becoming an educator in a diverse and changing...

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Becoming an Educator in a Diverse and Changing

Environment

Photo and report by Erica N. Gregory

May 2011

“In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will

love only what we understand; and we will understand

only what we are taught.”

Baba Dioum, 1968

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Dedication and Gratitude I would like to dedicate this final project to the many people who were instrumental in making it happen. Without

these amazing individuals, I would not be the person or educator I am today. I am eternally grateful for their

guidance, skepticism, support, knowledge, faith, experience, and understanding. Thank you to all of you. I am

forever in your debt.

First, to my mentors and supervisors:

Suzanne Hebert, your unparalleled wisdom, kind heart, and enviable organizational skills have

benefited me more immensely than you can ever know. I owe you every successful moment I

have in the future while cultivating brilliant young minds. I am so very lucky to have been able

to learn and grow with you.

Katrina London, I will always know who to ask whenever I question my teaching methods.

Watching you working with children is like watching a fish swim; it was obviously meant to be.

Thank you for giving me the best foundation I could ever hope to start from and build on.

Christopher Reeves, despite the fact that you claim no relation, you really are Super Man. The

work you do is tremendous and so very important. You are a unique agent of change and every

docent and exhibit guide is lucky to have you as a mentor. Thank you for making my time at the

Seymour Center joyful, hilarious, and just plain weird!

Zdravka Tzankova, your realism, frankness, and enthusiasm have been a wonderful anchor for

me throughout a very turbulent year. I have appreciated and benefited from every suggestion and

word of advice you have given me. It has been a real blessing to work with someone who truly

understands what a busy college student needs and who delivers time and time again. Thank you

so very much for your guidance.

Secondly, to those who unconditionally supported me:

My family and friends: Mom, Dad, Scott, Babci, and Lance, thank you for putting up with me

when I freaked out over everything from deadlines to word choices. I couldn‟t have done any of

this without every one of you. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done

for me. I love you all very much.

My Seymour Colleagues: Firstly, Rachel Leonard- you put the „fish‟ in efficient! Thank you for

making my work look so good! Secondly, muchísimas gracias a Athena Barrios for helping me

translate everything! And as for everyone else, you know who you are! School Programs crew:

you are all amazing and I am so privileged to be able to work with you. I learn something every

day with and because of you. Docent Training Class of 2011: it has been a pleasure learning and

working with all of you. Every time I hear your stories of tours or questions in the visitor hall, I

can‟t help but feel proud to know you! Seymour Center Staff: you have all made me feel so

welcome and so special. I always leave work smiling because I get to spend time with all of you.

You work so hard for such an amazing cause; I am honored to be counted among you.

I owe one more special thank you to the ENVS internship office and Chris Krohn, without whom

I never would have had this life changing experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Becoming an Educator in a Diverse and Changing Environment

Final Research Paper – Spring 2011 (Photo by Brooke Castro)

Introduction

Teaching is the most important job in the world. Whether or not we are credentialed to do

that job, we teach every day. Without teachers, we would not have doctors or firefighters or even

marine biologists. As someone who will get paid to teach, it is my job to give students the most

positive, beneficial experience they could possibly have.

By putting extensive research into practice, I have been able to draw my own conclusions

about working in a classroom full of diversity. At the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, our

class changes every single day. We could be teaching kindergarteners about echinoderms on

Tuesday and teaching marine biology students from Cabrillo College about cnidarians on

Wednesday.

In three quarters of working at the Seymour Center, I have been able to combine research

and personal experience to give students an entirely positive educational experience both in the

classroom and on paper.

Supplementary Academic Work

In my four years at UCSC, I have been able to take courses through the Environmental

Studies, Ocean Sciences, and Education departments that have tremendously benefited my work

as a student and educator at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.

In the Environmental Studies department, relevant courses I have completed are ENVS

24 General Ecology, ENVS 23 the Physical and Chemical Environment, ENVS 100/L Ecology

and Society, ENVS 120 Conservation Biology, ENVS 199 Independent Study through the

Education for Sustainable Living Program, ENVS 123 Animal Ecology and Conservation,

ENVS 160 Restoration Ecology, and ENVS 83/183/183B Internship with the Seymour Marine

Discovery Center.

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In the Ocean Sciences department, I completed OCEA 83A Life in the Sea, which later

became my inspiration to apply for an internship with the Seymour Center.

In the Education department, the courses I completed were EDUC 92C Diversity and

Education and EDUC 185C Intro to Teaching Science for Secondary Schools.

All of the courses listed above were completed with a grade of B or better, earning dean‟s

honors for an entire year of coursework and departmental honors in my major of Environmental

Studies.

Internship Role at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center

During my three years at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, I have had many

different roles and responsibilities. I have served as a School Programs intern, a Docent Training

intern, and an Apprentice/Exhibit Guide instructor/organizer. In all three positions, I was

assigned tasks to expedite the organizing of classes including making copies, working in the

database, compiling information for volunteers, making name badges, helping develop activities,

and many other office-related tasks.

While working as an organizer for Apprentice/Exhibit Guide training, I helped deliver

presentations on interpretation, helped trainees hone their own interpretation skills, managed the

attendance sheet throughout class time, assisted during in-class activities, and created and posted

advertisements for the program.

