Learning Communities
To achieve the greatest outcomes using best practices in science teaching, each high school that has participated in ISLS over the past three years has formed its own, smaller learning community. Each school's learning community is composed of:
- five high school students (incoming juniors & seniors)
- one near-peer mentor (undergraduate or graduate student from Kent State University, Hiram College or the University of Akron)
- one high school science teacher
A key characteristic of these learning communities is that faculty, staff and student participants work together equally. These smaller learning communities together form the larger institute-wide learning community that embodies ISLS.
- Learning Communities from ISLS 2007
- Learning Communities from ISLS 2008
- Learning Communities from ISLS 2009
A Learning Community from ISLS 2008 showing that even labwork can be exciting.
Photo by Holly Wells
Learning Objects
Each high school that participates in ISLS develops a "learning object" to take back to their school to improve environmental awareness and education in their own community. The term "learning object" is purposefully nebulous to allow each learning community the freedom to develop one that is best for their home school. Learning objects vary in size and scope, encompassing straightforward lesson plans, extracurricular after-school programs, and entirely new science courses.
- Analyze streams and wetlands on school's campus - Kenston High School
- Applying Virtual Wetland Identification at home - Crestwood High School
- Comparison study of wetland habitat before and after construction - Ravenna High School
- Create a Biology Club - Berkshire High School
- Create a new Environmental Science course - Kent Roosevelt High School
- Delineate wetlands and use to educate science high school course - Streetsboro High School
- Educate others about Primary Headwater Habitats (PHWH) - Ravenna High School
- Improve Land Lab at High School - Independence High School
- Modify science course curriculum - Cuyahoga Falls High School
- Virtual Science Club online - Champion High School
- Weeklong environmental science camp for middle school students - Kent Roosevelt High School
Learning Modules
These are general activities related to environmental education that can be used by any teacher for their classroom. All learning modules are stored in PDF format; you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to display the files correctly.