Collaborative Research: Ecosystems and Evidence Project

该提案是一个探索性的研究和开发项目，解决的问题，“学生可以开发的科学（ENOS）在高中生物和环境科学类的生态性质的理解，是有用的和富有成效的环境公民？“为了解决这个问题，该项目将确定ENOS的基本要素，调查如何教授和学习这些要素，并探索如何使用ENOS技能和理解来增强环境公民意识。本研究的核心假设有四个：（1）ENOS与科学的一般性质有重要的区别;（2）掌握ENOS可以提高学生批判主张、解决问题和支持科学方法解决问题的能力; 3）个人设施与ENOS和相关的教学，承认ENOS作为一个值得教学的目标，和自信心，使教师融入他们的教学;和4）学生可以发展ENOS掌握时，他们有直接的经验，从不同类型的生态证据在不同的情况下，创建参数，反思ENOS，并有脚手架经验转移ENOS内生态和其他领域。为了探讨这些假设，该项目将界定ENOS，开发评估工具，描述学生和教师的技能和对ENOS的理解，并测试教师和学生如何更善于获得和应用ENOS技能和知识。ENOS学习社区（高中生物学和环境科学教师，生态学家和教育工作者）在卡里研究所和罗格斯大学将与一个概念开发小组（8名生态学家、教育工作者和教师）制定一个生态网络系统框架，规划和开展学生和教师研究，开展生态网络系统教学实验，测试教师专业发展的方法，并为更广泛地应用ENOS框架和教学模式制定计划。在两年的时间里，大约有720名学生将接受培训，他们希望通过掌握ENOS技能和概念来提高他们的环境公民意识，以及他们解决问题的自信心。六名ENOS教学/研究员（高中生物学和环境科学教师）将成为该项目的合作伙伴，并将获得专业发展和支持，包括与项目工作人员的210多个直接接触小时。最后，当地社区将受益于学生在其最终活动中开展的项目，他们使用多种形式的生态证据解决当地问题。该项目的成果将广泛传播，包括：1）指导将ENOS纳入高中教学和评估的框架; 2）描述学生和教师ENOS技能和知识的评估项目和协议集; 3）关于学生思考和学习以及教师ENOS实践的研究出版物和演示文稿;（4）将ENOS融入高中生物与环境科学课程的教学模式。

This proposal is an exploratory research and development project that addresses the question, "Can students develop an understanding of the ecological nature of science (ENOS) in high school biology and environmental science classes that is useful and productive in environmental citizenship?" To address this question, the project will identify the essential elements of ENOS, investigate how these can be taught and learned, and explore how ENOS skills and understandings are used to enhance environmental citizenship. Four core hypotheses form the research focus and rationale for the proposed project: 1) ENOS is distinctive in important ways from generic nature of science; 2) ENOS mastery enhances students' abilities to critique claims, address issues and support scientific approaches to problems; 3) personal facility with ENOS and related teaching, recognition of ENOS as a worthy target of instruction, and self confidence enable teachers to integrate ENOS into their instruction; and 4) students can develop ENOS mastery when they have direct experience creating arguments from ecological evidence of diverse types in diverse contexts, reflect on ENOS, and have scaffolded experiences transferring ENOS within ecology and to other arenas. To explore these hypotheses, the project will define ENOS, develop assessment tools for describing students' and teachers' skills and understandings of ENOS, and test ways for teachers and students to become more adept at acquiring and applying ENOS skills and knowledge. ENOS Learning Communities (high school biology and environmental science teachers, ecologists and educators) at the Cary Institute and Rutgers University will work with a Concept Development Team (8 ecologists, educators and teachers) to develop an ENOS framework, plan and carry out student and teacher research, develop ENOS teaching experiments, test approaches to teacher professional development, and craft a plan for broader application of the ENOS framework and teaching models. Over the course of two years, approximately 720 students will be reached, with the expectation that their environmental citizenship will be enhanced through mastery of ENOS skills and concepts, as will their self confidence in approaching problems. Six ENOS Teaching/Research Fellows (high school biology and environmental science teachers) will be partners in the project, and will receive professional development and support including more than 210 direct contact hours with project staff. Finally, local communities will benefit from projects carried out by students in their culminating activities where they address a local issue using multiple forms of ecological evidence. Products of the project will be disseminated broadly, including: 1) a framework to guide incorporation of ENOS into high school instruction and assessments; 2) a collection of assessment items and protocols for describing students and teachers ENOS skills and knowledge; 3) research publications and presentations about student thinking and learning, and about teachers ENOS practices; and 4) instructional models with modified lesson plans for infusing ENOS into high school biology and environmental science courses.