Curriculum & Professional Development

Maine Academy of Natural Sciences Oceanside High School

With the support from MEEA funds, two students from Maine Academy of Natural Sciences were able to attend a two day chainsaw training; as well as a blacksmithing course.

Students shared about the blacksmithing course, “The activities and presentations there are an outstanding foundation to any future blacksmiths career or hobby, and I would greatly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn or just have a good time” and “Since joining I have learned a lot about the trade and the history of it as well. We have learned about the math behind it too.” And about the chainsaw safety training, “I believe that I am better off having learned the information from that course, despite not seeing myself as a logger in the future. If it ever happens that I need to use a chainsaw again, I will do so with the proper gear and technique, ensuring that I am being safe and sure of my actions.”

The funds from the MEEA contributed to Oceanside High School’s year-long outdoor learning project. This project allowed for my students to become even more connected with the coastal world that they live in whether it was through the pulling and sorting of scallop spat bags (which both STEM and Liberal Arts students participated in) or it was on Hurricane Island where they spent four very full days fully immersed in the natural environment.

One student noted, “We actually had the opportunity to do things in the field instead of dull lectures in the classroom.” Another said that the dissection of the scallop really helped them better understand the organs and different parts of a scallop and they thought that hands on experience was fun. “Usually at school we learn from looking at the images in textbooks which is very boring. Getting a hands-on experience was fun and easier to absorb the lesson.” One found that learning in the natural setting kept them very interested and more engaged. One of my favorite reflections came from a liberal arts student who felt she realized “that learning in general can come in many forms. Everyone learns in different ways and I thought this experience helped me think outside the box. Compared to school, we used the outdoors as our classroom and had more freedom to actively explore what interests us.”

Portland Public Schools

Mini grant funds allowed ME Audubon to work with all 15 Portland Public Schools pre-k classes this year visiting each one twice, making it 30 programs total. There was a mix of indoor and outdoor programs, and teachers chose from a list of potential seasonal themes (chosen for their alignment with pre-k curriculum) when scheduling their programs. The most popular topics were animals getting ready for winter, animals in the snow, and flowers & pollinators.

The pandemic was the catalyst for increasing the outdoor and experiential learning in the Portland Public School District. School year 2020-2021 was full of the logistics of getting classes outside and starting to encourage teacher capacity building on using the outdoors for teaching (not just teaching outdoors). STEM Coordinator Brooke Teller explains, “While we have a ways to go, as any systemic change takes time, we have the support of our School Board and Administration. We have a vision for moving forward and we have the excitement and engagement of our students to cheer us on in the work. Thank you for this grant and the part it has played!”

In Portland Public Schools, Outdoor and Experiential Learning Coordinator Katie West used the grant to increase her knowledge of the intersection of equity, the outdoors, and environmental justice. To this end, books were purchased, admission into a Children and Nature conference, and the beginning of an Outdoor and Experiential Learning vision was crafted.

One teacher shared the impact of class in the garden,

“Many students who face barriers to academic learning and are questioning if the school really belongs to them, become leaders during garden classes. As the entire class was screaming about the yellow jackets, one student “Julio” (not his real name) was staring at the ground. Julio was struggling with reading and writing. Soon, the class gathered around. Why were the yellow jackets biting this brown smudge? Julio taught them how to see both the smudge and the mandibles. Julio then noticed that the brown smudge had one tiny claw. The class didn’t believe him, until they all got down to look. Julio pronounced, “That’s a dead mouse.” How could this be? Why were they eating a dead mouse?”

Julio grew two sizes that day, and his classmates began to turn to him during garden classes with questions. He had a new identity in the class as an observant learner, and the whole class had a real question to answer.”