiting factor Carrying capacity GIS Detection limits Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Environmental impact statement NPDES Free social benefits Externalities In-class Knowledge Assessment

23. Ethnohistory Conservation vs. preservation Hypothesis In-class Knowledge Assessment

24. In-class EssaySpring 2002 • Your decision-making process • Facing an uncertain situation in which you don't have as much information as you'd like and/or the information is not clear, how do you go about making a decision about what you believe? For example, you have learned a bit about some of the problems facing Bellingham Bay. How would you go about making a decision about solutions to these problems? Begin by stating the problem you are focusing on and then outline your process of coming to a judgment in a situation such as this. Is your decision the right decision? Why or why not? How do you know?

25. Take Home QuestionSpring 2002 • Your best course experience • Describe the best course you've experienced in your education. What made it positive for you? Feel free to include as much detail as you think is necessary to give a clear idea of the course. For example, you might want to discuss areas such as the subject matter, class activities (readings, films, etc.), what the teacher was like, the atmosphere of the class, the evaluation procedures--whatever you think was most important in making this experience so positive for you. Please be as specific as possible in your response, describing as completely as you can why the aspects you discuss stand out to you as important.

26. Reflective Journal • Daily Entries • Key Topics • Readings • Lectures • Field trips • Class discussions • Connections amongareas of course content • Relation to course content • Intellectual Framework for Course

27. 8. Student Feedback “I would rate today as one of the best school days I have ever had…” -Student Reflective Journal

28. “This course feels as though it were a ‘Welcome to Huxley College’ course and I think that will be very useful for my future here.”

29. “It has been two days of this class and I already am finally feeling inspired by school. I am also realizing that this class is like the tip to a gargantuan iceberg that I can only hope to grab a hold of a small chunk and slowly whittle away at.”

30. The Importance of Place “I think it is great to be able to walk outside of the classroom and see in real life, not on television, what it is that one is learning about.”

31. “The field trip yesterday was wonderful...Now I have a mental map of what it is like out on the water and how it might have looked historically...I learned about the geography of the bay and the history of some of the important landmarks and buildings. However, besides being educational, this field trip also allowed us students to interact with our teachers, with each other.”

32. “I am so glad I was able to participate in the field trip today. It drew a great visual link to everything that was talked about in the slide show yesterday. I had never been out in Bellingham Bay before and it really did make the layout and history easier for me to understand, actually being able to see it from that side…This was an ‘ah ha’ moment for me.”

33. The Importance of History “Now the history of Bellingham is somewhat more clear and the understanding of how it has grown, developed through resource extraction and industry and changed over the past hundred and fifty years or so, especially the waterfront areas, helps me to grasp Bellingham’s contemporary problems of pollution in the Bay.”

34. “… I was a little surprised to have a history lesson on the first day of an environmental course. I enjoyed it thoroughly, though. ” Washington State Normal School, 1909

35. “Almost immediately, I began to think, if this man [Marsh] was this knowledgeable about ecology way back then, why do we have the problems of today? Did people not listen? Did they think he was an outcast of sorts? Was he simply too progressive?”

36. Importance of Faculty and Staff Involvement “John Miles is amazing...I think that environmental history is important to look at in order to determine things about the present and the future. You have to look at the history of anything in order to make changes.”

37. “Dr. Brian Bingham was the guest today. I am pleased to have the opportunity to frequently hear from people interested in the same common goal with specific expertise. Dr. Bingham discussed the validity of scientific methods used in the study for our assignment.”

38. Jack Hardy “Today we had a guest lecture by Jack Hardy. The ideas discussed seemed to reflect and support all of the ideas we have discussed and read about so far on the idea of good science.”

39. “I also enjoyed how the teachers have collectively made adjustments to the class schedule from the students’ requests. For example, the GIS presentation by Stefan Freelan visually related the concepts of Gigi’s lecture to the contaminants in Bellingham Bay. It helped to learn about what Geographic Information Systems is and how it helps solve and organize environmental problems and data.”

40. Learning by Talking “The teaching style is different than what I’m accustomed to, I haven’t been in too many classes where I have to express myself and discuss my opinion. I’m used to ‘hear it…learn it….take a test!’ It should be an experience.”

41. “Having Lenny Dixon come to class was truly a gift; his perspective was a completely different look at this area...to be able to see through the eyes of the native peoples to this area was amazing.”

42. Learning by Doing... “I enjoy doing hands on work, because it facilitates my learning and keeps me awake. For some reason if I use my hands, the motion just helps me keep information in my memory better than if I just read about it.”

43. “I went for a walk down by the bay today, and tried to really look at the area in a different light, to imagine what it would be like to have the trees so thick along the shoreline that access would be nearly impossible. I wonder if Bellingham could have been developed differently.”

44. “The exercise today in finding the right answer with limited information was astonishing to me. I had never before conceived of answers being so hard to find nor felt the enormous importance of a quick, right decision needed.”

45. “Many of the problems discussed with the papers were problems that I am fully sure were in my writing. Scott and Gigi expressed the importance of never turning in a first draft, an offense to which I must confess guilt in my case. Beyond this idea, my paper was both vague and unassertive. I know that I did not assert a strong thesis in the beginning and provide support throughout the paper… Instead, I wrote in my usual stream of consciousness fashion. This fashion was another point directly shot down by both Scott and Gigi.”

46. Mantras • This is not a lecture course • Faculty member is a master student • Never hand in a first draft

47. Welcome to Huxley “What a wonderful way to incorporate real world problems with a classroom setting. Keep up with the pizza parties/social gatherings – it strengthens Huxley College and the overall experience.”

48. “I know that our class isn’t really what you would call ‘guinea pigs’ for reshaping Huxley College, but that we are contributing to building a more personal experience at Huxley. This approach, gathering outside of the classroom for a dinner party is awesome, and I would recommend doing it every year with new students. It makes for a unique opportunity for students to experience teachers and their classmates in a non-academic setting.”

49. On Huxley Dean Brad Smith “He is a very friendly and open individual and it’s nice to know that. I always thought deans of colleges were aloof and impersonal. I was wrong, and I feel very fortunate that I am in this college.”

50. 9. Lessons Learned • Keys to Success • A first-quarter Huxley experience • Small group size • Multi-major group • Place-based course • makes history come alive • provides context for scientific understanding • provides access point to policy and science • allows us to take something complex and make sense of it • “Less is More” • Don’t overload students with material