The Docent Training course at the Seymour Center is an 11 week, 90 hour training

program that involved just as much work leading up to the program as was required during the

actual course. In preparation for the program, I completed the following tasks:

organized course materials for the reader created and organized important documents for current and future docent training classes (including sign in sheets, carpool/snack sign-ups, uniform order sheets, icebreaker activity sheets/keys, speaker confirmation letters, attendance checklists, daily equipment checklists, speaker contact information, and many other documents that will be available for future use) corresponded with researchers and guest speakers organized field trips organized speaker thank you letters created quizzes for the docents that accurately represented the material learned

During the program, my job was to:

attend the course myself and complete all required assignments including the 10 stop tour and two quizzes staff the sign-in table which included collecting assignments, handing out assignments, monitoring sign-in and sign-out, making sure speaker thank you notes were signed and sent on time, and greeting our volunteers with a smile help set up and put away the entire La Feliz room before and after class

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make coffee, get cream, and maintain the coffee donation jar grade quizzes and 10 stop tour projects offer guidance to the docent trainees regarding interpretation, audience management, and provide general knowledge on marine life and conservation

As a School Programs intern, I have had the opportunity to take part in tasks that involve a

wide range of skill sets including:

putting together welcome packets for classes that attend school programs making confirmation calls to teachers who have field trips coming up run credit card and purchase order information for confirmed field trips repairing items from certain stations for specific programs re-creating informational posters for each discovery lab (See Page 23) helping set up and put away discovery lab props and animals performing a safety check to make sure that all animals in the classroom are where they are supposed to be and that their tanks are secured closing off the seawater touch table and turning on aquarium lights in the morning teaching stations in various discovery labs for students in kindergarten all the way through college facilitating discovery labs; giving the introduction, timing the stations, facilitating the transitions between the stations, checking in with the students after the discovery lab, sending the students out on tours, discussing tours and ocean conservation with the class, thanking the teacher and delivering the “thank you packet”, and coordinating with other

school programs volunteers (giving demonstrations of stations when needed, answering questions, helping take out and put away animals, and assigning tour guides)

Throughout all of these duties, it has been my job as an environmental studies intern to

develop and implement a senior project. After speaking with my supervisor, Suzanne Hebert,

regarding my interests as an educator and her needs for the Seymour Center, we developed a

project that would be fun and interesting for me as well as useful to the Seymour Center.

In my last quarter interning with School Programs, I began facilitating entire classes and

developed worksheets for kindergarten/first grade students and second/third grade students. The

research component of this project involved carefully examining the national and California

science content standards for the respective grades and planning activities that accurately

fulfilled those standards, exploring issues of language equity and making these activities

accessible to English Language Learners, and using available literature to improve my

performance as an effective, equal-opportunity facilitator. These worksheets will be available for

parent and teacher download on the Seymour Marine Discovery Center website and will be an

excellent tool to facilitate learning for classes that choose to participate in a self-guided tour of

the aquarium instead of paying for the full Discovery Lab.

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Teaching in a Diverse, Changing Classroom

While working at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center for just under a year, I have

gotten invaluable teaching experience with every possible age bracket. I have taught

kindergarten through 5th

grade classes in their chosen discovery labs and tour stops, 6th

-8th

graders in their designated discovery lab, high school students in both discovery labs and in

Apprentice/Exhibit Guide training and Docent training, and also adults from the ages of 20-80+

in the Apprentice/Exhibit Guide and Docent training. With each different age group, it was

necessary to adjust almost every facet of teaching in order to be effective with the respective age

group. Most importantly, changing used vocabulary to age-appropriate and understandable words

varying from the most basic (kindergarten) to as complex as necessary with higher level groups

(high school – college). While teaching these groups, it was also imperative to assess the

understanding of the students on the fly to be able to tailor their education to what they have

come into the classroom understanding (Brown 2006).

Most traditional education involves teaching as though every class is the same; as though

every class has the same level of understanding, the same background, and the same methods of

learning (Ash 2008). Building off of what the students already know and understand as „every

day‟ knowledge, learning becomes much more accessible. Whether or not the student

understands what an echinoderm is or what a madreporite does, using information that the youth

has already compiled throughout their educational career and at home can help them grasp

abstract and foundational concepts (Warren et al).

Making ocean-based curricula available and understandable to every person; whether or

not they have even been to the ocean before; is something that the Seymour Marine Discovery

Center is focused on. When teaching Discovery Lab students who had never been to or even seen

the ocean before, I discovered that their learning hinged on parallels to every day items,

situations, and animals that the students understood and were familiar with. It would be ideal if

every student came into the classroom knowing what the word „adaptation‟ means or what it

truly means to make an observation. However, since almost every class is from a different

school, different city, and even different grade, what they have or have not been taught in the

past varies as much as their names. During the introduction, the facilitator asks leading

questions, prompting the students to answer with what they already know and to demonstrate the

level of the class‟ ability. When formative assessment happens, instructors are able to alter their

curricula depending upon the needs of the individual class and pose adequate challenges to the

students (Chiappetta et al. “Assessing Learning Outcomes”).

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By accessing information that these students are already well versed in, it is possible to

create a fun, positive learning experience that lends itself to the growth of the student; building

self confidence and the idea of personal pride (Learning with Understanding 2003).

In addition to working with every possible age group, I have also been able to gain

experience working with a variety of disorders or disabilities and different levels of English

language mastery. I have been able to work and succeed with children who are affected by

painful shyness, downs syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and many other

“disabilities” that teachers have not disclosed. English Language Learners (ELL students) are

fairly uncommon, but I have been able to work with bilingual classrooms and with students who

have varying degrees of mastery of the English language. All of these children are just as capable

of learning the same things as the rest of their peers but are sometimes singled out or are

monitored closely in a negative capacity by teachers or chaperones. Learning might be at a

slower pace or in a more tactile format with certain students, but positive responses and personal

encouragement are key to any child‟s success (Ash 2004).

