Looking at Data Workshop Levels 2 and 3 Preview

Here's What We are Planning for the January 9th Workshop at Harvard Forest

HF Ecologist, Betsy Colburn will lead a presentation and work session to help teachers look more deeply
at their Schoolyard Ecology data.

NEW This Year!  Representing Schoolyard Data with Tableau

Choate-Rosemary Hall Teacher Joe Scanio will lead a new breakout session where teachers can practice creating visualizations of their Schoolyard Eco. data using Tableau.

Woolly Bully Teachers Will Work with Project Ecologist
David Orwig to find ways of representing HWA data.

Graphing Activity above developed by Lowell Regional Technical High School Teacher,
Tara Alcorn 

Buds, Leaves and Global Warming Project Ecologist, John O'Keefe, will be available to consult on Phenology-related questions. 

Our Changing Forests Project Coach, Fiona Jevon, will be supporting OCF teachers as needed.

 Teachers will share what they were able to produce during the data 

workshop with peers as part of this learning community.  

See examples of their work in the link below.

Links to Learn More about Level 2 and 3 Data Workshop

• Teacher Created Graphs from Last year's Workshop.pdf

• Using Tableau to Explore Schoolyard Data.Scanio.2019

• Student Buds, Leaves Graphs-Middle School-Mossman 2018.pptx

• Hand Graphing Growing Season Lesson-Mossman.2019.

What Level 2 and 3 Teachers Said about Last Year's Workshop:

• Dr. Colburn explains things so crystal clear. Every time I hear her presentation, I learn how important it is to represent the data visually.
• Good conversation and information. It would be helpful to also have the graphs she (Dr. Colburn) presented with and without the labels so we could discuss this kind of graphical analysis with our own students as well.
• It was helpful to see different types of graphs, how to interpret those graphs and data as it's been a while for me. 
• I enjoy working side by side the Harvard staff and being fully supported.

•  I came up with a series of lesson ideas that I will hopefully have time to use this year.
• I have a much better understanding of how to present data and the importance of first thinking about what it is you want to show what is the story what is the question
• More confident because I took time to prepare something I will use. Also seeing and hearing similar as well as different ideas from the other teachers and scientists!
• All staff and mentors were positive and extremely responsive

• The workshop was a great motivator and boost!
• Learned so much, became more confident in using graphs, the day flew by!
• Even with the technology issues the workshop was hugely valuable. I came with several questions and all were answered. I had a chance to speak with many teachers and staff members, networking is so important.
• Thank you for offering many opportunities for supporting teachers. The multiple workshops offered at various levels gives many opportunities for everyone to learn more, reflect on teaching activities and make contacts with colleagues
• Today seemed perfect (except for internet connection)- I really appreciated the "one-minute" teacher presentations as well as the overview by Betsy. Good availability of mentors! large block of time to work on our next graphing steps in the company of inspiring fellow teachers!

To Register:  Email Pamela Snow at psnow@fas.harvard.edu  with:

• Your name
• Name of school
• Project that you will focus on during this session
• Level you are registering for 

 Reminder that Level 2 is for completing Graphing Exercises; Level 3 is for representing data based on your individual educational goals. Level 1 is for learning overall data management process for Schoolyard Ecology data, including time to enter your project data.

Teachers in levels 2 and 3 must submit data onto the online database by December 15th.

The next Generation of Citizen Scientists are Ready to Monitor A Forest Giant on the Edge

Harvard Forest Ecologist,David Orwig, and Mentor Teacher, Kate Bennett, prepared a new group of teachers to get students out tracking the tiny Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an insect that is causing a major shift in New England's forest right now.  

Teachers practiced labelling study trees and measuring new growth of hemlock trees at their branch tips to record on the Harvard Forest field data sheets that their students will use at their schoolyards this fall. 

 

The white "woolly" egg sacs of the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid were barely visible this time of year.  These egg sacs will be easier to spot from November through early Spring, when students will go back outside to record presence of woolly Adelgid to report to the Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology study.

Dr. Orwig showed teachers the thinning of the Hemlock trees at Harvard Forest that has occurred since the Woolly Adelgid arrived several years ago.  

Teachers were able to see the new growth of  black birch saplings beginning to replace the dying hemlocks. We hope they will bring back the message to their students that "the forest never doesn't change".  As one species declines, another fills its place in the forest. Change is the one constant.

 

What Woolly Bully Teachers valued about the Summer Institute:

• Being able to go out and actually look at the trees and experience what we will do with the students was key for me. It's so helpful for me to actually do what I will be doing with the students instead of just reading a protocol .

•   Many things. 1.Observation crosses many areas of study. 2.So much specific, scientific knowledge that I find fascinating.

• I learned so much in a short time during today's workshop. The most valuable thing I learned is the importance of the hemlock to our environment.

• How easy it can be to implement a field study. How important the preteaching, set-up, and demonstrations will be before heading out into the field.

