Discovering PLACE

The Next Generation Science Standards are currently being developed in collaboration between the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve with the aim of creating internationally-benchmarked, K-12 science curricula that will prepare students in all grades and across disciplines to pursue college and professional careers in the sciences.

The development of the Next Generation Science Standards is a two-step process that began with developing the Framework for K–12 Science Education, which is based on the most recent research on exemplary K-12 science curricula across grades and disciplines.

The second step in the process is marked by the development of the Next Generation Science Standards based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education. A key component of the development process is a multiple review process that encourages input from science education stakeholders, which will ensure that that the new standards reflect the very best science curricula that will prepare students for college and careers in the sciences.

The second public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards is currently available for public review. You can read the second public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards by topic or by Disciplinary Core Ideas according to the Framework for K-12 Science Education and provide feedback to developers by visiting the Next Generation Science Standards website.

The Placed-based education video series provides educators, community partners, and parents that are involved in the Discovering PLACE Place-based education (PBE) program access to online professional development workshops.

Michigan teachers can register – at no charge – to earn 0.4 State Board Continuing Education Units (SB-CEUs) for completing the series online, thanks to UM-Flint’s Office of Extended Learning.

The seven video series features David Sobel of the Center for Place-Based Education at Antioch New England Institute, and Jon Yoder from the Salem-Keizer School District and the Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources.  Sobel and Yoder are national consultants for the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, which sponsors the Discovering PLACE program and seven similar program hubs throughout Michigan.

The video series was made possible through a $20,000 grant by the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network and support from the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative.

Place-based education video series topics include:

1. Principles of Place-Based Education (PBE)

2. Building School-Community Partnerships

3. PBE and Sustainable Communities

4. Designing Place-Based Education Projects and Activities (2-part segment)
a. Designing PBE Projects through Community Mapping
b. Designing PBE Projects with Student Voice and Choice, and the Earth Force Process)

5. Authentic Assessment of Student Achievement

6. Working Outdoors with Students

7. Connecting PBE to Curriculum Standards

To view the PBE video series and related resources, or learn how to earn SB-CEUs for completing the series, go to http://bit.ly/OlyQ32 or click on the link above.

The Fall 2012 issue of Flint Currents highlights the dedication and enthusiasm of two dynamic Discovering PLACE community partners, Dyanna Mitchell and Earma Cooper, and their work with teacher Shelly Roberts and Beecher’s Tucker Elementary school courtyard garden.

Cooper and Mitchell are among the Beecher Community Development Council members working for the local good.  They also belong to the Dailey Nolan Neighborhood Association, the Clean and Green program to maintain Genesee County Land Bank properties and a community garden.

Flint Currents also features Southwestern Academy teacher Linda Heck, who is working with her students to create an accessible outdoor classroom and garden where students with special needs can work with their fellow students on projects.

Heck’s love of science is the reason she started teaching, but she cites her life experience and expertise as the source of the compassion and practical wisdom that she shares with her students.

Flint Currents is a publication of Discovering PLACE, a regional hub of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative facilitated by University Outreach at the University of Michigan-Flint.

I don’t know about you, but as a middle-schooler with an attitude, I didn’t really get why I had to learn certain stuff.

Even in high school, I was leaning back in my chair asking, “Algebra? Really? How am I ever going to use this in real life?”

You’d think, now that my attitude’s better and all, that I could just simply hush up and do what I’m told without questioning why. While that happens on occasion, I still find that relevance makes a world of difference to me. I’ll bet relevance matters to you too.

For example:

• I can more easily memorize a route when I’m the driver, not the passenger.
• I understand what I’m reading when I know why it matters to me.
• I’m better at coming up with a solution when I’ve experienced the problem.

See what I mean? Herein lies my love for place-based education, since PBE’s entire focus is on developing stewards by teaching youth through lessons that actually matter to them. When done right, it also helps ensure that improvements happening in a community originate with members of the community, instead of being externally imposed, which substantially improves the odds of positive change taking root for good.

I doubt that teachers would dispute the need for relevance in lesson plans, but that means taking teaching beyond the textbook. This can be messy. Depending on your comfort level in trying something new, it can be a little scary too.

That’s why we have added a page to this blog showing examples of place-based education.

Please explore these examples and lesson plans! Use them as inspiration to get started in place-based education!

Once you’ve tried out a PBE lesson, you can take it to the next level by finding out what matters to your students, then gearing lessons accordingly. Because we all tend to remember the right road when we’ve had a chance to sit in the driver’s seat.

- Elizabeth Lowe

Discovering PLACE is a program of University Outreach at the University of Michigan-Flint. One of eight hubs of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, the program aims to help students develop into Flint community and environmental stewards. Working with Flint-area teachers and community partners, Discovering PLACE supports place-based education projects to help students connect with their surroundings.

 “Like” the University Outreach at the University of Michigan-Flint page on Facebook to follow our updates, or sign up for a free subscription to this blog by clicking the link at the top right corner of this page!

We’ve always known our Discovering PLACE educators are pretty darn amazing. So it sure is nice seeing them get the recognition they deserve.

Take Patti Hillaker, for instance. She has positively captivated her students at Beecher’s Riley Alternative Education Center, where she teaches science out of a tank fully of baby salmon, and engages kids with plenty of other cool stuff to make learning relevant.

Hillaker is one of two Michigan teachers who gained nationwide recognition in the ING 2012 Unsung Heroes grant program. She also earned media coverage in The Citizen, her local
newspaper, for her enthusiastic efforts to help students better their worlds.

Teachers are up against so many challenges that it’s important to share the good they do. Thanks, Patti, for bringing a daily dose of awesomeness to your classroom!

Discovering PLACE is a program of University Outreach at the University of Michigan-Flint. One of eight hubs of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, the program aims to help students develop into Flint community and environmental stewards. Working with Flint-area teachers and community partners, Discovering PLACE supports place-based education projects to help students connect with their surroundings.

 “Like” the University Outreach at the University of Michigan-Flint page on Facebook to follow our updates, or sign up for a free subscription to this blog by clicking the link at the top right corner of this page!