During my time teaching, I have noticed that positivity is the most important ingredient

when teaching a child with disabilities or when teaching any student who is in a developmental

stage of their life. From kindergarten all the way through high school, every student is in the

process of developing their personal identity and character. At that stage in life, having an

educator or someone trusted reacting in an overtly negative way (e.g., responding to an incorrect

answer with, “No. That‟s wrong”) distracts the student from their learning opportunity and can

often dissuade the student from contributing again (Perrone 1997).

As an educator, the experience of working in such a diverse, changing classroom has

prepared me to be able to teach effectively at any age, to many levels of English language

mastery, with many different levels of ability, and even with students that some teachers would

label “challenges”.

Analysis of Worksheet Development

Creating worksheets is a greater challenge than anyone expects. While developing the

content, there are innumerable issues to take into account: language equity, learning styles,

science content standards, cognitive and physical abilities of the student, and many more

unforeseen issues (e.g., logistical issues at your place of work) (Klein, Ash). While putting these

worksheets together, I met all of these challenges but combated them to the best of my ability.

The following pages include a detailed account of the development process for each worksheet,

challenges and solutions, science content standards, and the reasoning/analysis behind the

choices made.

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Kindergarten- 1st Grade Worksheet:

Process:

The initial development of this worksheet was brought about by a suggestion from a

kindergarten teacher who was interested in having a worksheet available for her students as there

is no worksheet to be completed in the K-1 Discovery Labs at the Seymour Center. Suzanne

Hebert approached me about perhaps creating a simple Bingo style worksheet where the students

would circle an animal once they found it in the aquarium. Upon thinking about this, the idea

seemed almost too simple and that it did not challenge the students to use their powers of

observation enough. From there, I decided to create a worksheet where students could find

certain animals in the aquarium and use their developing abilities of relative spatial orientation to

complete drawings that had a certain body structure missing.

Challenges and Solutions:

The first challenge in putting together this worksheet was remembering to minimize the

amount of text on the page while having enough directions so that adults could easily interpret

the instructions and facilitate the activity. This challenge was easily remedied by continuing to

prune out unnecessary filler until the most streamlined version of the worksheet was finished.

Another challenge I faced was creating a worksheet that involved learning as well as

play. Simply circling animals in the aquarium did not really involve any work on the child‟s part

other than having a parent or teacher tell their student which animal to circle. Research on the

science content standards for both kindergarten and 1st grade helped me develop a worksheet that

requires more of the student‟s effort and taps into their natural curiosity.

The last and the biggest challenge that I faced was translating the worksheet into Spanish.

I am only fluent in English, but I was able to do a fair bit of the translation on my own. The

majority of the translating work was done with my coworker, Athena Barrios.

Science Content Standards for California Public Schools - K-1 Worksheet: Kindergarten Standards: Life Sciences 2C. Students know how to identify major structures of common plants and animals (e.g., stems, leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs.) Investigation and Experiment 4A. Observe common objects by using the five senses. Investigation and Experimentation 4C. Describe the relative position of objects by using one reference (e.g., above or below) Investigation and Experimentation 4E. Communicate observations orally and through drawings.

First Grade Standards:Investigation and Experimentation 4A. Draw pictures that portray some features of the thing being described.

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Investigation and Experimentation 4B. Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements. Investigation and Experimentation 4D. Describe the relative position of objects by using two references (e.g., above and next to, below and left of.)

(Bruton, 1998)

Analysis/Reasoning of Choices Made:

Directions:

With the directions, I wanted to create a situation where the child or student could use their

imagination. The directions explicitly ask the child for their help so that while completing the

worksheet, the children have a sense of responsibility and pride at being able to do “important

work”. When writing the directions, I noticed that I tended to be much too verbose. The simpler

the instructions, the easier it would be for the student to complete the worksheet successfully. By

setting the student up for success in that way, I assured that the student would feel proud,

accomplished, and would have a sense of ownership of the work they had created (Gallas 1995).

Moon Jellies:

I chose this animal because of the importance it has at the Seymour Center. At the Long

Marine Lab, scientists and aquarists raise moon jelly polyps that get sent to many different

aquariums and are shown on display at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. I also chose this

animal because it is easily recognizable as a “Jellyfish” and for many children, the missing

tentacles would be easy to spot with a simple glance, starting them off with a confidence

building question. The moon jellies are also the only animal in a circle on the worksheet because

the tank that houses the jellies is circular1, giving the parent, teacher, or child a visual cue of

what to look for in the aquarium.

Leopard Shark:

The leopard shark was chosen for this worksheet because it is located in the Rocky Reef

tank, one of the biggest and busiest tanks in the entire aquarium. Not only will the student have

to look for the dorsal fin, they will have to look for the shark. There are two species of shark in

the aquarium: Swell and Leopard. The swell shark is easily distinguishable because its fins look

remarkably different from those of the leopard shark. Also, the leopard shark is almost always

swimming at the front of the tank while the swell shark tends to hide between rocks or in the

back of the aquarium. I specifically chose something a little more difficult to find to encourage

interactions with the staff and volunteers. Giving the children a chance to communicate with

1 The circular jelly aquarium assures a safer environment than a typical rectangular tank. In the circular tank, the jellies are not able to get stuck in the corners. A special ventilation system pushes a constant current throughout the entire tank providing the jellies with a simulation of ocean currents. Jellies are drifters by nature, so without the current, they would be unable to travel.

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others about their learning will build confidence in their ability to speak to their peers and to

adults or elders. Extra space around the shark drawing will allow children to get creative either

while they draw the dorsal fin or later if they should choose to color in their work.

