Exemplary Practices in Marine Science Education

459 Pages·2019·10.9 MB·English

by  Géraldine Fauville

Géraldine Fauville
Diana L. Payne · Meghan E. Marrero
Annika Lantz-Andersson · Fiona Crouch
Editors
Exemplary
Practices in
Marine Science
Education
A Resource for Practitioners and
Researchers
Exemplary Practices in Marine Science Education
CapeRocks,CaboSanLucas,BajaCalifornia.PhotoCreditCraigStrang
é
G raldine Fauville Diana L. Payne
(cid:129)
Meghan E. Marrero Annika Lantz-Andersson
(cid:129)
Fiona Crouch
Editors
Exemplary Practices
in Marine Science Education
A Resource for Practitioners and Researchers
123
Editors
Géraldine Fauville Annika Lantz-Andersson
University of Gothenburg Department ofEducation
Gothenburg University of Gothenburg
Sweden Gothenburg
Sweden
Diana L.Payne
University of Connecticut FionaCrouch
Groton, CT Marine Biological Association
USA ofthe UnitedKingdom
Plymouth
MeghanE. Marrero UK
MercyCollege
Dobbs Ferry,NY
USA
ISBN978-3-319-90777-2 ISBN978-3-319-90778-9 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90778-9
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2018940409
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Preface
Ocean scientists and explorers learn something new about Earth’s largest feature
every day, as they discover new species, model new mechanisms, find new
chemical pathways, and invent new technologies. Our global ocean is beautiful,
inspiring, and now fraught with challenges we must address, including climate
change, acidification, and the ubiquitousness of plastics. Teaching, learning, and
communicating about the ocean are now more important than ever, as the global
marine education community seeks to improve ocean literacy, and inspire behav-
ioralchangesandinformeddecision-making(Tranetal.2010).Teaching,learning,
and research—scientific and educational—are key components in achieving these
goals (Payne and Zimmerman 2010).
Educators from around the globe and in a variety of contexts, from beaches to
classrooms to virtual laboratories, are enacting effective, evidence-based programs
to improve the ocean literacy of diverse audiences. Sharing these “exemplary
practices”isafirststeptowardsynergisticeffortstowardworldwideimprovementof
oceanliteracy.Thelimitednumbersofpeer-reviewedpublications(seeIntroduction)
aboutmarinescienceinthefieldsofeducationandeducationresearchmotivatedus
toconceptualizeandpublishthisbook.Ourcollectivevisionisthatthechaptersin
thisbookwillencourageaninternationaldiscussionontheimportanceofpublishing
our work on ocean literacy and that it will serve as the first in a series of such
publications anddiscussions.
About this Book
The objective of this book is to showcase Exemplary Practices in Marine Science
Educationandstudiesinthisareaonaglobalscale.Weanticipatethisbookwillbe
useful to formal and informal educators and those employing citizen science in a
varietyofrolesandsettings.Weseetheinformationcontainedinthesechaptersas
useful resources in undergraduate and graduate courses in both science and
v
vi Preface
education, and as a resource guide for those looking to expand their programs and
practices in the field.
Asthefirstinternationalbookdedicatedexclusivelytomarinescienceeducation
andeducationresearch,werealizewecannotcoveralltopicsandinterests.Thetext
covers two main topics: (1) select research studies in marine science education
whichwilladvancetheresearchbaseandmovethefieldforwardand(2)examples
of exemplary programs for the practitioner, with chapters focused on the teaching
and learning of marine science.
What’s in the Book?
Thisbookisorganizedintothreemainsections:(i)Introduction,(ii)Research,and
(iii) Practitioner.
The Introduction section provides the reader with two key components: a his-
torical perspective of the history and development of the ocean literacy campaign
from a US-based, grassroots movement to an influential global discussion, and a
road map of how to bring activities and programs to publication.
Inthechapter“OceanLiteracyintheTwenty-FirstCentury,”Fauvilledescribes
thecurrentcontextofmarineeducationonaglobalscale,providingthecornerstone
for the remaining chapters in this book. The chapter introduces key elements of
ocean literacy—the ocean’s influence on us, our influence on the ocean, ocean
health, the history of the ocean literacy campaign, and its continued global
influence.
Chapter 2, “An Exemplar Model for Expanding Development Reach” by
Fortner, outlines the process of developing an idea into a project or program with
multiple opportunities for publication. The author encourages marine science
educatorsandresearcherstoconsiderthechapterauthorsinthisbookasexemplars
and follow their lead in publishing high-quality work.
The Research chapters highlight a variety of theoretical frameworks brought to
bear on the practice of marine science education. The chapters describe diverse
studies that examine marine education practices in different contexts and from
differentperspectives.Theresultsofthesestudieswillhelpadvancethefieldaswe
apply the finding and implications to new practices and programs.