• I gained the knowledge I need to implement this study in my school. I especially valued the time we spent walking in the forest and talking about the woolly adelgids and hemlocks.

To learn more about Woolly Bully Schoolyard Ecology, go to: 

 Woolly Bully Schoolyard Ecology Webpages

Senior Ecologist, Dr. David Orwig's Webpages

Hemlock; A Forest Giant on the Edge  

Graph of Survey Results from teacher survey at the Summer Institute for Teachers at Harvard Forest

Thanks to all who contributed to guiding teachers to prepare for getting students doing real science based on real issues with help from real scientists....

Teachers Steal the Show at Spring Workshop

Schoolyard Ecology Teachers Took Center Stage at Our Spring Workshop for Teachers on March 31st at Harvard Forest

Beginning with introductions, teachers had so much to contribute and update on...we ran over well over the time I had allocated in the agenda.  I could have cut folks off sooner, but it was clear that the entire learning community of classroom teachers, environmental educators and scientists was all ears to hear what each teacher had to share.

Hemlock and Buds groups each met in breakout groups before heading outside.

Into the Woods

Teachers actively contributed to field discussions as well.  Scientists allowed the teachers to lead the focus of the discussion with their many questions and comments about field protocols, seasonal changes, physiology, etc.

   

Teacher Presentations

The afternoon was highlighted  by teachers and naturalists formally presenting the way they are engaging children in field ecology projects.

J.R. Briggs Elementary teacher, Katherine Bennett, and Austin Preparatory School teacher, Maria Blewitt each shared the ways they are deepening students' understanding of the science of Phenology.  Both teachers have contributed to the Buds, Leaves and Global Warming study over several years. Both also host web cameras called "Phenocams" on the roofs of their schools to track the greenup and green down of the tree canopy near their schools.  Kate shared some of the impressive array of educational resources that she has helped develop for the Project Budburst webpages. 

 Kate shared some of the impressive array of educational resources that
she helped to develop for the Project
BudBurst webpages.

Kate collaborated with Phenocam scientist, Andrew Richardson, along with Project Budburst coordinator, Sandra Henderson and team to develop these in depth, colorful activities and lesson plans that help students to understand the science of Phenology.





Maria Blewitt shared the step by step process she used in graphing the Phenocam data provided by the Phenocam at her school in Reading, Ma.    

Mass Audubon Educators, Sally Farrow and Erin Pitkin, then updated us on how they are helping students of all abilities engage in both the Vernal Pool and Phenology studies at Drumlin Farm and Lowell schools.  Sally showed us a variety of graphs she is sharing with students that tell the story of the hydrology of the vernal pools and ponds at Drumlin farm where over 5,000 students have participated in the the Harvard Forest Schoolyard vernal pool  study over 8 years.

 






Erin Pitkin, in her first year working with the Schoolyard Vernal Pool and phenology studies, shared a set of visual resources she developed to allow a diverse range of learners to access the scientific protocol.

A number of schools provide student "Eco Monitors" who regularly collect data for Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology projects sited at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Ma.  Erin showed how she is adapting and creating tools for students of diverse abilities to participate in this work.


Holyoke Catholic High School Teacher, Lise Letellier lead the charge with her impressive and comprehensive telling of her 5 year journey through Schoolyard Ecology.  See my previous blog entry for more on that presentation along with the related links below.

Survey Comments from Workshop Participants: 

• All of the presentations were well done! I am excited to take the great ideas and implement them into our program.

• all of the teacher presentations were excellent.

• teacher talk time was sooo helpful! Great discussion about what else to keep track of since yearly change is not significant enough to graph. So great to learn about phenology and phenocam resources,

•  All the presentations helpful and presented new information and inspiration which will benefit our programs.

• Kernals of gold nugget in each and all of them!

• Lise gives me hope that I, too, can have my students tackle data!

• The opportunity to meet and speak with the other teachers and hear the presentations gives me hope and inspiration and definitely renews my passion.
• both the walk and the teacher presentations definitely renewed my passion.  I hope to eventually get to the point where I can contribute to the discussions and presentation.

• Today's presentations were mostly applicable to all protocol and made new resources accessible and offered ways they can help us teach the standards. 

To see teacher presentation slides and hear audio on Adobe Connect, go to: 

http://harvardforest.adobeconnect.com/p99mf5gzwfg/

To access PDF documents of teacher presentations, go to:

Bennett,K.Taking Phenology Education to the Next Level.pdf

Blewitt,M.Using the Phenocam Website with Your Students.pdf

Letellier, L. Five Years of Data Presentation.pdf

Farrow,Pitkin. Eco. Monitoring for All Learners.pdf

To access the complete Survey Monkey Spring workshop evaluation, go to:

Spring Wksp surveymonkey.results

To follow up on any questions or comments about this Blog post or Harvard Forest Schoolyard Ecology, email:

 Pamela Snow


Or add your comment on this blog below...