Instructor Stories and Adaptations

William Hansen: Environmental Science at Worcester State University
William Hansen, Worcester State University
Environmental Science is a class that draws in concepts from across the science disciplines as well as technological and societal factors. As such it can be complex for students to navigate with respect to terminology, sources of information and synthesis of concepts. Environmental Science classes typically have a small number of very vocal students but a large number of students with a lack of familiarity with these concepts and therefore many tend not to participate in class discussions. Integrate materials work well in bringing all students into the discussion through student-to-student interaction and tie fundamental geoscience concepts back to human actions in a way that facilitates student's exploration and interaction.

Tara Jo Holmberg: Using the A Growing Concern and Soils, Systems, and Society Modules in Introduction to Environmental Science at Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Tara Holmberg, Northwestern Connecticut Community College
This course was taught within a newly designed 21st century classroom. The 16 students were from a variety of majors, most taking it as their science elective and 3 as a major requirement. This particular class was one of the most engaged I have ever had. While the personality of the class was unique, upbeat, and engaged, the design of the classroom cannot be overlooked as a contributing factor in the success of this implementation.

Transforming Teacher Preparation to Teach for Sustainability
Jun 2 2016 This webinar will provide an opportunity to learn from faculty and staff who are using InTeGrate teaching principles and materials as a vehicle for transforming teacher preparation. Anne Egger is an InTeGrate project leader, team leader/editor of InTeGrate's teacher preparation modules. She and Ed Geary are leaders of the Washington State STEM Teacher Preparation Implementation Program. Kathryn Baldwin, Kyle Gray, and Scott Linneman are authors of the InTeGrate teacher preparation modules, Soils, Systems, and Society, Interactions between Water, Earth's Surface, and Human Activity, and Exploring Geoscience Methods, respectively. Together, the speakers will address the alignment of InTeGrate principals with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), demonstrate how to use InTeGrate modules to transforming teacher preparation, and how this topic extends to STEM teacher preparation in general. The webinar will include 35 minutes of presentation and 20 minutes for discussion. Participants are encouraged to both ask questions of the presenters and discuss their own experiences on the subject.

Using Model-Based Reasoning and Experiential Learning to Understand and Improve Sustainability in a Campus Food System
Sep 12 2017 The development of students' ability to address interdisciplinary problems and incorporate systems thinking are essential attributes of the materials developed through the InTeGrate project. This webinar describes experiential learning and work-learning strategies that can be used to complement approaches featured in several InTeGrate modules for incorporating sustainability into degree programs using a local institutional context. This webinar features the work by Geoff Habron who has used the model-based reasoning approach developed by the NSF-funded EMBeRS project to help students understand their assumptions about the campus food system and track the development of their shared understanding through a series of individual and group reflections and systems mapping exercises (model-based reasoning). The goal is for students to grasp the complexity, yet feasibility, of improving the sustainability of the food system with a focus on environmental responsibility and social justice. Geoff's work seeks to tackle the challenge of understanding, teaching, and employing learning processes that enable diverse disciplinary perspectives to be integrated into more comprehensive conceptual frameworks that enable more effective conduct of interdisciplinary and actionable socio-environmental science. The objectives of this webinar are: a) introduce the theory of model-based reasoning as an experiential learning tool to foster thinking across disciplinary boundaries; b) demonstrate the development of planning and implementation of partnerships with campus based food system units, and c) illustrate examples of student learning and proposed systems changes that emerged

Pathways to performance expectations using InTeGrate materials
Nov 15 2018 Thursday, November 15, 2018 11:00 am PT | 12:00 pm MT | 1:00 pm CT | 2:00 pm ET Presenters: Anne Egger (Central Washington University), Kathryn Baldwin (Eastern Washington University), and Lisa Gilbert (Williams ...

Using InTeGrate Materials in K-8 Teacher Preparation
Sep 27 2017 In this webinar, we will discuss the structure and adaptability of InTeGrate interdisciplinary materials and how they (1) address content and skills that can be aligned to NGSS and (2) model inquiry-based instruction. The webinar includes and overview of the resources available and examples of how they have been used in a variety of courses and at a variety of levels. In addition, the webinar will provide participants with an opportunity to explore a module and ask questions about methods of adaptation.

Assessing the Impact of InTeGrate Materials in Introductory Environmental Science and Botany Courses
Aug 31 2017 Using InTeGrate modules in an Introduction to Environmental Science course since the Spring of 2016 has resulted in measurable gains in student achievement in objectives related to soils, agriculture, mining, climate change, among other topics. Utilizing the QUBES InTeGrate Faculty Mentoring Network (FMN) in Spring 2016 was invaluable for guidance with modifying and launching the initial modules used in the course: 'A Growing Concern' and 'Soils, Systems, and Society.' Additional modules were added in the Fall of 2016 to strengthen the course and implementations of previous modules were improved. Recent experiences as a co-mentor for QUBES InTeGrate FMN in Spring 2017, has led to new depths of reflection, additional modules utilized, and new courses employed. Student feedback and results of assessments will be shared as part of the session.