Developing an Integrated Pathway for Urban STEM Teaching and Learning in Grades 5-8

波士顿学院林奇教育学院、波士顿公立学校校外计划、波士顿公立学校科学办公室、城市生态研究所、波士顿学院UEI、波士顿科学博物馆和Onset计算机公司提议将生命科学和物理科学的课堂科学学习与城市学区5-8年级的校外实地经验联系起来。UEI，林奇学校和波士顿公立学区已经创建了一个全国性的模式，以调查为基础，动手的方法来在城市公立学校的科学教学，称为城市生态实地研究计划。该计划将城市生态学的前沿学科服务于公立学校的学生，他们的科学教师和校外（OST）专业人员。在该计划中，教师参加为期一个月的暑期研究所，介绍城市生态学，并与初中和高中学生进行长期的实地研究。UEI与教育专业人士在学校内外合作，将学生带出教室，进入城市环境，将城市作为自然实验室，学习生物学，化学，地球科学和物理学的核心概念。学生将使用动手实地研究方法收集数据，形成问题和假设，以了解他们周围的世界。在位于学校附近的实地，课后计划和社区中心，他们研究水质，鸟类生物多样性，雨水径流，以及来自每个学生团体的其他特殊研究。一个主要的优势是城市生态领域计划，这将使几个成功的计划与波士顿公立学校生命科学课程的一致性。

The Lynch School of Education at Boston College, the Boston Public Schools Out of School Time Program, the Boston Public School Science Office, the Urban Ecology Institute, UEI at Boston College, Boston's Museum of Science and Onset Computer Corporation proposes to connect classroom science learning in life science and physical science with Out of School time field-based experiences in an urban school district for grades 5-8. The UEI, Lynch School and the Boston Public Schools District have created a national model for an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to science teaching in urban public schools, called the Urban Ecology Field Studies Program. The Program puts the cutting edge discipline of Urban Ecology to work in service to public school students, their science teachers, and out-of-school time (OST) professionals. In the Program, teachers participate in a month-long Summer Institute that provides an introduction to urban ecology and to performing long-term field research with middle and high school students. UEI works with educational professionals both during and outside of school time to take their students outside of the classroom and into the urban environment, using the city as a natural laboratory to study core concepts in biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. The students will use hands-on field research methods to collect data to form questions and hypotheses in order to understand the world around them. At field sites located near schools, after school programs, and community centers, they study water quality, bird biodiversity, storm water run-off, and other special studies that originate from each student group. A major strength is the Urban Ecology Field Program that will allow the alignment of several successful programs with the Boston Public School life sciences curriculum.