Evaluating an environmental education model for predicting environmentally responsible behavior

Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/101610/1/39015043208795.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/101610/2/39015043208795.pd

Montana Groundwater Academy

spectrUM Discovery Area at the University of Montana, the Watershed Education Network, and many additional local partners are currently collaborating to implement a new field-based groundwater education program in western Montana. This presentation will provide an introduction to the Montana Groundwater Academy (MGA), which is a 2-year EPA-funded program that will engage high school students in place-based, data-driven science investigations. Students will develop knowledge of western MT hydrologic systems and the ability to undertake water research investigations. About 750 students will participate in a 3-day learning unit that will include a 1/2-day field trip to a groundwater education field site where students will collect firsthand data they will use in water science investigations. The field site will comprise a network of monitoring wells and surface water features accessible to learners for data collection (e.g., water elevation, etc.). The project will also make use of archived data to support learning about hydrologic and climate systems from data and evidence. Learning unit activities include: Day 1: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will use physical groundwater models to investigate the structure of groundwater systems and how water moves through the ground. Day 2: In a field-based activity, students will use firsthand data to investigate how water flows through landscapes, and implications for managing water resources to maintain quality and quantity. Day 3: In a classroom-based inquiry activity, students will work with longitudinal water and climate data from western MT to study relationships among variables (e.g., precipitation, groundwater elevation, etc.) and societal implications for maintaining water resources for current and future use

JEE honors activists who gave their life to protect nature

[Extract] The second decade of the 21st century witnessed a notable increase in the assassination of environmental leaders worldwide. The most violent region in the world for those who engaged in environmental work was Latin America, and most of the victims were Indigenous people and women. The activists and the communities they represented put their lives in the line of fire to oppose the devastating consequences of irresponsible mining, logging, agribusiness, and hydroelectric projects

Measuring Teachers’ Learning from a Problem-Based Learning Approach to Professional Development in Science Education

In this study we measured changes in science teachers’ conceptual science understanding (content knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) while participating in a problem-based learning (PBL) model of professional development. Teachers participated in a two-week long workshop followed by nine monthly meetings during one academic year that focused on deepening their content understanding and their teaching practices. We analyzed teachers’ short writings and concept map depictions of their understanding, and found teachers significantly developed components of pedagogical content knowledge and clinical reasoning, such as knowledge of assessment. Gains on conceptual understanding of science, however, were limited to one group of teachers. We conclude that this PBL approach to professional development advanced components of science teachers’ strategic pedagogical content knowledge and discuss the ongoing challenges in measuring changes in teachers’ understanding in the context of an evolving PBL model of professional development

JEE stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine

[Extract] We, members of the global community of environmental educators and Editors of the Journal of Environmental Education, oppose the war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine, and stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an egregious violation of human rights and a flagrant contravention of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The military actions authorized by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Federal Assembly are illegal and immoral and may lead to a regional and even global conflagration