Collaborative Research: Ocean Learning Communities - Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence

COSEE-海洋学习社区（COSEE-OLC）的中心前提是，公民需要具备海洋科学知识，并了解当前的研究，如果他们要意识到海洋对他们的身体和经济健康的影响，如果要增加公民对海洋环境的管理。华盛顿大学海洋和渔业科学学院、华盛顿大学教育学院和西雅图水族馆将建立一个“海洋学习社区- COSEE”（OLC-COSEE），这是一个主题COSEE，将促进海洋学研究社区、学习社区科学、公众和海运业之间的合作。OLC-COSEE将利用教育学院NSF资助的非正式和正式环境学习（LIFE）“学习科学”研究中心的专业知识和资源，以及每个合作伙伴现有的推广和教育工作。COSEE-OLC将组织，培养和维持以科学为基础的海洋知识学习社区，由不同的利益相关者组成，包括海洋商业界，世卫组织将合作促进健全的海洋教育。OLC-COSEE的主要催化活动将是创建海洋学习社区，或传统上不同的利益相关者的聚会，如科学家，教育工作者，与海洋有关的企业代表，以及从海洋中获得经济或娱乐生计的公民。通过有组织的学习活动，各社区将形成共同语言，并致力于开展合作，以改善区域和国家两级的海洋研究和公众认识，公民和科学家将通过学习社区共同学习。公民将通过学习基本的海洋科学概念和术语来使科学家们变得更加公民化。科学家们将学会如何让公民参与进来。学习经验将创造一个变革的催化循环，最终使公民具备与COSEE-OLC合作伙伴合作的技能、承诺和效率，增加支持教育和外联的协作性、基于科学的签名项目。来自每个合作机构的其他参与者组成了一个学习社区，并开始通过持续的讨论建立共同语言和目标问题、合作伙伴和教育可能性。在包括参议员、高级军事人员、一名前宇航员、纽约美国自然历史博物馆副馆长和所有部落印第安人联合基金会首席执行官在内的一个咨询委员会的专门知识指导下，该伙伴关系将促进和研究海洋科学的新学习模式，并吸引更多资金来支持正在进行的活动。很少有学习模式注重海洋科学及其相关研究问题的跨学科、快速变化、技术驱动和探索性质。海洋学习社区的方法将提供基于科学和认知研究的教育实践，这些实践可以通过国家COSEE网络传播，以促进海洋学社区对我们国家海洋学教育力量的理解。

COSEE- Ocean Learning Communities' (COSEE-OLC) central premise is that citizens need to become ocean science literate and informed by current research if they are to be aware of the impact the oceans have on their physical and economic health, and if increased citizen stewardship of the marine environment is to occur. The University of Washington's College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, the University of Washington's College of Education and the Seattle Aquarium will establish an "Ocean Learning Communities - COSEE" (OLC-COSEE), a thematic COSEE that will foster collaborations among the oceanography research community, the science of learning community, the general public, and the maritime industry. OLC-COSEE will leverage the expertise and resources of the College of Education's NSF-funded Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) "Science of Learning" Research Center as well as each of the partners' existing outreach and educational efforts.COSEE-OLC will organize, cultivate and sustain science-based, ocean-informed Learning Communities composed of diverse stakeholders, including the maritime business community, who will collaborate to promote sound oceans education. OLC-COSEE's main catalytic activity will be creating Ocean Learning Communities, or gatherings of traditionally disparate stakeholders such as scientists, educators, representatives from businesses with a connection to the oceans, and citizens who derive economic or recreational sustenance from the oceans. Through structured learning activities, the communities will develop a common language and a commitment to creating collaborations that will improve ocean research and public awareness at the regional and national levels.Citizens and scientists will learn together through the Learning Community. Citizens will becomecitizen-scientists as they learn basic ocean science concepts and terminology. Scientists will learnhow to engage citizens. The learning experiences will create a catalytic cycle of change culminatingin citizens with the skills, commitment and efficacy to work with the COSEE-OLC partners increating collaborative, science-based signature projects supporting education and outreach.The PI's, the evaluation team, and additional participants from each partner institution have formed a learning community and begun the journey of establishing common language and goals through sustaineddiscussions of issues, partners, and educational possibilities. Guided by the expertise of an Advisory Committee including senators, high-ranking military personnel, a former astronaut, the vice president of the American Museum of Natural History in New-York and the chief executive officer of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation , the partnership will foster and study new learning models in ocean sciences and attract additional funds to support on-going activities. Very few learning models focus on the interdisciplinary, fast-changing, technology-driven and still exploratory nature of ocean sciences and its associated research questions. The Ocean Learning Communities' approach will provide bothscience and cognitive research-based educational practices that can be disseminated through the National COSEE Network to advance the oceanography community's understanding of the power ofoceanography education for our nation.