Teacher Name: Katherine Hinkle
School: Innovation Academy Charter School
Schoolyard Ecology Projects:
Our Changing Forest
Woolly Bully and the Hemlock Tree
Grade Level: 9th Grade
Subject: Environmental Science
Q: How did you decide to engage your students in a Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology project?
When I was tasked with developing an Environmental Science course for our 9th graders, I went hunting for authentic, real world problems and I was delighted to stumble over the Harvard Forest site.
Q: What
aspects of the Schoolyard project fit well in the educational model you
are working in? What parts are a challenge to match up
A: Its a perfect match up! Our emphasis on real world
problem solving and authentic projects is a natural fit for school
yard ecology.
Q: Did you purposely set out to work in an alternative educational model? Is so, why-what background exp. Led you to the school model you are currently working in?
A: I got into teaching through an unconventional route--I trained as a geologist and then wanted to take a year off and try something new. I got placed at IACS through the New Teacher's Collaborative, a one year licensing program that places teachers in the classroom in a consortium of charter schools in Massachusetts who have a similar project based approach to teaching and learning. I've been here now for almost fifteen years.
I was drawn to the project based approach of my school, and I have found it to be an immensely rewarding model and one that lends itself perfectly to collaborating on citizen science projects like Schoolyard Ecology. I think my background in the lab and field has helped me translate real world science skills to my students.
Q: What
aspects of the Schoolyard project work successfully with students from
underrepresented populations? What aspects are challenging with
these students?
A: The clear protocols and purpose of the project work are really wonderful. For some students time in the woods is new and really intimidating, so the focus of the data collection helps. Getting students who are not used to extended time outside in the woods requires a lot of acclimatizing. We will often visit our different field sites to just explore once or twice before I introduce the data collection, or we lose too much time and can't get the data we need. After three years of doing this though, I can say that they all get comfortable by the spring! Its so gratifying. They stop asking about where the axe murderers and wolves are hiding usually by the end of October :).
My biggest challenge has always been getting them to be more comfortable just being outside. A handful of students are coming in with a love and familiarity with nature, but a number of them are very vocal and freaked out about bugs/dirt/bears/other threats perceived and imaginary. One of my favorite things about the spring semester is getting to see their growing confidence and familiarity with being in the woods here at school. By bringing them out every week--the habit just becomes normal to them and they relax into a more natural relationship with their environment.
* See Mass. Dept. of Education Demographic Information for this school below
A: Generating some prompts or low key observational activities to do during our acclimatizing visits would be great. I just make up small things to do with sensory awareness and "Bio Blitz" activities, but I would love to know from other outdoor educators if there are best practices for introducing unfamiliar students to the woods.
Q: How are you managing to adapt your project leadership techniques during COVID?
A: This has definitely been a challenging year! In the fall when we were closed, I had small groups join me after school for voluntary nature walks/data collection trips. Having group projects in class to collaborate on has really helped build community in the class more than usual. I try to keep the projects really grounded in a real world problem or dilemma in our local community so that their work has a direct application that they can see.
This past fall, since I couldn’t get the majority of my students out to the hemlock grove for the woolly bully study (only six out of 45 were able to come), instead of doing a lab write up like I usually do, I broke the students up into groups and they consulted with our head of school who had recently noticed adelgid on the hemlocks on his property. He took extensive pictures for the class, and they interviewed him about his long term needs for his property and they came up with an action plan/recommendations for him that they presented to him.
Students have lobbied the school to go solar, and collected data to certify a vernal pool. Now that we are more fully opened, we get outside at least once a week. Students who aren’t in person have a nature journal that I sent home to them and they have been going outside in their yards/neighborhoods in order to keep practicing observational skills and getting some much needed screen free time.
* Note that IACS has one of the more diverse student populations in the HF Schoolyard Ecology program currently according to this School profile from the Mass. Dept. of Education website.
| Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (2020-21) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | % of School | % of District | % of State |
| African American | 8.2 | 8.2 | 9.3 |
| Asian | 8.7 | 8.7 | 7.2 |
| Hispanic | 11.0 | 11.0 | 22.3 |
| Native American | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| White | 67.2 | 67.2 | 56.7 |
| Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.1 |
Links Related to Katherine's
Schoolyard Eco work:
Coming Soon! new docs from LTER Graduate Student Amanda Suzzi will be shared soon on website and linked here
To learn more about the Woolly Bully and the Hemlock Tree Schoolyard project, go to:
To learn more about the Our Changing Forests Project go to:
In photo above, by Tom Hinkle, students retrace part of
Thoreau's trip along the Merrimack. They're in Tyngsboro in this
picture, Lowell gets their water a couple of miles downstream of there. Katherine also piloted and provided valuable feedback for the "Love that Dirty Water" Data Nugget
by HF Schoolyard Teacher, Tara Alcorn.
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