Learn More
Hide
Download
Download a zip file that includes all the web pages and downloadable files from the instructor's materialsMartha Richmond: Using Lead in the Environment in Government 438: Environmental Policy and Politics at Suffolk University
About this Course
Upper division government, environmental science, and environmental studies majors. Generally elected by junior or senior level majors.syllabus for Government 438 (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 45kB Sep19 17)
A Success Story in Building Student Engagement
"Lead in the Environment" was a 3 week module used to introduce the Environmental Policy and Politics course. The module was very successful in showing students how and why environmental lead is today considered a "wicked" problem—an element that has been concentrated in the environment because of industrial use, that impacts environmental health and environmental justice, and presents challenges for regulation and policy. Before looking at environmental lead, students often did not understand the scope and implications of present-day problems: many told me that they were surprised and saddened to learn about difficulties that are still encountered.
My Experience Teaching with InTeGrateMaterials
Classes met twice a week for 75 minutes/class. It was necessary to restructure the module, expanding some individual units to fill the full 75 minute session, and, in other cases, combining material topically so that parts of individual activities were presented together. The classes were structured in the following way: Unit 1, activity 1, which introduced the module and provided historical information about lead use, was presented as a single 75 minute class. Materials in units 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, which focus on lead toxicity, and challenges and gaps in assessing exposure or addressing outcome, were combined into two 75 minute classes. The material in unit 3.1, "Occupational Lead Hazards (Nigeria)" was expanded into one 75 minute class. Units 3.2 and 3.3, which examined lead in housing and other environmental sources were presented as a single unit with students developing systems diagrams showing interrelationships of lead contamination in the larger environment. Unit 4.1, which focuses on federal and state regulations, was presented together with an introduction to grade unit 4.2, the city council lead hearing. In a final 75 minute class (outside the three week module time) students presented their position papers and oral arguments for the city council lead hearing. This was the basis of the summative assessment and a significant portion of the course mid-term.
Relationship of InTeGrate Materials to my Course
The entire Government 438 course is 14 weeks plus a week for final examination materials. The module was the introductory material held at the beginning of the semester. The initial class involved pre-module test administration as well as collection of Institutional Review Board materials. The module was introduced in the second class of the course.
A Unit-by-Unit Breakdown of How I Taught this Module
Most activities were implemented as described on the unit pages, with modifications in time spent on certain activities. More time was given to discuss responses to the activity included in unit 1.1 and the responses in the jeopardy exercise. Unit 3.1 included several research articles that students were to have read before class. To enhance understanding, students were divided into groups to discuss one of the articles. Each group then discussed and assessed the article they had examined with the class as a whole. The final class, involving the city council lead hearing, took the full 75 minute class period, providing adequate opportunity for individual presentations and additional class discussion.
In Activity 2, it was necessary to cover some materials less thoroughly. Not all exercises that might have been explored using the EPA model (unit 2.1) were included, and, in some cases, the class examined findings (generated before class) rather than going through the formal process of using computers to input information into the model. A larger portion of time spent on unit 2.2 involved discussions about the differences in data available from various geographical areas. Students were expected to have completed the homework assignment prior to class and use this as a basis for classroom discussion. Information included in the supplementary maps of unit 2.2 provided the foundation for significant parts of the discussion in unit 2.3, which looks at mapping and demographic data from a specific US city.
Because of time constraints, discussion of the house inspection (unit 3.2) focused primarily on recognition of lead paint contamination using the photographs provided. This allowed for a smooth transition into the discussion of lead contamination from other sources (unit 3.3). As noted, units 3.2 and 3.3 were presented as a single class.
Assessments
Students were asked to submit in- our out of class assignments for each of the class/topics. These were assessed using the assessment rubrics. The specific assignments, together with the associated assessment rubrics were returned to students. Because this was a pilot, I did not include the individual class assessment rubrics in materials submitted to InTeGrate.The final summative assessment materials were submitted to InTeGrate; this included rubrics, together with final position papers prepared by each student.
Grades on each of these materials were used in determining part of the final course grade.
Measures of student learning (pre- and post- module instruments) were submitted to InTeGrate as required.
Outcomes
Material: The goal was to introduce students to the challenges of addressing lead in the environment: the persistence of the problem, regulatory challenges, and health/environmental justice challenges. Generally, students gained far more understanding, not only of the problems, but of the complexities involved in addressing these problems.Thinking: Primary goals were to develop or enhance higher levels of thinking, especially complexity/systems thinking, and metacognition skills. I was pleased not only with seeing how they developed and enhanced these skills, but also the enthusiasm with which they became engaged in activities that encouraged and supported this development/enhancement.
