The World Wildlife Fund has launched a national environmental education initiative to teach students that their lives are interconnected with those of plants and other species of animals.
The “Windows on the Wild” project--funded by a $2.5-million grant from the Eastman Kodak Company--will develop programs at zoos, aquariums, and museums to demonstrate such concepts as conservation and “biodiversity.”
“What we want to do is try to take advantage of the fact that a lot of these facilities have existing programs,” said Richard Block, a W.W.F. spokesman. “It’s also to get teachers and students to use more of their community resources.”
Developed over a five-year period, in consultation with leading zoological, botanical, and museum educators, “Windows on the Wild” will use classroom teaching modules and innovative materials for teachers and students in an integrated approach to teaching environmental literacy.
Mr. Block said pilot programs could begin in the late fall or early winter.
Researchers at North Carolina State University, meanwhile, have launched a long-term curriculum writing project to incorporate “environmental awareness” into science materials for students in grades 4 through 12.
Harriett S. Stubbs, a research associate with the department of mathematics and science at the university’s college of education and psychology, is directing the Globe-Net project, which is funded by a $736,000 National Science Foundation grant.
The project is designed to bring science teachers into contact with scientists from the university and federal experts in global change to produce materials that can be used systematically in biology, physics, and chemistry courses.
Officials said that “scores” of teachers will be needed to evaluate curriculum materials as the project progresses. Those interested in participating should contact Globe-Net, 1410 Varsity Dr., Raleigh, N.C. 27606.
The Massachusetts-based Technical Education Research Center has published a series of documents that outline research it has done into effective science and mathematics teaching.
The first four documents in the series, dubbed “Working Papers,” address such topics as the effects of a collaborative inquiry approach to learning on language-minority students and the efficacy of telecommunications in teaching.
The papers are available for $5 each from TERC Communications, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass. 02140, or by calling (617) 547-0430.--P.W.