Sea (Jewel) Star:

A sea star was the perfect opportunity to allow students just beginning their educational

career to practice looking at patterns and predicting what comes next (e.g., the fifth arm). Even if

the student does not seek out and find a jewel star in the aquarium, they will most likely be able

to draw in the last arm from previous knowledge. A follow up question at the bottom asks the

student to count how many arms the sea star has. At that stage in life, students are mastering

counting and giving them an opportunity to use their skills on a worksheet will build confidence

in their abilities.

Anemone:

I wanted to include two animals that were similar in this worksheet so that the students had

the possibility to compare and contrast two different organisms with a parent or teacher (Delpit

1995). The anemone is missing its tentacles just like the moon jelly which is hinted in the

anemone‟s speech bubble (an interpretive clue for parents or teachers). The instructions at the

bottom inform the student that they are actually able to touch this animal at the seawater table.

Involving different forms of learning will insure that more information will be retained or will at

least appeal to children who excel in different styles of learning.

Ending Instructions/Ms. Blue:

A little introduction and encouragement from Ms. Blue (the blue whale skeleton outside of

the Seymour Marine Discovery Center) will help the students feel important and accomplished at

the end of the worksheet. Having Ms. Blue directly address the student should give them a

feeling of inclusion and being a part of something bigger. The suggestion that the students can

take the worksheet home and color in the images once they finish them allows them to express

their creativity or to demonstrate their memory recall ability back in the classroom or at home

(e.g., coloring the anemone green like the one at the seawater table or coloring the spots and

stripes of the leopard shark darker than the rest of the skin).

All images on the K-1 Worksheet drawn by Erica N. Gregory.

2nd

– 3rd

Grade Worksheet (Seymour Stars!):

Process:

With the second worksheet, I wanted to spend more time developing curricula that would

work around the science content standards. I also wanted to create something that would

encourage the students to really explore the aquarium and to investigate many different species

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of the same type of animal (in this case, sea stars). One of the science content standards was that

students should know that individuals of a species can vary drastically and I thought that this

would be an excellent talking point for students and their teacher when students get varying

answers about bat stars or brittle stars (Bruton, 1998).

Again, I struggled with being much too verbose in the directions and got a little frustrated

about the vocabulary being used. This situation left me with the unfortunate reality of having to

delete some crucial pieces of my final product.

Initially, I planned to pair this worksheet with a Sea Star Guide that would have also been

offered online for students and teachers who wanted to be able to complete this activity at home

without having to travel to the Seymour Center. However, I ran into many problems with this

guide and ended up deciding to focus solely on the worksheet. In the end, I am pleased with how

it turned out and I think it will be an excellent tool for teachers to use in their science classrooms

after a field trip.

Challenges and Solutions:

The first and largest challenge I ran into when creating this worksheet was the idea of

creating a Seymour Star Guide that would allow students to complete this worksheet at home or

at school without ever having to travel all the way to the aquarium. The star guide would have

included photos of the stars, descriptions of them and their defenses, where to find them in the

aquarium, and a size chart depicting how large the stars are compared to each other.

Unfortunately, after speaking with Peter Macht (the person in charge of the animals and aquaria)

I realized that the sea stars are not a static part of the aquarium and therefore the star guide could

not include a “where to find me” section as the sea stars might not be present in the aquarium at

all. Another problem was listing all of the sea stars in the aquarium currently, in the past, and in

the possible future. The sea star guide would be quite a large document in order to encompass all

of these different animals, so I ended up deciding against creating the sea star guide. If teachers

still wish to complete this worksheet back in their classroom, they would easily be able to print

of images of sea stars and either blow them up or shrink them to their real sizes (based on field

guides or internet resources).

Again, I ran into the problem of using too many words in the directions of the worksheet.

With the help of my supervisor, Suzanne Hebert, I was able to trim everything down to a simple

paragraph that adequately expresses what the instructions are as well as some pertinent

vocabulary words and concepts.

The last challenge I ran into was using a concept that is hard to describe without being

there to help guide the students as they fill out the worksheet. Initially, the worksheet had a

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section about predicting the texture of the sea stars observed. However, explaining „texture‟ to a

second or third grader with so little space was just not feasible. Instead, I removed the section

about texture and then added a follow-up question at the end of the worksheet that invites

students to touch the stars at the seawater table and make observations about what they felt like.

Unfortunately, the elimination of this section meant the elimination of several other science

content standards.

Science Content Standards for California Public Schools – 2-3 Worksheet: Second Grade Standards:Life Sciences 2D: Students know there is variation among individuals of one kind within a population. Investigation and Experimentation 4A: Make predictions based on observed patterns and not random guessing. Investigation and Experimentation 4C. Compare and sort common objects according to two or more physical attributes (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight). Investigation and Experimentation 4G.. Follow oral instructions for a scientific investigation.

Third Grade Standards: Investigation and Experimentation: 5A. Repeat observations to improve accuracy and know that the result of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation. Investigation and Experimentation 5B. Differentiate evidence from opinion and know that scientists do not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed. Investigation and Experimentation 5C. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.

(Bruton, 1998)

Analysis/Reasoning of Choices Made:

Directions:

I italicized and underlined words in the directions at the top to draw the attention of

students, parents, and teachers reading the document. By bringing the attention of the teacher to

these concepts, the teacher can then add any necessary vocabulary to lesson plans or can use this

lesson as a way to strengthen some of the science content standards. The last sentence suggests

that the students ask for the help of a volunteer if they have trouble finding sea stars in the

aquarium. As mentioned in the K-1 worksheet, the necessity of speaking to an adult will help

increase the child‟s self confidence and may open up a discussion about the sea star that can lead

to open inquiry (Klein, Ash).

