Inquiry in the Rainforest: A Field Course for Science Teachers

At the end of this 2-week course you will be have gone through the following subjects and topics:

• Various Group Dynamics
• Uses of Media in Teaching
• Innovative and Creative Ways of Using your Phone and Other Devices for Teaching
• Planning a Night Walk or a Nature Walk
• How to Interpret a Nature Walk
• Practicing Inquiry
• The Scientific Method from Short to Large Projects
• Field Methods and Experimental Design
• Field Data Collection
• Field Data Analysis
• Field Project Reporting to Popular Audiences
• Citizen Science for Science Teaching
• How to Study Plants: Prop Collection, Storage and Manage
• Bases on Science Communication
• Bases on Social Media Uses and Production

All of the above is going to be combined with amazing Costa Rica environments, nice accommodations and walks. It is a perfect mixed between learning, enjoying, creating and tourism. We assure you that your memories and learnings from this course will be for life.

From Kristen Edwards, Formerly: Lee HS, Marianna, Arkansas;

Currently: Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, NASA, Washington, DC

Participating in “Rainforests and Reefs” (July 2008) was, hands-down, the single most profound professional development experience of my teaching career.

Professionally, my experiences in Costa Rica were nothing short of remarkable.  As a life scientist by training, participation in the course was a reminder of how important it is to actually engage in the process of science, not just “memorize, regurgitate, repeat”.  In an educational climate where many science teachers are relegated to “teaching to the test”- despite my own best intentions, I was beginning to go down that path myself – it was a striking reminder to me that the lessons I remember the most from my own science education, and the ones that inspired me to pursue a career as a scientist (and then a science teacher), were those where I was actually doing science.  I was also able to bring back to my classroom a greater appreciation for the interdependence of life, a different perspective – from first-hand experience – on topics such as climate change and land management.

During the course, I also established relationships, both personal and professional, that continue to this day.  Being around men and women who are so passionate about education reinvigorated me as a teacher and inspired me to play more of a role in ensuring a quality science education for all children.  If I could find the time, I would do it again without hesitation.

From a personal perspective, the most enjoyable parts of the trip were whitewater rafting on Rio Sarapiqui, going on nighttime nature walks, and every single moment we spent at Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve.  While I had been rafting before, the experience of doing so in a tropical rainforest, seeing plants and animals I had previously encountered only in books, was phenomenal; I consider that day one of the top five of my entire life.  The night walks were incredible; I was so enthralled by the difference in the flora and fauna we were encountering (compared to day walks on the same trails) that I completely “forgot” that I am terrified of the dark!  Cabo Blanco was a life-changing experience; several days of being completely unplugged from the “real world”- no electricity, cell phones, Internet, etc. – reminded me of the importance of slowing down and appreciating the beauty that surrounds you, and being in a place that is so (relatively) untouched by human influence made me more appreciative of my role in conserving and protecting the planet.