In Chap. 3, “¡Youth & The Ocean! (¡YO!): Partnering High School and
GraduateStudentsforYouth-DrivenResearchExperiences,”WeissandChidiscuss
a marine science education program for high school students from groups under-
represented in science. Students participated in an intertidal citizen science project
during the school year and a weeklong summer program at a research laboratory.
Their findings indicate that after participation, participants demonstrate a better
understanding of the nature and practices of science, access to scientists, oppor-
tunities to explore college settings and STEM careers, and conservation and con-
tinued learning about the ocean.
Preface vii
Riedinger and Taylor share a study in Chap. 4, “Leveraging Parent Chaperones
to Support Youths’ Learning During an Out-of-School Field Trip to a Marine
ScienceFieldStation,”usingqualitativemethodsandmethodologiestoexaminethe
ways in which parent chaperones interact with children on field trips, and provide
recommendations for how trip organizers might effectively support these chaper-
ones and leverage them to improve children’s learning experiences.
In Chap. 5 “Systematic and Longitudinal Research to Support and Improve the
NationalOceanSciencesBowl:FindingsfromSeventeenYearsofStudy,”Walters
and Bishop present the results of a long-term evaluation of the National Ocean
Sciences Bowl (NOSB), an annual competition for high school students in the
USA. Benefits of the program extend to participants, coaches, volunteers, the
STEM workforce, and students enrolled at other courses in participating schools.
Additional empirical studies on academic competitions claim similar results—
participants acknowledge that the interactions with peers and “real” scientists and
graduate students increase their understanding of science.
In Chap. 6, “Leveraging Ocean Identity in Education to Impact Students’
ConservationPractices,”Jakshaintroducestheideaof“oceanidentity,”thatis,how
peopleviewthemselvesrelativetotheocean.Shedescribesanexploratorystudyon
developing environmental identity, and how these findings can be applied to
ocean-based programs in order to support participants in fostering a strong ocean
identity,andsuggeststhathavingastrongoceanidentitymayleadonetoengagein
positive behaviors related to the ocean.
InChap.7“EvaluatingDifferencesinOutcomesandParticipantPerspectivesin
Marine Science Professional Development Conducted by Informal Educators
Compared to Specialized University Faculty,” Goodale and Sakas discuss the
findings of a study conducted in the USA to compare workshops given by uni-
versity professors versus those led by informal educators. Through surveys and
qualitative analysis of interview data, the authors examine the utility of having
informal educators and science communicators teach cutting-edge marine science
content in more formal settings.
Niedoszytko, Wojcieszek, Podlesińska, and Borowiak present “Implementing
OceanLiteracyThroughtheBondofInformalandFormalEducation,”inChap.8.
TheauthorssharetheresultsofalongitudinalstudyofstudentsvisitingtheGydnia
Aquarium in Poland six times from preschool through upper secondary school to
participate in hands-on activities relevant to the Baltic Sea and other marine
environments. The study examines student attitudes toward marine science topics
and the program, and measured student knowledge of ideas related to ocean
literacy.
In Chap. 9 “Evaluating Ocean Learning—The Principles and Practicalities of
Evaluating Formal Education Audiences in an Informal Education Environment,”
Robinson and Murray provide an overview of an evaluation strategy developed at
the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, UK. Utilizing Generic Learning
Outcomes, the authors describe its use as a flexible tool utilized across multiple
aquarium activities. The authors also discuss the strengths and limitations of the
evaluation strategy.
viii Preface
In Chap. 10 “Effective Practices for Fostering Empathy Towards Marine Life,”
Wharton, Khalil, Fyfe, and Young examine the role of empathy in driving mean-
ingfulconservationbehavioranditspotentialuseasatoolmarineeducatorscanuse
to explore the inextricable interconnectedness of humans and the ocean. The
authors present the construct of empathy and its components, discuss the rela-
tionship of empathy to behavior change, and offer research-validated practices for
developing empathy.
The Practitioner section focuses on projects delivering a variety of educational
programming. The authors describe their programs, including key features that
contribute to success and include research and/or evaluation results that demon-
strate the effectiveness of the program.
In Chap. 11, “Creating Marine Outreach Programmes that Work—The Marine
Institute Explorers Education Programme™,” Joyce, Dromgool-Regan, and Burke
describe a primary school initiative that brings awareness to the importance of the
ocean to many aspects of society in Ireland. The authors argue this type of
awareness must begin for children at a young age and present their findings about
important features that have contributed to the program’s success, which can be
applied to other programs worldwide.