Observation Spaces:

Including four different spaces for sea stars was an adequate number to challenge

students but not bore them and to allow for comparing and contrasting. The boxes were

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purposely created to be large so that the student had enough room to interpret and draw what

they saw in order to remember the star for future (if any) classroom discussions. The observation

questions below the boxes involve two different formats for answers: write-in and circling. This

breaks up the monotony of writing answer after answer and also allows for less discrepancy

among students‟ results with the questions that involve more individual interpretation. With size,

there will still be some variation among answers for students with bigger or smaller hands, but

this gives the teacher the opportunity to talk about why scientists must repeat experiments with

other scientists because of personal variations and biases.

Follow Up Questions:

Since I was not able to include the section about texture in the worksheet, I wanted to

include a follow up question where the students had an opportunity to explore the seawater touch

table and also to explore different methods of learning. The two questions about the number of

arms and color give the students the opportunity to look back at the information they have

recorded and to compare and contrast the observed sea stars. Since the answer to the size of the

sea star may depend upon the size of the child‟s hand, asking which sea star was the biggest and

which was the smallest is a way of possibly unifying the answers of an entire class so that

comparisons can be made at a group level as well. The last question of which was your favorite

was a suggestion of Suzanne‟s that I definitely wanted to include because it makes the

assignment feel more personal.

Relevance at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center

The following is an email message received from Suzanne Hebert:

“This message serves as confirmation that we will post the activity sheets you create for

your internship project to the Seymour Center website. The activities will be available online for

teachers download and use as a teaching tool with their students during field trips to the Seymour

Center. Each activity will align with California Science Content Standards and be grade-level

appropriate.”

To see the email message in its entirety, please see Page 38 of the report.

Conclusion

Creating worksheets that followed standards, practiced language equity, engaged the

students, and benefited the Seymour Center was a long, laborious process, but was ultimately

beneficial. Without having stepped foot in a traditional classroom setting, I have already had

experience teaching every grade level and have developed curricula that follows California

standards. The Seymour Center will also gain something from this project in that they now have

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even more hands on material to guide exploration in their aquarium and have extra tools or

resources for teachers.

The past three quarters have presented me with the unique challenge of teaching in a

classroom where the students change every single day. These students come from different

backgrounds, different cities, and different belief systems. They are in different grades, have

different styles of learning, different styles of living, and different foundations. Such a diverse,

changing environment has been absolutely essential in my development as a well-rounded

educator and has helped shape my philosophy about teaching.

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Klein, Christine. "Inquiry in the Informal Learning Environment." Teaching and Learning in Inquiry-Based

Environment. By Dorish Ash. 253-65. Print.

Kluger-Bell, Barry. "Recognizing Inquiry: Comparing Three Hands-On Teaching Techniques." Foundations. Vol. 2.

31-57. Print.

"Learning with Understanding: Seven Principles." Learning and Understanding. National Academy of Science,

2003. 117-33. Print.

Looking Closely at Formative Assessment - General Points. Issue brief no. 701. San Francisco: Exploratorium,

2004. Print.

Marx, Ronald W., Phyllis C. Blumenfeld, Jospeh S. Krajcik, Barry Fishman, Elliot Soloway, Robert Geier, and

Revital T. Tal. "Inquiry-Based Science in the Middle Grades: Assessment of Learning in Urban Systemic Reform."

Journal of Research in Science Teaching 41.10 (2004): 1063-080. Print.

McGinty, Mendoza-Reis, Aida Walqui, S. Kagan, J. Johns, Gary Shapiro, Figueroa, Ruiz, Garcia, Ann Jaramillo,

Kelly Smith, Janet Johns, and Klarin. A Guide for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society. Print.

National Center for Education Statistics (2011). The Nation‟s Report Card: Science 2009 (NCES 2011–451).

Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

National Research Council. "Images of Inquiry in the K-12 Classrooms." Inquiry and the National Science

Education Standards. 39-59. Print.

Nieto, Sonia. ""This Addictive Thing Called Teaching": An Interview With Sonia Nieto About What Keeps

Teachers Going?" Interview by Hilton K. Kelly. Wilson Web. The H.W. Wilson Company, 2004. Web.

Perkins-Gough, Deborah. "Understanding the Scientific Enterprise." Educational Leadership - Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development. 2007. 8-15. Print.

Perrone, Vitto. Reflections on Teaching: Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn. Rep. no. 4. Vol. 98. Columbia

University, New York: Teacher's College Record, 1997. Print.

Roschelle, Jeremy. "Prior Knowledge and New Experience." Learning in Interactive Environments. Dartmouth. 37-

51. Print.

Roth, Kathleen, and Helen Garnier. "What Science Teaching Looks Like: An International Perspective."

Educational Leadership: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 16-23. Print.

Sato, Mistilina, and J. Myron Atkin. "Supporting Change in Classroom Assessment." Educational Leadership:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 76-79. Print.

Van Zee, Emily H., Marletta Iwasyk, Akiko Kurose, Dorothy Simpson, and Judy Wild. "Student and Teacher

Questioning during Conversations about Science." Journal of Research in Science Teaching 38.2 (2001): 159-90.

Print.

Warren, Beth, Mark Ogonowski, and Suzanne Pothier. ""Everyday" and "Scientific": Rethinking Dichotomies in

Modes of Thinking in Science Learning." Everyday Matters in Science and Mathematics - Studies of Complex

Classroom Events. Ed. Ricardo Nemirovsky, Ann S. Rosebery, Jesse Soloman, and Beth Warren. 118-48. Print.

