Trinity Catholic Academy
A collaboration with Trinity Catholic Academy, Southbridge, Massachusetts.
Overview
The EcoTarium and Trinity Catholic Academy are continuing the program started during the1997-98 school year. The program focuses on hands-on activities and investigations around water through the use of an aquatic environments model built at the school and investigations of the local and regional aquatic environments.
Summary
Activities and
investigations during the 1997-98 year focused on small-scale
in-class investigations related to water -- the science, its uses,
and aquatic wildlife. Based on their experiences in these workshops,
Trinity has decided to construct a model water table at the school
similar to the one they used at the EcoTarium. This table provides a
model of a variety of aquatic environments which one might find in
New England. As a result, teachers have requested professional
development on how to use the water table and related investigations
in their classrooms. There is also extensive interest in having
students apply this knowledge and experience to their local and
regional environment to gain a better understanding of and
appreciation for the natural world around them.
Building on our 97-98 program, the 98-99 program will continue with the water theme in greater depth. The early workshops will provide the teachers with a deeper understanding of water systems as well as with model activities and investigations which allow students to explore and learn about those water systems. The two days will also include a brief introduction to using the World Wide Web for research on this topic. All activities and investigations will promote student-centered, inquiry-based learning, allowing students to help guide and construct their own knowledge. Also, an emphasis will be placed on activities and projects which promote an appreciation of the local environment and an awareness and understanding of the ways people effect and are effected by the natural environment. Cross-disciplinary connections will be highlighted and local natural resources will be emphasized. An e-mail discussion group will be created for teachers to use in order to remain in contact with Ecotarium staff between workshops.
The mid-year workshops will
provide teachers with an opportunity to report back on their work to
date, reporting on successes and troubleshooting on problem areas.
Additional activities and investigations will be explored. The final
day will provide teachers with an opportunity to model lessons, show
samples of student work, and brainstorm next steps in the process of
exploring water and the local environment through classroom teaching
and learning.
All work with the teachers will emphasize collaboration and teamwork, not only between and among students, but within the community of teachers at Trinity. These workshops provide participants with the opportunity to connect and network in a supportive and invigorating environment, sharing not only their knowledge and experience but also their excitement for teaching.
Goals
The goals of the 1998-99 Trinity/EcoTarium collaboration are as follows:
- Provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate and work in teams in order to foster a sense of community among educators at Trinity Catholic Academy.
- Provide participating teachers with opportunities experience inquiry-based activities and investigations which model nationally known "best practices" and which could be used with Trinity's new water table.
- Provide teachers with an introduction to using the World Wide Web and e-mail as tools in their exploration of local and regional water systems, both as part of lesson preparation and classroom learning.
- Model indoor and outdoor investigations which allow students to explore and learn about their local environment (with a focus on water and water systems) while fostering an increased understanding of the myriad of relationships which exist in every ecosystem. This will include an increased awareness of humans as part the local ecosystems.
- Participating teachers will be expected to implement workshop activities and ideas in their classroom teaching and learning. This will be documented at the final workshop when teachers showcase not only what they have taught but also student work from those activities and investigations.