STEM in Action, Part 1: Citizen Scientists and Service-Learning
By Scott Richardson and Marilyn Weyer
This is part one of a two-part exploration of the connection between science, civic action, and service-learning from Learn and Serve America and the Virginia Department of Education.
The disaster in Japan brings many environmental questions to the forefront of public discussion. Is nuclear power a good alternative source of energy to fossil fuels? To what extent does human activity contribute to climate change, and how can we assess different viewpoints? When does human presence threaten the existence of key species, and how can we lessen our impact on fragile ecosystems?
Every day, the public issues facing our nation become more complex. To shape informed opinions, we need increasingly detailed knowledge and analytical skills that are more sophisticated than ever. These issues require us to analyze problems, judge evidence, and anticipate consequences – in short, to become “citizen scientists.”
Meanwhile, our schools are struggling to teach our youth to understand science and apply it to real-world problems. On an international science literacy test, high school students in the U.S. ranked 19th among students in 65 other developed countries. So at least we’re in the top third – but just barely.
Meeting 21st Century Challenges
How can we better prepare our youth to meet 21st century challenges? More and more, educators are using service-learning to blend science and civics instruction. Service-learning mobilizes students to use academic knowledge and skills to address community needs that the students themselves have identified. Teachers embed a set of community problem-solving steps in the curriculum, and students see tangible connections between the work they do in the classroom and the improvements they make in their communities.
When science meets civics, students look at social problems the way scientists do: they observe, research, hypothesize, test, and form conclusions. They might observe a social problem such as crime in their neighborhood, traffic jams on their streets, or inadequate health care in their community.
Then they conduct research, discussing the problem with neighbors and seeking out groups and decision-makers (e.g., elected officials and community leaders) who can address the problems. From such observations, these “citizen scientists” hypothesize about why things are as they are, test ideas for improvements in the real world, and rethink original ideas based on the results of the test. These are the steps for service-learning; students who follow this outline boost both scientific literacy and civic competence.
Science teachers count it as a great success when they see students using scientific ideas and methods outside of class. Civic educators beam when their students begin engaging in public discourse, examining social issues among themselves and confidently plotting how to address them. Such “transference” is most likely to happen through experience and practice.
Service-learning programs are a great way to provide that opportunity – to bridge academics and action. Next week, we’ll take a closer look at a community project that does just that.
Scott Richardson is the Program Coordinator for K-12 Initiatives at Learn and Serve America. Marilyn Weyer is the Mathematics and Science Grants Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education.
STEM in Action, Part 2: Students Use Science and Service-Learning to Save the Wetlands
By Scott Richardson and Marilyn Weyer
This is part two of a two-part exploration of the connection between science, civic action, and service-learning from Learn and Serve America and the Virginia Department of Education.
Last week in these pages, we introduced the citizen-scientist movement. But what actually goes on in a school where students use the skills they learn in school to solve local problems? At a small Appalachian high school, students use service-learning to become active and informed citizen-scientists.
St. Paul High School is a Learn and Serve America grantee in rural Wise County in southwestern Virginia. Fully one-fourth of St. Paul students are hard at work preserving the Estonoa Wetlands that spread along their campus perimeter. Estonoa acts as a buffer zone for the Clinch River, St. Paul’s water source and a key recreational resource for the county.
Through their science classes, St. Paul students routinely take measurements of the insect life and chemistry in the water, using established protocols to analyze the ecosystem. Measuring water quality not only gives the students clues about the health of the wetlands – it shows them an immediate use for what they learn in the classroom. The students then discuss threats to the wetlands, develop a hypothesis about how these problems emerged, and discuss what they can do to improve water quality and preserve the ecosystem.
Threats to the wetlands evolve as monitoring continues, so students’ projects have varied over the years. A project may involve either direct action, such as planting trees to stanch erosion, or indirect action, such as community education about how everyday habits affect wetlands health.
All Estonoa projects involve close collaboration with community partners. Over the years, the students have worked cooperatively with the local government and various state and federal agencies, including USDA, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Their sustainability efforts paid off – literally – when they raised $250,000 from these sources to build the Wetlands Estonoa Learning Center.
At the Center, students host workshops to educate the community, teaching people how to monitor a water body, care for lawns in a wetlands-friendly manner, and slow runoff using rain barrels and green roofs. Through their close partnership with the St. Paul Town Council, students also conduct public hearings and prepare budgets for the Center.
St. Paul teachers and community partners remark that students now see the physical landscape differently, noticing for example where failing slopes are creating erosion and increased runoff into local water bodies. Students also see the civic landscape differently. They have discovered that community leaders are approachable, and they know from experience how to use science as a key part of the process of solving community problems. In the words of Team Estonoa member Virginia Burton, “This project has taught me the most valuable lesson of all: never to limit myself. With the guidance of our mentor, Mrs. Terry Vencil, and our many partners, we, a group of high school students, have truly made a difference in the world around us.”
Scott Richardson is the Program Coordinator for K-12 Initiatives at Learn and Serve America. Marilyn Weyer is the Mathematics and Science Grants Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education.