A Return to the Community: Inquiry in Action

Abstract

The ultimate goal of any biology teacher should be to make his/her course memorable tot students. Real memories. Long-term memories. Not just cram in the knowledge, memorize it for the test, and spit it back kind of memories. The kind of memories that come when students become emotionally involved with the material. How does this happen? We must immerse the students in projects they care about, that span time, that evoke emotions other than apathy or discontent. We must involve our students in projects that involve more than empty gestures (Berry, 1981) and constitute real work. Students are sophisticated today. They know when they are involved in work that smells like school and tastes like school-such work is demeaning to them and turns them off immediately. This sort of work leads to discipline problems, off-task behavior, and boredom. Instead, our students must be returned to the community from which they came. The only problem is that many of our students do not feel like they belong to a community because of the society we live in. No longer do we have the small close-knit communities. No longer do we know our neighbors. No longer do we have communities where we have a sense of place and belonging. Instead we are isolated beings going to and from our schools and work each day. As Wendell Berry (1981) states, Community interest also requires charity, neighborliness, the care and instruction of the young, respect of the old; thus it assures its integrity and survival. Above all it requires good stewardship of the land, for the community, as the Amish have always understood, is no better than its (p. 261). We must help our students become reconnected to their community by involving them in biological projects related to the community. What is the nature of these projects? These projects are characterized by three essential components. They must involve the students in the community in a relevant, timely way. They, in turn, foster life-long learning with real world practices. They need to be inquiry driven. By making long-lasting memories for our students, we are making biology come alive for them. When we engage them in a river study, we take them out of the classroom, into their community, to study a river that historically has impacted their community economically, socially, and culturally. Many of the students may not know the role the river plays in the milieu of the community. Use the project as an opportunity to give them the chance to inquire about it. While the focus of the project will be on the environmental impact of pollutants on the river, take the opportunity to also have students find out what the river means in terms of the community. What is its history? What about its flora and fauna? What businesses depend on the river today and years ago? What is the river's place in the community? How do different groups depend on the river? If an environmental disaster occurred on the river, how would it impact the community? How would it impact the students' lives? Throughout this project, students gather data, collect documents, explore the river, write letters to the local newspaper, present their findings at town meetings, prepare Web sites with their data, and write reflective journals about their experiences. With a project like the river project, the students can seek the expertise of specialists in whatever problems they are studying, whether it be water quality, stream bank stability, or quality of life for flora and fauna. By communicating with these specialists, students gain valuable insight into career information, enhance their communication skills, and learn real-world applications in problem solving--all skills lacking in many class learning lessons. The more real world opportunities we can provide for our students, the more prepared they will be to enter the complex, global work force of the 21st century. By having opportunities to work within their communities, they enhance their sense of place within their own community and increase their sense of ownership for the physical geography, natural boundaries, and land areas encompassing their community. …