Restoration

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Restoration Education
Presented by Matt Vincent Justin Ringsak
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What is Restoration Education?

• Environmental Education, Conservation Education,
  Natural Science Education
• Holistic Approach
• Place-Based
• Takes students out of the classroom

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Obstacles to Restoration Education

• Requires broad teacher knowledge
• Requires connections to education standards
• New and thus not as institutionally supported as
  traditional education
• Logistics

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Western Montana as a Model for Restoration
Education

• Environmental Issues in Montana
• Superfund
• Post-IndustrialCommunities Butte, Libby,
  Anaconda, Bonner
• Development Growth
• Natural Resource Management

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Western Montana as a Model for Restoration
Education

• Environmental issues and ongoing restoration
  created a need
• Non-profits, EPA respond
• Mainly in affluent or urban areas, generally
  underfunded, serve broad target audiences, often
  a low priority
• Montana state government commits to restoration
  education via funding from restoration trust

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Western Montana as a Model for Restoration
Education

• Restoration education also addressed educational
  issues in western Montana
• Schools seek to raise student achievement in math
  and science
• Teachers need content knowledge, curriculum, and
  expert support
• Student learning outside of the classroom

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Designing Curriculum

• Knowledgeable, broad team
• Professional scientists
• Education experts
• University faculty
• Teachers
• Addresses basic science skills to provide
  students with a context to understand
  environmental issues
• Water cycle watersheds pH periodic table
  units of measurement

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Context Place History

• Geography
• History Culture
• Natural Resource Development
• Urban Development
• Immigration
• Labor
• Legal (environmental regulation)

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Context Environment Restoration

• Mapping human effects
• Complexity of natural systems
• Human health
• Environmental health
• The Present What is being done in regards to
  restoration, and why?

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Student-Scientists in the Field

• Place students in the role of scientists
• Ask questions
• How is current environmental health?
• How did past human activities contribute to the
  present state?
• How are current human activities affecting
  environmental health?
• Answers via
• Field science observations
• Data analysis
• End result more informed students, better
  education, increased stewardship

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What To Do With Curriculum? Model 1 Outreach

• Current CFWEP model
• Pros
• Helps teachers
• Ensures deep and up-to-date content knowledge
• Connects students with scientists and technical
  professionals
• Flexible
• Cons
• Somewhat unstable funding sources
• High cost (relative to model 2)
• Questions of sustainability
• Low integration with other curriculum
• Limited time

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What To Do With Curriculum? Model 2 Schools
Teachers

• CFWEP moving toward this model
• Pros
• Lower cost
• Greater integration with other curriculum
• More time to devote to restoration ed.
• Greater sustainability
• Cons
• More dependent on teacher training
• Less contact with scientists and technical
  professionals
• Less flexible

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Restoration Community

• Effective restoration education requires
  partnerships
• Schools
• Government
• Industry
• Community groups
• Funders

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Funding Avenues

• Private foundations
• Restoration funds
• Education funds
• Corporations or business interests
• Education establishment
• Volunteer and in-kind
• Partnerships lower funding needs
• Overall, restoration education is CHEAP

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Next Steps Students Engage in Restoration
Field Science

• Identify a restoration or research need
• Coordinate with relevant partners
• Gauge interest
• Fliers
• Emails
• Quick visits with H.S. classes and teachers
• Contact service groups or clubs
• Build and utilize a network
• Recruit
• Connect students with a mentor
• Encourage follow-up or continuation

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But Does It Work?

• Results of prior assessments of restoration
  education programs
• 2006 National Trust Study (UK-based)
• Improves environmental attitudes, science skills,
  and science knowledge
• 2000 California State Education Environment
  Roundtable
• Better performance on standardized tests in
  reading writing math science and social
  studies
• Reduced discipline and classroom management
  problems
• Increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning
• Greater pride and ownership in accomplishments
• 2004 American Institute for Research Study
• Raised science scores by 27 percent as measured
  by a pre- and post survey administered upon their
  return to school

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CFWEP Results to Date

• Students served More than 10,000
• Teachers served More than 150
• Cost per student 130
• Efficacy 2007 External Evaluation
• Students felt confident that they had experienced
  knowledge gains
• All classes showed significant knowledge gains
  (from 5 to 50 improvement on pre/post test)
• Meeting and often exceeding funder milestones
• Results indicated that more than 50 (ranging
  from 52-81) of the students agree that they
  want to take care of the watershed, care about
  the watershed, know how science relates to the
  watershed, understand how their actions affect
  the watershed, know how to take care of the
  watershed, and that their participation in the
  restoration process has increased

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Summary

• Restoration education improves environmental
  understanding
• Restoration education improves students
  knowledge and skills
• Restoration education requires collaboration and
  community support
• All communities can benefit from restoration
  education

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Additional Resources

• Montana Environmental Education Association
  (MEEA)http//www.montanaeea.org/
• Studies on Environmental Education
• Changing Minds The lasting impact of school
  trips (UK National Trust Study) -
  http//aeoe.org/resources/research/changing_minds.
  pdf
• State Education Environment Roundtable,
  California Student Assessment Project The
  Effects of Environment-based Education on Student
  Achievement - http//aeoe.org/resources/research
  /seer_studentachievement.pdf
• The Effects of Outdoor Education Programs for
  Children in California - http//aeoe.org/resource
  s/research/AB1330/studyresults-summary.html
• Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP)
  Online www.cfwep.org
• PitWatch Online www.pitwatch.org
• Montana Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP)
  Online http//www.doj.mt.gov/lands/naturalresourc
  e/
• EPA Montana Superfund Sites Online
  http//www.epa.gov/Region8/superfund/mtsf.html
• Discover Montanas Ecosystems Online (FWP Site)
  http//fwp.mt.gov/education/ecosystem/home.html
• North American Association for Environmental
  Education http//eelink.net/pages/EE-LinkIntrod
  uction

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Questions?
Contacts Matt Vincent CFWEP Director (406)
496-4832 mvincent_at_mtech.edu Justin Ringsak
CFWEP Communications Coordinator [phone]
jringsak_at_mtech.edu Clark Fork Watershed
Education Program (CFWEP) Montana Tech Dept.
of Technical Outreach 1300 W Park St Butte, MT
59701 [phone] www.cfwep.org