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| Students from the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation hear a talk by zoo employee Linda Corcoran. courtesy of julie larsen maher/bronx zoo |
In the Bronx, a class with conservation at its core
At the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation, the zoo is more than a field trip – and fieldwork covers topics from temperate forests to river turbidity.
from the February 21, 2008 edition
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Beyond exciting kids about science, UASWC wants to foster a sense of responsibility to the community – and a commitment to sustainable living.
"It's easy to forget that we live in the midst of a temperate forest. Introducing them to the native trees and wildlife here inspires stewardship," says Lily Ng, partnership coordinator for UASWC. "The Bronx River flows just a few blocks from this school and is quickly becoming just as important a feature in their lives as their grandmas' houses and the playground."
Several youths volunteer with the nonprofit Bronx River Alliance (BRA), making maps of the river terrain and attending cleanup events. Parents are invited to spend a few weekend hours at the Bronx Zoo, participating in Project SPARKS, a science-education program that stands for Supporting Parents in Advocacy, Reform and Knowledge in Science.
"Parents come [to SPARKS] really excited," says Ilyssa Gillman, manager of program development and instruction at the Bronx Zoo. "Science is one of those topics perceived as scary sometimes, so it's important to make it accessible to them as well."
Winning over kids raised on television can demand some creative gusto, resulting in activities like "Teen Iron Chef." The after-school cooking class shows kids how to cook healthy, fresh meals and shop at a farmers' market. Students also grow vegetables at nearby Drew Community Garden, a former vehicle junkyard restored with healthy soil.
Recruiting solely from within the Bronx, UASWC is well positioned to provide valuable skills to minority children, who are among the least likely to later earn degrees in engineering, math, and science. Although the school is too new to conclusively show any academic gains, an impressive 95 percent attendance rate puts UASWC ahead of the pack in a city with high truancy rates.
A career fair held at UASWC earlier this month introduced sixth graders to professionals from local government agencies to global conservation groups.
"Kids meet someone with a fascinating job and say, 'when I grow up I want to be like them.' The younger that happens, the earlier they will begin planning to receive an education that will make that aspiration a reality," says Ms. Ng.
In the meantime, students keep on learning as the curriculum continues to evolve.
"We are trying everything out on them," says Erin Prada, a Wildlife Conservation teacher. "But they're still going to have a much better experience here than at any other New York school that they could probably go to, and still come out with a competitive edge."
Universities forge partnerships with conservation groups
American universities are launching partnerships with wildlife-conservation groups, both hoping to tap into each other's resources and prepare future ecoexperts.
Beginning this May, Fordham University's Graduate School of Education and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) will jointly offer a master's in education degree in "Adolescent Biology / Conservation Life Science." Half of the teacher candidates' fieldwork will occur in New York City public schools and half at the Bronx Zoo.
The Smithsonian Institution and Virginia's George Mason University (GMU) just kicked off a semester-long program allowing undergraduate students to live at the Conservation and Research Center of the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Students will study under prominent scientists, conduct research on endangered species housed on-site, and explore how civic action can shape public policy.
With an almost missionary flair, James Hennessy, dean of the Graduate School of Education at Fordham, describes his hope that graduates will spread out into urban middle and high schools across the United States, bringing their enthusiasm for conservation and a hands-on, inquiry-based method with them. Both schools' programs emphasize experiential learning.
"There is a growing recognition in academia and science that immersion in research and learning are best," says Tom Wood, director of the Mason Center for Conservation Studies. "Civic engagement and science must intersect to reform education and public policy."
Fordham and GMU are currently in talks with other conservation and natural-history organizations about future partnerships.
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