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Inquiry in the Costa Rican Rain Forest
by US Science Chair Janet Jochem
Thanks to a professional development opportunity, I spent two weeks participating in the amazing Inquiry in the Rain Forest program at La Selva Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. Inquiry in the Rain Forest is a field-based professional development course for teachers that use the process of science to deliver the content of science. The goal is to participate in authentic, inquiry-based research and design in order to effectively help students to do the same. Through the process of asking questions and designing experiments, students engage more deeply in their learning. The course also included a video component in which teachers made a series of informational videos.
For 14 days I worked alongside 14 other teachers to participate directly in inquiry science. With the rain forest as our research site, we were encouraged to ask questions based on our observations. From these questions we developed testable hypotheses, designed methodology for testing our hypotheses, collected and analyzed data and presented our findings to the group. In addition to the research, we created a series of informational videos designed to communicate understanding of a particular topic. This activity refined my way of thinking about both how a student can use this form of media to express understanding and as an authentic formative assessment tool.
We spent much of our time in small project groups, brainstorming, collaborating, and communicating our findings. We were required to be thoughtful and precise in our language, ideas, and presentations. These activities were repeated multiple times so that we gained a comfort with the process.
My research projects included determining the type of fruit ants preferred most, whether insect herbivory was more prevalent in open areas or forested areas, and if there was a difference between insect biodiversity in open areas, secondary growth forests or primary growth forests. My video projects included one about bromeliads, another about leaf-cutter ants and a five-minute group video about the process of science. To view the leaf-cutter ants video, click here.
This experience was, by far, the most effective professional development opportunity of my career. It reshaped my thinking about how to engage students in science learning, how to better help student think critically, how to step aside in the process and guide rather than lead and how to allow the student to take ownership of their learning.
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Thanks to a professional development opportunity, I spent two weeks participating in the amazing Inquiry in the Rain Forest program at La Selva Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. Inquiry in the Rain Forest is a field-based professional development course for teachers that use the process of science to deliver the content of science. The goal is to participate in authentic, inquiry-based research and design in order to effectively help students to do the same. Through the process of asking questions and designing experiments, students engage more deeply in their learning. The course also included a video component in which teachers made a series of informational videos.
For 14 days I worked alongside 14 other teachers to participate directly in inquiry science. With the rain forest as our research site, we were encouraged to ask questions based on our observations. From these questions we developed testable hypotheses, designed methodology for testing our hypotheses, collected and analyzed data and presented our findings to the group. In addition to the research, we created a series of informational videos designed to communicate understanding of a particular topic. This activity refined my way of thinking about both how a student can use this form of media to express understanding and as an authentic formative assessment tool.
We spent much of our time in small project groups, brainstorming, collaborating, and communicating our findings. We were required to be thoughtful and precise in our language, ideas, and presentations. These activities were repeated multiple times so that we gained a comfort with the process.
My research projects included determining the type of fruit ants preferred most, whether insect herbivory was more prevalent in open areas or forested areas, and if there was a difference between insect biodiversity in open areas, secondary growth forests or primary growth forests. My video projects included one about bromeliads, another about leaf-cutter ants and a five-minute group video about the process of science. To view the leaf-cutter ants video, click here.
This experience was, by far, the most effective professional development opportunity of my career. It reshaped my thinking about how to engage students in science learning, how to better help student think critically, how to step aside in the process and guide rather than lead and how to allow the student to take ownership of their learning.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