Worksheets (on the following pages):

19

Name:________________________ Date:_________________

Seymour Stars!

Scientists make many observations about the plants, animals, and environments they see around them.

Remember that an observation is a fact and not an opinion. Today, your job as a marine scientist at the Seymour

Marine Discovery Center is to find 4 different species of sea stars in the aquarium. Once you find them, make

observations about their color, pattern, number of arms, and size. If you have trouble finding some sea stars, ask

a volunteer in a dark blue shirt for help!

Species Name: _________________________ Species Name:_________________________

(Draw the sea star in the box above!) (Draw the sea star in the box above!)

Observations: Observations:

Color: ___________________________________ Color: ___________________________________

_________________________________________ _________________________________________

Pattern (circle one): Solid Spotted Pattern (circle one): Solid Spotted

Number of Arms: __________________________ Number of Arms: __________________________

Size (circle one): Size (circle one):

A. Smaller than my hand B. Bigger than my hand A. Smaller than my hand B. Bigger than my hand

C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________ C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________

20

Species Name: _________________________ Species Name:_________________________



Color: ___________________________________ Color: ___________________________________

_________________________________________ _________________________________________





C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________ C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________

Try to find some sea stars at the seawater touch table and observe what the feel like. Record your observations

about what they felt like on the line below.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Did all of the sea stars have the same number of arms? _________

Were all of the sea stars the same color? __________

Which sea star was the biggest? _____________________________________

Which was the smallest? _____________________________________

Which sea star was your favorite? _____________________________________

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Name:__Answer Key_________________ Date:_________________

Seymour Stars!

Scientists make many observations about the plants, animals, and environments they see around them.

Remember that an observation is a fact and not an opinion. Today, your job as a marine scientist at the Seymour

Marine Discovery Center is to find 4 different species of sea stars in the aquarium. Once you find them, make

observations about their color, pattern, number of arms, and size. If you have trouble finding some sea stars, ask

a volunteer in a dark blue shirt for help!

Species Name: __Bat Star ____ Species Name:____Sunflower Star____



Color: __Varies____________________________ Color: __Hard to tell- purple light____________

_________________________________________ _________________________________________


Number of Arms: ___4-7____________________ Number of Arms: ___Many!______________



C. Same size as my hand D. Other: _Varies_ C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________

22

Species Name: __Leather Star_________ Species Name: ___Brittle Star________



Color: ___Pale green or yellow with orange spots Color: ___Varies- striped arms________________

_________________________________________ _________________________________________





C. Same size as my hand D. Other: _Varies____ C. Same size as my hand D. Other: ___________

Try to find some sea stars at the seawater touch table and observe what the feel like. Record your observations

about what they felt like on the line below.

__Jewel Star/Ochre Star- Rough, Leather Star- Smooth/Slippery, Bat Star- Rough__________

Did all of the sea stars have the same number of arms? __No____

Were all of the sea stars the same color? _No_____

Which sea star was the biggest? __The Sunflower Star__________________

Which was the smallest? __The brittle star_______________________

Which sea star was your favorite? ___Varies__________________________

23

Discovery Lab Posters and Teaching Documentation

(All posters/images created by Erica N. Gregory)

(Photos by Erica N. Gregory unless stated otherwise)

Spines, Slime, and

Tube Feet

(Kindergarten)

Do you know any of

these animals?

Sea Urchin

(el erizo de mar)

Sea Star

(la estrella de mar)

Sand Dollar

(el dólar de arena)

Sea Cucumber

(el pepinillo de mar)

Today, you will get to

see many different

animals in our

classroom:

Almost all of them have

spines…

Some even have

SLIME! …

But all of them have Tube Feet!

Scientists grouped these animals together because they all have those similar body parts. The

scientists called this group the ECHINODERMS.

(Pronounced “Ee-KINE-oh-derms”).

Their name means “Spiky or Spiny Skin”!

Why do you think it is important for us to protect echinoderms?

24

Awesome Adaptations (Grade 1)

Adaptation means:

A body structure or behavior

that helps an animal survive!

Think about a common ocean animal…

What body structure does that animal have to

help it survive?

What about a behavior it has?

Adaptations can help animals:

…catch food

…protect themselves

…hide from predators

Why do scientists study animal adaptations?

(Demonstrating where to write on the clipboard- Photo by Brooke Castro)

25

Fossil Frolic (Grade 2)

Who has heard of the

word “fossil” before?

Can someone tell me

what a fossil is?

Scientists who study

fossils are called

Paleontologists and you

all get to be fossil

scientists today!

Fossils are formed when

bones and shells of

animals that have died in

the ocean fall to the

ocean floor. Over time,

the bones and shells get

covered by layers of

sand and mud (which

paleontologists call

„sediment‟). Minerals in

the sediment harden

around the bones and

shells and make them as

hard as rocks!

Why is it important to

study fossils?

Fossils help us learn

what animals lived millions of years ago and those same fossils can even tell us what the

environment was like at that time!

Do you think there are still undiscovered fossils out there?

26

Shark Science (Grade

2)

There are about 1,000

species of sharks and

rays.

Can you name any of

these sharks, skates, or

rays?

(From left to right:

Skate, Shovelnose

Guitar fish, Leopard

shark, and Round

Stingray).

With a variety of sizes,

shapes, teeth, and ways

to produce their young:

There is a species of

shark that is the

BIGGEST fish in the

ocean! The Whale

Shark can be up to 50

feet long!

Another species of

shark called the Pygmy

shark is only 10 inches

long and will stay that

size its entire life!

Why are scientists concerned about sharks?

