Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Exhibit Hall CD, Midwest Airlines Center
Karyn L. Hajek and Sara E. Scanga, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY
Background/Question/Methods Student-directed or inquiry-based learning is becoming an increasingly popular teaching strategy, and integrating original research into a classroom setting can be an effective way to utilize this technique. However, the complexity of most ecological research may be perceived as an obstacle to classroom integration, particularly when trying to communicate its significance to students at multiple levels of education.
Results/Conclusions
We discuss the importance of incorporating original research into the classroom, as well as some strategies for emphasizing the relevance of ecological research to high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. Considering all stages of the scientific research process, from hypothesis generation to interpretation of results, we present general guidelines for adapting ecological research into lessons that are appropriate for students at multiple educational levels. We highlight these guidelines with several examples of student-directed lessons that have proven to be effective in the classroom. We also provide specific procedures that instructors can use to incorporate their own research into classroom activities.
