Hands-on Learning

Third graders in Pam Betheldson’s class do not learn about science and nature simply from books. They go on frog hunts at nature centers to learn about their ecosystem hands-on. The frog hunt is one of the many activities used to teach the Yellow Medicine East students all about the frogs of Minnesota. Pam became involved in performance assessments while surfing web-sites related to frogs and the deformed frogs found in Hendersen, Minnesota, by schoolchildren in 1996. She has teamed up with University of Minnesota Extension Educator Amy Rager to create a performance assessment project using frogs and the natural environment for her students.

Pam hopes that through the use of living organisms, her performance assessment will teach her students about:

* patterns,
* measuring,
* perseverance and
* resource management skills

that are necessary requirements to complete the Minnesota Graduation Standards. The project will be tested, and if successful, will be added to a web-site designed by the Minnesota Department of Children, Family, and Learning. Teachers throughout Minnesota will be able access the information. Meanwhile, Pam’s third grade class has the opportunity to hunt for frogs in Prairie Smoke Nature Center and learn their characteristics.

Nature as Teacher

The program assessment states that “through the study of frogs, this learning program uses nature to teach the following:

* storytelling,
* investigation and
* product delivery to its students.

Students research the history and etymological origins of frogs, then visit surrounding sites to study frogs in their environments.” The class is not easy for students, and each group of students has to write and deliver a formal portfolio to address a specific issue about frogs and the environment. Students choose a frog-related topic from a list provided by the teacher and extension educator.

The portfolio consists of notes taken during internet and field research. Through the program, the students are responsible for analyzing what a frog is through:

* internet research,
* designing and conducting an investigative method for at least one field trip,
* design the criteria to look for when searching for frogs and
* develop and evaluate a personal action plan to promote a certain method.

Partnerships that Work

By involving Amy on this project, Pam showed the positive value of the University of Minnesota Extension Service on K-12 learning. It is a stepping-stone to fostering school-university-community partnerships. In Lac Qui Parle County, a pilot project titled “Connecting the Learning: 4-H and the Graduation Standards” was created in 1997 to encourage community-based, experimental learning to help children learn the skills needed to pass the graduation requirements.

Partnerships between school districts and youth organizations, such as 4-H, promote the achievement of learning standards while cultivating lifework interests of students and youth. Partnerships between field educators and campus faculty promote outcome-based education reform and use the Extension Service as an outreach arm for the University of Minnesota. Fostering a positive impact on school children was another goal.

Innovative Programs

The Bert Raney Third Grade met that goal through their education project. When putting her project together, Pam used The Bert Raney project as one of the bases of her application to the Center for Alternative Plant and Animal Use for grant money and received $1,000.00 for supplies. The University Extension Services, through Amy, then supplied resources and links to the University of Minnesota’s information and research resources. The Extension educator helps with the following:

* field activities,
* environmental investigations and
* acts as a communications liaison between students, teachers, parents and administrators.

They also assist the teacher with the “real world” aspect of curriculum development. “This is going to be a learning experience for teachers as well as Extension Educators,” notes Amy.

Resources that Strengthen Community

The teacher assesses the students’ learning by their oral presentations. Once student portfolios are complete, they reflect upon and present their findings. They respond to questions asked about frogs and construct visual representations of their findings to present to their school community members. The teacher then provides feedback on the quality of the oral presentations. The students may agree or disagree with the score and a final score will be decided. The ultimate goal for this type of experimental class, which allows the children to physically experience their surrounding ecosystem while studying it, is that they will achieve the necessary skills to pass their graduation requirements and simultaneously gain an understanding of the nature around them.