Humans kill over 12,000,000 (TWELVE MILLION) sharks every year!

But sharks only kill fewer than 10 (TEN) people!

What can people do to protect sharks?

Look at your Seafood Watch card! Where are sharks listed? In Best Choices, Good Alternatives,

or Avoid?

27

Suited for Success (Grade 3)

1. Body Structures and Behaviors

that improve an animal‟s chance

of survival:

ADAPTATIONS

2. Animals are adapted to survive

in specific environments:

Redwood forest tide pools

open ocean Desert

Imagine if you took a shark (who

is adapted to live in the ocean)

and put him in the redwood

forest… Would he survive?

3. When an environment changes,

some animals:

SURVIVE … MOVE … DIE

If an animal can adapt to a

changing environment, he or she

will survive! If they can‟t adapt to

the change but are able to travel

quickly, they can move! But if

they can‟t move or survive… the

animal dies!

Your Mission: Explore different ways animals improve their chance of survival!

Why is it important for humans to protect different environments?

Waiting for bat stars to flip over

in the 6-8 Analyze This! Program

- Photo by Brooke Castro

28

Scientists at Work (Grade

5)

Dr. John Pearse and

students study intertidal

animals and plants!

They search for answers to

important questions…

What lives there?

How many?

Does the environment

change?

Do humans affect that

environment?

Are there natural effects

like El Niño, La Niña,

global warming, or rip-rap?

Scientists need many

Scientific Skills

They must: observe

carefully, identify and

describe species, record

data, and develop questions

from observations and

experiments!

Recording data at the

station and making sure

that the students know

where and how to record

the times off their stop-

watches.

Photo by Brooke Castro

29

Adapted to the Deep (Grade 5)

Less is known about the

deep sea than much of

space! The deep sea is the

NEW, new frontier!

Scientists study the deep

sea using R.O.V.s

(Remotely Operated

Vehicles) and A.U.V.s

(Autonomous Underwater

Vehicles).

Some of those scientists

are from right here in the

Santa Cruz area- like

Mary Silver at UCSC!

Humans affect the deep

sea with trawling,

dumping waster, and

many other things.

Extreme conditions in the

deep sea make it hard for

animals to live there.

They have to work with

extremely cold

temperatures, extreme

pressure, and an extreme

lack of sunlight.

They have developed adaptations (a structure of behavior that helps an organism survive or

reproduce) to help them survive and reproduce under these conditions.

Teacher Feedback and Student Appreciation (on following pages):

34

Supervisor Evaluations

Agency Evaluation for UCSC Environmental Studies’ Internships

Student: Erica Gregory Quarter: Winter

Agency Sponsor: Chris Reeves Course no.: ENVS 183

No. of units: 5

Agency: Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Faculty Sponsor: Zdravka Tzankova Note: 12-15 hours per week

required per

5 units (6 hours per 2

units)

Please evaluate the student’s work in this internship. Be as specific as possible as to work quality,

demonstrated initiative, follow through, and potential to work in this field.

This evaluation is a requirement of the student’s internship and must be returned by the student.

Erica has worked for me for the past two quarters. She helped to prepare all materials necessary to plan, hire volunteers, coordinate, and teach this year‟s Docent Training course. She worked,

and is working roughly 15 hours per week. Currently she is coordinating all of the logistics of executing the class including set up for each class, follow up with previous speakers, planning for upcoming classes, organizing necessary paperwork, as well as ensuring that things run smoothly during each class session. Erica shows so much initiative, and is so organized with her time, that I only find it necessary to debrief with her once per week. Much of the coordinating work that typically falls on me has been taken off my plate by Erica, which has freed up my time to improve this training class. She has been an excellent intern, and were it that I had a paid position open, I would have hired her.

_______________________________________

________________________________________

Signature: Agency Sponsor Signature: Student

35

January 14, 2011

Erica Gregory, Recommendation for admission

UCSC, Division of Graduate Studies, Education

To whom it may concern,

I am writing you today to recommend Erica Gregory for admission to the Education

department Masters Degree/Teaching Credential program. For the past six months I have had

the pleasure of working with Erica as her supervisor here at the Seymour Center at Long

Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz. The Seymour Center provides high-

quality public education about the role that science plays in the understanding and

conservation of the world‟s oceans. Erica is working as our Docent Training Intern. She is

very organized, detail oriented, personable, and motivated in attaining experience that will

allow her to excel in her career goal to become a teacher.

Our volunteer docents represent the Seymour Center and the University of California in their

interactions with the visitors to the marine lab, by leading a 45-minute tour of our research

facilities to discuss the work performed by our scientists. The Seymour Center‟s docent

training course itself is a 90-hour, eleven-week course, which requires up to six months

preparation. The Seymour Center‟s docent training course is probably our single most

important annual event with respect to our public presentations. Erica helped organize all

course materials, correspond with and arrange for researchers to provide instruction, organized

class field trips, and is attending the course as a volunteer docent, learning the course material

herself. She is volunteering in her role as intern an

additional 10 hours per week, while taking the docent training course, all while

maintaining her regular college workload.

Erica routinely demonstrates her ability to communicate complex marine science topics

clearly, with people of all ages and backgrounds. Her accessible demeanor, and natural

empathy allow her to draw in students and identify their needs in order to accommodate for

their level of understanding. She gracefully instigates a spark of desire in others to learn

more. Erica has helped me to develop new presentations and workshops for training our

docents here, and is eager to take on these new challenges. In combination with her work for

our Youth Programs department, Erica has made a concerted effort to diversify and hone her

skills in presenting new subjects to new audiences.

