Teaching Environmental Stewardship Through Citizen Science
Laura Petrusic is an instructional designer, professionally certified science teacher, and published children's author. A solid foundation of professional development and education has paved the way for her career as a learning designer. She holds an undergraduate degree in marine science and a master’s degree in science education. Her goal is to captivate and guide learners through engaging and effective instruction.
By Laura Petrusic
Introduction:
Like many of us, I lose my enthusiasm for getting the teaching done when the curriculum is flat and unengaging. The boredom creates a problem in my brain which needs attention- like an itch that needs to be scratched. That is when the seeds of integrated lessons begin to germinate in my mind. Learning designs begin to flower, some turn into weeds with no promise of implementation, others foster a garden of possibilities.
When I believe I have a learning design that will effectively teach multiple objectives (especially ones that are mandated) AND be engaging, it motivates me to make it a reality. The most recent questions swirling in my mind were: How could I educate learners about environmental issues in a meaningful way? Are there lessons that foster environmental stewardship and meet mandated standards? The answer may be found with the infusion of citizen science into the classroom.
Environmental awareness fosters a sense of stewardship. Environmental stewardship is the responsible and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems. The aim is to preserve and protect the natural environment for present and future generations. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) do not explicitly mention environmental stewardship on its own. However, several of the standards and performance expectations within the NGSS framework relate to environmental science and sustainability. Some of these concepts are foundational to environmental stewardship. For example, the science and engineering practice of obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information found within NGSS asks students to gather and analyze data related to environmental issues, critically evaluate sources of information, and communicate findings to others. This practice fosters student’s critical thinking on the type of actions to take to preserve our environment.
One innovative way to teach environmental stewardship is through citizen science —a collaborative effort, often involving data collection, where ordinary people contribute to scientific research and environmental monitoring projects. Citizen science harnesses the collective power of volunteers—students, teachers, and community members—to collect data, conduct research, and contribute to scientific knowledge. By engaging in hands-on, experiential learning experiences, participants construct a deeper understanding of scientific concepts. In this article, we'll explore the potential of teaching environmental stewardship through participation in citizen science projects and provide practical tips for incorporating citizen science projects into the classroom.
Benefits of Citizen Science in the Classroom:
Some of the benefits of citizen science in the classroom seem intuitive. However, reviewing a few of them, highlights the value of implementing these projects. Authentic learning is born from real-world experiences. Citizen science projects are grounded in ongoing environmental issues with scientific research questions. This authenticity makes these projects relevant to students' lives.
Citizen science projects often involve collaboration with researchers, conservation organizations, and community groups. Learners are connecting with professionals with a sense of purpose and agency.
Through direct observation and interaction with natural ecosystems, students develop a deeper understanding of biodiversity, ecology, and conservation. These immersive experiences not only develop an understanding of what environmental problems are but lead to an understanding of why environmental issues exist in the first place.
“Citizen science harnesses the collective power of volunteers—students, teachers, and community members—to collect data, conduct research, and contribute to scientific knowledge. By engaging in hands-on, experiential learning experiences, participants construct a deeper understanding of scientific concepts”
Tips for Implementation:
Here are a few things to consider when implementing citizen science in the classroom:
Align your goals. If you teach in a public school system, the project will need to meet required curriculum goals. If you can, select citizen science projects that align with your curriculum goals, student interests, and local environmental issues. By selecting a project within the local community, learners have a better chance of experiencing the impacts of their work.
Be sure to prepare. Often time and resources become a limiting factor for teacher participation in citizen science. Prepare yourself for the lesson development. Factor in training to help students understand the scientific protocols, data collection methods, and safety procedures associated with the citizen science project.
Seek support. Many organizations working on citizen science projects have a community liaison. These individuals have worked with other citizen groups and can guide educators around pitfalls in classroom implementation.
Lastly, create an opportunity for reflection and discussion. Aside from analyzing data collected in the project. Encourage learners to unpack their experience with their peers.
Finding the Right Citizen Science Project:
I live in central Florida, where one of the world’s most biodiverse estuaries in the northern hemispheres can be found, the Indian River Lagoon. A citizen science project that is near and dear to me is operated through the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA). “A Day In The Life” is a hands-on research initiative that aims to bring together students, teachers, community volunteers, and environmental experts to work together in gathering data as indicators of the health of the lagoon.
Two times a year participant groups, some as school field trips, collect water quality data and biological surveys round sites in the lagoon. This information acts as a snapshot of health which can then be analyzed to previous data to detect environmental trends. Community education coordinators facilitate groups in data collection. This data is available to the public and can be used by teachers in the classroom. This is only one of a few citizen science projects ORCA hosts.
Implementing a local project increases the relevance of the work learners are doing. However, it's not always easy to find a local project that is feasible for classroom participation.
NASA and NOAA have dozens of ongoing citizen science projects open to global participation. Some of these projects involve crowdsourcing, a method of collecting data from large groups of people.
https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/citizen-science/
Lastly, CitizenScience.gov is an official website created to facilitate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science in the US. The site provides links to a catalog of supported citizen science projects.
Conclusion:
Teaching learners about environmental issues through citizen science provides an avenue for their participation in meaningful learning experiences. By exploring relevant problems, collaborating with professionals, and applying their learning, students develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues.
By participating in hands-on research projects, learners develop scientific skills. That’s not all, citizen science projects can connect learners with the natural world. Maybe that connection inspires them to become contributors to conservation efforts? As experienced educators, we know that if teaching is boring for us, it’s probably boring for them. Infusing a citizen science project into the classroom can be an effective way to teach the mandated standards and deeply engage our learners.
