September 15th, 2012 - August 31st, 2014 | PROJECT
OUTSIDE: Over Under and Through: Students Informally Discover the Environment will focus on conducting a pilot study of our informal environmental education nature program designed for underrepresented middle school students in Mississippi. We have partnered with the University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) well-established Biological Sciences Learning Center (BSLC) and newly developed Lake Thoreau Environmental Center (LTEC), the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Hattiesburg Public School District (HPSD). We are focused on reaching two target populations of participants: future naturalists and underrepresented middle school students. During this pilot, we are training volunteer naturalists to lead engaging, inquiry-driven informal environmental education programs designed to immerse middle school students in nature. We have developed a training program for volunteer naturalists and captured patterns in learning and interactions between students and naturalists during OUTSIDE programming.
Project Website(s)
(no project website provided)
Project Products
A Look into Informal Science Education and Students with Individual Education Plans
Identities and Motives of Naturalist Development Program Attendees and Their Relation to Professional Careers
Getting Students Outside: Using Technology as a Way to Stimulate Engagement
Naturalists' Perspectives on the Use of Mobile Technology During a Nature Hike
Poster - Over, Under, and Through: Students Informally Discover the Environment (OUTSIDE)
OUTSIDE Evaluation Summary
Summative Report OUTSIDE
Team Members
Kristy Daniel (Halverson), Principal Investigator, University of Southern MississippiAimee Thomas, Co-Principal Investigator, University of Southern Mississippi
Funders
Funding Source: NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 1224051
Funding Amount: 250001
Tags
Audience: Educators | Teachers | Evaluators | Middle School Children (11-13) | Museum | ISE Professionals | Scientists
Discipline: Ecology | forestry | agriculture | Education and learning science | Life science
Resource Type: Project Descriptions | Projects
Environment Type: Park | Outdoor | Garden Programs | Professional Development | Conferences | Networks | Professional Development and Workshops | Public Programs