In the short time that she has worked here, she has made herself an effective part of the

Visitor Programs team. She accepts difficult projects with a minimum of explanation or

direction, which she always completes to a higher standard than I would expect of any

employee. Managing the instruction of a diverse group of volunteers is a role that requires

patience and finesse, qualities that Erica expresses in all of her interactions with staff and

volunteers alike. Her relaxed demeanor often belies her strong work ethic and determination

to develop new teaching skills. Erica is a pleasure to work with.

The Seymour Center is a non-profit educational institution, with all of the usual financial

challenges therein. We maintain a very small staff, with a volunteer base of roughly 200

people. Were I able to offer Erica a position as a paid employee, I would not hesitate. I am

personally very glad to be able to work with her.

Please help her achieve her goal of earning her Masters in Education and her teaching

credential. She will be an alumnus that the University of California Santa Cruz can be

proud of.

36

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or require any further

reference for Erica.

Sincerely,

Chris Reeves

Visitor Programs Manager Seymour Marine Discovery Center Long

Marine Laboratory [email protected]

100 Shaffer Road Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831)

459-1855 – Office (831) 459-

3800 – Main (831) 402-0863

– Cell

Leopard Shark in the Rocky Reef Tank at the Seymour Center

(Photo by Erica Gregory)

mailto:[email protected]

38

Dear Erica,

This message serves as confirmation that we will post the activity sheets you create for your

internship project to the Seymour Center website. The activities will be available online for

teachers download and use as a teaching tool with their students during field trips to the Seymour

Center. Each activity will align with California Science Content Standards and be grade-level

appropriate.

Thank you for your work on this project. I look forward to making these additional resources

available to our teachers.

Sincerely,

Suzanne

********************************************************* Suzanne M. Hebert

Youth Programs Manager

Seymour Marine Discovery Center

Long Marine Laboratory

University of California, Santa Cruz

100 Shaffer Road

Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone: (831) 459-5725

Fax: (831) 459-1221

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/

*********************************************************

Attended the following conference with Katrina Hart London on May 10th

, 2011:

Environmental Education Resource Fair of Santa Cruz County

May 10, 2011, 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Santa Cruz County Office of Education

400 Encinal Street, Santa Cruz

Don't miss this popular Environmental Education Resource Fair May 10, 2011, 3:30 pm – 7:30

pm. Extended hours give teachers more time to gather activities and materials, meet

knowledgeable and inspiring resource providers, and relax with fellow K-12 teachers from

throughout the region. It's a fun and engaging way to discover new environmental education

resources for the classroom.

Hosted by Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the California Regional Environmental

Education Community (CREEC). For more information, contact Amity Sandage, CREEC

Coordinator, at [email protected] or 831 466-5711.

tel:%28831%29%20459-5725

tel:%28831%29%20459-1221


http://seymourcenter.ucsc.edu/


39

Erica Gregory’s Future Plans

If it weren‟t for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and its amazing employees, I

would not have rediscovered a forgotten love for teaching. I am attempting to turn this passion

into a career by earning my masters in education and my teaching credentials in the 2011-2012

Masters of Education program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I have already been

accepted to the program as a multiple subject candidate and have received a Regents Fellowship.

I have chosen to focus my student teaching on grades 3-6 with a focus in alternative and outdoor

education.

Before the quarter is over, I will continue to maintain the Environmental Media Project as

Manager and Editor in Chief of Gaia magazine. The magazine is a UCSC production created

entirely by students who wish to put a spotlight on environmental issues in the local community

and at a global scale as well. The Seymour Center will be featured in the third issue of the

magazine with an advertisement and a small description written by myself in order to promote

the aquarium and the positive conservation message they spread.

This summer, I will be assisting Katrina London in her Ocean Explorers summer camp

for children interested in marine life and conservation. I will be helping with a week long

program called “Masterful Marine Mammals” and I am really looking forward to learning more

techniques to hone my skills as an outdoor educator. As a graduate student, I plan to volunteer

with School Programs at the Seymour Center to practice teaching in a diverse classroom that

changes every time you return.

Lastly, I am very honored to say that Suzanne Hebert has nominated me to be spotlighted

in a local magazine called „Good Times‟ in a feature lasting an entire year. The articles will

highlight local non-profit organizations and their outstanding young volunteers. At this point in

time, the authors and editors are still choosing which organizations and volunteers to draw

attention to, but I will still be happy even if they do not choose to feature me. What touches me

the most is that Suzanne thought of me as an outstanding young volunteer and that she would

take the time to write about and nominate me.

Wherever life takes me after graduate school, I will always think of my time at the

Seymour Center fondly. In a perfect world, I would get to stay and work at the place that started

it all for me. But at the very least, I will still subscribe to the Tidelines newsletter and keep in

touch with the wonderful people I have had the absolute pleasure to work with.

40

Seymour Marine Discovery Center Information

The Seymour Center is open:

Tuesday-Saturday from 10am to 5pm

Sunday from 12pm to 5pm

Admission costs:

$6- Adults

$4- Students or Seniors (64+)

$4- Children (4-16)

Members visit for free!

UCSC Undergrads can get in free with a valid student ID!

Tour times:

Sign up for tours an hour before- first come, first served!

1pm, 2pm, and 3pm

Location and Directions:

FROM SANTA CRUZ, take Highway One (Mission Street) north. Continue north through town

several miles. Turn left on Swift Street. Turn right on Delaware Avenue. Follow Delaware to the

UC Santa Cruz Marine Science Campus entrance at the end of the road. The Seymour Marine

Discovery Center is the final building located on the ocean bluff, next to the giant blue whale

skeleton.

(Information from http://www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter/visitor_information.html)

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