The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality

A content-driven biology course for preservice K-8 teachers has been developed. This course uses the constructivist approach, where instructors engage students by organizing information around concept-based problems. To this end, a semester-long, inquiry-based project was introduced where students s...

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Autores principales:	Stephen C. Wagner, Darrel McDonald, Trey Watson, Josephine Taylor, Alan B. Sowards
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2009
Materias:	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/9b6a99f0b8d1474cafac868c3dbe231a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:9b6a99f0b8d1474cafac868c3dbe231a2021-11-15T15:03:07ZThe Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality10.1128/jmbe.v10.941935-78851935-7877https://doaj.org/article/9b6a99f0b8d1474cafac868c3dbe231a2009-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.v10.94https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7877https://doaj.org/toc/1935-7885A content-driven biology course for preservice K-8 teachers has been developed. This course uses the constructivist approach, where instructors engage students by organizing information around concept-based problems. To this end, a semester-long, inquiry-based project was introduced where students studied lichen populations on trees located on their campus to monitor air quality. Data were incorporated into a geographical information systems (GIS) database to demonstrate how it can be used to map communities. Student teams counted the number of each lichen type within a grid placed on each tree trunk sampled and entered this information into a GIS database. The students constructed maps of lichen populations at each sample site and wrote abstracts about their research. Student performance was assessed by the preparation of these abstracts as well as by scores on pre- and posttests of key content measures. Students also completed a survey to determine whether the project aided in their comprehension as well as their interest in incorporating this activity into their own curricula. The students’ pre- and posttest results showed an eightfold improvement in the total score after the semester project. Additionally, correct responses to each individual content measure increased by at least 35%. Total scores for the abstract ranged from 12 to 20 points out of 20 total points possible (60% to 100%), with a mean score of 15.8 points (78%). These results indicate that this exercise provided an excellent vehicle to teach students about lichens and their use as bioindicators and the application of geospatial technologies to map environmental data.Stephen C. WagnerDarrel McDonaldTrey WatsonJosephine TaylorAlan B. SowardsAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691Biology (General)QH301-705.5ENJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 9-18 (2009)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5
spellingShingle	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Stephen C. Wagner Darrel McDonald Trey Watson Josephine Taylor Alan B. Sowards The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
description	A content-driven biology course for preservice K-8 teachers has been developed. This course uses the constructivist approach, where instructors engage students by organizing information around concept-based problems. To this end, a semester-long, inquiry-based project was introduced where students studied lichen populations on trees located on their campus to monitor air quality. Data were incorporated into a geographical information systems (GIS) database to demonstrate how it can be used to map communities. Student teams counted the number of each lichen type within a grid placed on each tree trunk sampled and entered this information into a GIS database. The students constructed maps of lichen populations at each sample site and wrote abstracts about their research. Student performance was assessed by the preparation of these abstracts as well as by scores on pre- and posttests of key content measures. Students also completed a survey to determine whether the project aided in their comprehension as well as their interest in incorporating this activity into their own curricula. The students’ pre- and posttest results showed an eightfold improvement in the total score after the semester project. Additionally, correct responses to each individual content measure increased by at least 35%. Total scores for the abstract ranged from 12 to 20 points out of 20 total points possible (60% to 100%), with a mean score of 15.8 points (78%). These results indicate that this exercise provided an excellent vehicle to teach students about lichens and their use as bioindicators and the application of geospatial technologies to map environmental data.
format	article
author	Stephen C. Wagner Darrel McDonald Trey Watson Josephine Taylor Alan B. Sowards
author_facet	Stephen C. Wagner Darrel McDonald Trey Watson Josephine Taylor Alan B. Sowards
author_sort	Stephen C. Wagner
title	The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
title_short	The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
title_full	The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
title_fullStr	The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
title_full_unstemmed	The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality
title_sort	lichen-gis project, teaching students how to use bioindicator species to assess environmental quality
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2009
url	https://doaj.org/article/9b6a99f0b8d1474cafac868c3dbe231a
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The Lichen-GIS Project, Teaching Students How to Use Bioindicator Species to Assess Environmental Quality

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