In “Marine Education Through Cooperation: A Case Study of Opportunity in a
RemoteSchoolinTaiwan,”Chap.12,Lee,Liu,andYehpresentamixedmethods
casestudyofasmall,remoteschoolofelementaryschoolstudentsunfamiliarwith
theocean.TheauthorsdescribetheeducationsysteminTaiwanandtheirattemptto
form a partnership of formal and informal educators to design marine science
curricula. Results from student interviews and descriptive statistics depict an
increase in student knowledge and motivation to learn about ocean issues.
In Chap. 13, “Educating with Data,” Hotaling, McDonnell, Ferraro, Florio, and
Lichtenwalner discuss the importance of improving learners’ “data literacy” in an
increasingly data-dependent society. The authors describe a program conducted in
the USA that engages high school students to work with authentic oceanographic
dataandincreasetheirunderstandingofocean-relatedconcepts.Throughtheseand
other activities, the authors have developed a framework for the levels of
engagement through which students interact with data, including benchmarks for
students to achieve at each level.
In Chap. 14 “Using International School Partnerships to Promote Ocean
Literacy,” Gebbels promotes the potential of international school partnerships as a
means of promoting teaching ocean literacy. In describing such a partnership
between schools in the UK and Ghana, she makes the case for international col-
laboration as a means to understand global marine interconnectedness by under-
standing common issues at local, national, and international scales.
In Chap. 15, “Out of the Tower and into the Classroom: Marine Science
Graduate Students as K-12 Classroom Contributors,” Brill, Lawrence, McGuire
Nuss, Cackowski, and Sharpe outline a project of partnerships between secondary
schoolsandgraduatestudentsinmarinescienceataresearchuniversityintheUSA.
Graduate students serve as content experts and role models for students and
teachers,bringingcurrentresearchintotheclassroomandcurriculum.Inadditionto
Preface ix
the positive impacts on the school in terms of understanding of marine science,
research practices, and improved perception of science, the communication and
teaching skills of the graduate students improved. The authors also provide sug-
gestions implementation and discuss limitations of the models that are discussed.
In “The Virtue Project and the Biofilms and Biodiversity Project: An
International Collaboration in Marine Science Education,” Chap. 16, Frederick,
Gotensparre, Jacobs, Källström, and Olsson showcase a hands-on project focused
on fieldwork and classroom instruction. The partnership between Maryland Sea
Grant in the USA, along with the University of Gothenburg, and the Maritime
MuseumandAquariuminSwedenisdrivenbystudentresearchonlocalandglobal
water issues and biodiversity by monitoring biofouling in aquatic ecosystems.
Participants share and compare results via the project Web site, offering online
support and international school collaboration.
The authors of Chap. 17, “Integrating Ocean Literacy in UK Curriculum-Led
Field Courses,” Ward and Cowie, share a pilot evaluation study of marine field
courses incorporating activities in taxonomy, distribution, and abundance, and
applied environmental impact assessments of rocky shore ecosystems. The distri-
bution and abundance investigations incorporate GIS and GPS technology via an
ArcGIS “Collector” app. Results indicate an improvement in student awareness of
marine and environmental issues.
Chapter 18, “Building Capacity for Meaningful Watershed Educational
Experiences,” by McGuire Nuss, Sharpe, Brill, Lawrence, and Cackowski, docu-
ments thesuccesses andstruggles ofimplementing meaningful,watershed-focused
outdoorexperiencesthroughaprogramintheUSA.Theauthorspresenttheresultsof
a needs assessment and provide suggestions to increase content knowledge and
confidencethroughprofessionaldevelopmentstrategiesforeducators.
In Chap. 19 “Going with/Against the Flow: The Challenges of an Authentic
Marine Science Education,” Reid and Breidahl share the key features of a
university-basedimmersivepre-serviceteachereducationunit.Theauthorscontend
thatsuchauthenticexperiencesengageandinvolvelearner,fosterimagination,and
provide opportunities for interaction. The authors reflect on lessons learned,
including what constitutes a “necessary experience” in marine science education
and how to address the myriad of challenges inherent in promoting this type of
experience in typical university pre-service education settings.
In Chap. 20, “Bring the Ocean to the Classroom—Introducing Experimental
Studies to Teachers with Fair or No Science Knowledge,” Wulff and Johannesson
share a yearlong project-based professional development course for in-service and
pre-service teachers in Sweden. The Web-based sessions include face-to-face
immersive meetings at the beginning and end of the experience. A follow-up
evaluation indicates nearly all the participants continue to utilize course materials
and feel confident teaching marine sciences.
In Chap. 21, “Closer to Blue,” Baker and Readman describe the Blue Sound
Project, in which they overcome barriers to engagement and bring diverse audi-
ences, including refugees, people with disabilities, and youth to their local marine
environment in the UK. The team uses a variety of community engagement