TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - MODEL MY WATERSHED

Teaching Environmental Sustainability - Model My Watershed (TES-MMW) is an NSF funded project which provides educators and students access to scientifically valid information through the examination of each student’s local environment. Using a web-based GIS application, low cost probe ware, and a packed based curriculum, students are asked to examine their environment, identify the problems, and develop solutions that will take into consideration the environment as a system. The goal is promote student interest in the Earth and environmental science fields, which currently holds minimal treatment in the K-12 curriculum.

Research suggest that experiences in the formal secondary science classroom rarely promote a specific event that triggers students to choose earth sciences careers(Houlton, 2010 & Hughes et al., 2007). Through the use of Flanagan’s Critical Incident Technique (CIT) methodology, TES-MMW will analyze student engagement within the curriculum to understand the influence of using scientifically accurate tools and place-based curriculum in study area engagement with earth and environmental science outside the classroom. This study is the first multi-year study to investigate the relationship between the science curriculum and career choice. TES-MMW hopes to activate student’s interest and lead to an increase in the number of Earth and environmental scientist.