Education Commons^™

Innovative Practicum Experiences For Elementary Science In Collaboration With Community Partners, Donald J. Burgess, Debi Hanuscin

Secondary Education

Poster presented at the Association of Science Teacher Education (ASTE) International Conference. January 10-14. Salt Lake CIty, US.(January 2022)

Culturally Responsive Teaching That Bridges Indoor And Outdoor Settings, Donald J. Burgess

Secondary Education

Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy that embraces full equitable access to education for students from all cultures. These strategies include learning within the context of culture and implementing student-centered teaching while communicating high expectations. The primary purpose of our two summer projects was to reshape our approach to curriculum design and development by incorporating culturally responsive teaching strategies. Two case studies, a marine ecology program and an alternative route teacher education program, provide evidence that culturally responsive teaching translates well between indoor and outdoor settings. In the first study, we initiated discussions with Suquamish and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribal …

Developing A Place-Based Curriculum For Environmental Education Aligned To Next Generation Science Standards, Alexander Brush, Michelle Mcfarland, Donald J. Burgess

Secondary Education

With the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, schools opting for early adoption are fundamentally changing their science instruction. Synergistically, the environmental education community is also adopting these new 3-dimensional standards. The purpose of our study was to work with Western Washington University’s new SEA Discovery Center in Poulsbo, WA to develop an NGSS aligned 6th grade curriculum centered on Olympia Oyster restoration. The place-based curriculum would need to utilize the Center’s unique resources while addressing relevant environmental education programming goals. During the summer of 2017 we met with a variety of stakeholders including the SEA Discovery director, Center …

Developing Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Learner-Centered Teaching During Content And Field Immersions, Donald J. Burgess, Scheree Dowdy, Carly Boyd

Secondary Education

If we are to preserve a habitable planet our children need teachers who understand science and ecological principles in relation to critical issues of sustainability and social justice. (Orr, 2004). Yet, in an increasingly urban landscape children often lack the opportunity to explore and learn about the natural environment right outside their classrooms (Louv, 2005; Pyle, 2002). Children growing up in migrant families are no exception. They may live close to the land and have families that work the land intimately but still may not have the opportunity to share and refine their knowledge through exploration of their own schoolyards. …

Nurturing Biophilia: Merlin And Sanderling, Donald J. Burgess

Secondary Education

The author develops a narrative of Merlin predation to illustrate the growth of biophilia. Initially descriptive, the story evolves by following an iterative process of questioning and relationship building, which leads to an informed and purposeful application of biophilia.

What If Your Father Were A Chickadee: What I Observed Today, Donald J. Burgess

Secondary Education

In any attempt to make sense of the natural world, field naturalists are subject to observational bias and must consider their own interpretive process as they record and interpret field notes. Recounting a narrative about fledgling chickadees, the author utilizes a six-step model for analysis of field experience. The five levels of representation are experienced recursively and involve a primary experience that is first attended to, shared, transcribed as field notes, analyzed, and finally offered for others to collaboratively read and respond.

Teachwashington Noyce Teacher Scholarships/Stipends, Donald J. Burgess, Bruce Larson

Secondary Education

The goal of the TeachWashington Noyce Program is to contribute to a larger vision to permanently increase the number of secondary mathematics and science teachers prepared at Western Washington University without sacrificing the proven quality of our graduates.

Listening To Children: Perceptions Of Nature And Biophilia At Mountain School, Donald J. Burgess, Jolie Mayer-Smith

Secondary Education

This exploratory study investigates children’s perceptions and experiences of nature during a residential outdoor environmental education program and contributes to an understanding of how nature experiences arouse biophilia, a love of life and all living things.

How can we promote a responsible attitude and caring view of the earth and its inhabitants among young people? Limited research suggests that contact with the natural world, especially during middle childhood, occupies a surprisingly important place in a child’s emotional responsiveness and receptivity.

Listening To Children: Perceptions Of Nature, Donald J. Burgess, Jolie Mayer-Smith

Secondary Education

This exploratory study investigates children’s perceptions and experiences of nature during a residential outdoor environmental education program and contributes to an understanding of how nature experiences arouse biophilia, a love of life and all living things. Using interviews, naturalistic observation, and artifact collection, we studied children’s responses to nature during and following their participation in a residential environmental education program known as Mountain School. We explored how an examination of biophilic sensibilities can help researchers and educators focus on the vital intersection between the individual, environment, and action. Our study suggests that children’s perceptions of nature are varied and dependent …

The Heart Of Sustainability: Big Ideas From The Field Of Environmental Education And Their Relationship To Sustainability Education Or What's Love Got To Do With It?, Donald J. Burgess, Tracie Johannessen

Secondary Education

A common raven suddenly begins to call from Cornwall Park. I rush to the front porch trying to see what the commotion is all about. Two adult ravens are flapping high over the green canopy, croaking vigorously. Like vigilant Block Watch captains protecting the integrity of a neighborhood, ravens exhibit exceptional observational prowess coupled with intense fidelity to family and place. I scan the forest with binoculars and notice three raven fledglings perched in a scraggly birch tree at the edge of the forest. Scanning higher, I finally detect a distant bald eagle circling over the urban park where the …

Concept Maps As Tools For Assessing Students' Epistemologies Of Science, Emily J. Borda, Donald J. Burgess, Charlotte J. Plog, Natalia C. Dekalb, Morgan M. Luce

Secondary Education

The use of concept maps as instruments for assessing preservice teachers’ epistemologies of science (their ideas of the nature of scientific knowledge) was evaluated in this study. Twenty-three preservice elementary teachers’ responses to the Views of the Nature Of Science (VNOS) questionnaire were compared to concept maps created in response to the general probe, “What is science?” While VNOS responses allowed a richer analysis of the content and quality of the participants’ epistemologies, the concept maps provided information about structural changes of participants’ epistemologies as well as how those epistemologies relate to their overall conceptions of science as a field …