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August 2005
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What Is Forestry: A Multi-State, Web-Based Forestry Education ProgramRobert Wheeler Marcella Szymanski Abstract: The What Is Forestry: Connecting Communities project promotes forestry education and connects students to a greater appreciation of local and national forests and their cultural connections with communities. Through integrating activities including science, photography, arts, music, math, and Internet computer technology, students were challenged to observe and explain the forests in which they live and communicate this understanding to students in a sister school in another state. The analysis of the pre- and post-evaluations indicated that there were significant changes in student opinions about forestry. IntroductionWhat Is Forestry: Connecting Communities, a Web-based <http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/forestry/wif/> forestry education program, was developed through the combined efforts of the Cooperative Extension Services in Alaska and Kentucky and was funded by a grant for the University of Alaska. This year-long forestry education program was designed for primary level (4th and 5th grades) and its mains goal were:
Emphasis was put on building student interest and involvement in forestry through multiple means of educational experiences, including science, math, art, photography, poetry, music, and hands-on field activities. Through these activities, students were challenged to build a better understanding and appreciation of community forestry resources. Success of the program was measured by the combination of pre- and post-program surveys as well as through the use of concept mapping. The ProgramSchools Involved in the ProgramThe initial offering of the program was conducted with three 4th grade classes at Kalifornski Beach Elementary School in Soldotna, Alaska, and with 5th grade classes at Issonville Elementary, Lakeside Elementary, and Sandy Hook Elementary schools in Elliott county in eastern Kentucky. To assist both students and teachers with the sharing of their community-based forestry activities through the Web site <http://www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/forestry/wif/>, sister school classes were assigned between the Alaska and Kentucky schools. Through the Web site, students and teachers were able to interact, learn about forestry, and share digital images. The Web ExchangeThe design of the program involved not only students conducting the activities identified in the unit, but also an associated interchange of information through the WIF Web site with their sister school classroom. The teachers also had a Web page of their own with necessary teaching and support materials. The WIF-CC program was developed around seven educational units. Each unit was designed as a learning cycle model and was aligned with core content and both Alaska and Kentucky educational standards. Each unit has a 5E learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, expand, evaluate), a culminating project, and an associated cultural activity. Starting the Program--The Introductory Unit: What Is a Forest and Why Is Mine Different?This introductory unit involved students measuring and observing their forests and then comparing their observations with forests in the partner state. In order to better understand and describe their local forest, students measured a forest inventory plot and collected information on tree species, age, height, and diameters. Additionally, each class was responsible for creating digital postcards for sharing on the WIF-CC Web site. Students in both states were assigned to teams to capture images of select forestry topics, such as forest products, recreational activities, colors of the forest, jobs, water, road and access, and forest organisms. Figure 1.
Results of the ProgramPre- and Post-Program In-ServicesDuring August 2001, prior to the start of the school year, a pre-program in-service was conducted in order to introduce the participating teachers to the program and use of the web site. During April 2002, a post-program in-service was conducted with the participating teachers during which they listed the following achievements of the program.
Culminating ActivitiesEach unit of study required students to do a culminating project. These projects could be done individually, as a group, or as a class and were intended to provide examples of application for the information provided in the unit. A listing of some of the culminating projects conducted include:
Evaluation for the ProjectA What Is Forestry Baseline Survey was conducted both pre- and post- program for both teachers and students with the results shown in Table 1.
Survey results show significant differences were found in perceptions of forest harvesting as a management method for forests, an increase in the tolerance for multiple uses of forests, an increase in personal connection to the care of forest, an increase in awareness of the quality of life and forest care, and an increase of the awareness of the cultural connections forests have to communities. Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Concept MapsIn addition to the pre- and post- program baseline surveys, pre- and post-program concept maps were obtained. Concept maps are pictorial representations of concepts with lines used to represent the relationships between concepts (Lanzing, 2002). The concepts and lines are labeled on the concept map. Once completed, the concept map is a visual graphic that represents how a person thinks about a subject, topic, etc. Concept maps were drawn on the each of the three subjects, What Is Forestry or Forest, My Community, and The Importance of the Forest to My Community at the beginning of the 2002 school year and in February of 2003 school year to assess how much was learned. Points for each concept map were added together. The total number of points each student was earned was based on the following scoring method. 1pt. Number of relevant concepts Significant differences were found in students' concept of the forest showing an increase in concepts, examples, and how concepts were linked together (Table 2 and Figure 5).
Figure 5.
ConclusionsThe success of the What Is Forestry: Connecting Communities program was reflected in the diverse list of activities, culminating projects, student involvement, and hands-on learning. Students and teachers were surprised at how similar their interests and activities were in spite of great differences in the forests of the two states. More work is needed to further enhance the Web site, but it is believed that the What Is Forestry: Connecting Communities program has opened the door for further application of the program on a national level to assist students from different states to teach each other about their local forests. ReferenceLanzing, J.W.A. (1996, August). Everything you always wanted to know about . . . Concept Mapping This article is online at http://www.joe.org/joe/2005august/iw3.shtml. Copyright © by Extension Journal, Inc. ISSN 1077-5315. Articles appearing in the Journal become the property of the Journal. Single copies of articles may be reproduced in electronic or print form for use in educational or training activities. Inclusion of articles in other publications, electronic sources, or systematic large-scale distribution may be done only with prior electronic or written permission of the Journal Editorial Office, joe-ed@joe.org. If you have difficulties viewing or printing this page, please contact JOE Technical Support. |
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