SCV Quarantine Science Club

As an educator and parent, a growing concern is increasing screen time and lack of connection to nature. To say this time is unusual is the understatement of a strange year. Our children are on their devices many more hours a day than is healthy, and I have felt the effects of too much screen time in my sleep and focus.

Pandemic aside-teaching science in a classroom, where we learn ABOUT phenomena but don't actually SEE it is actually a disconnected idea. The outdoors afford a connection between all senses as students construct their own meanings and explanations for phenomena, not simply processing what they are told. This principal of constructing experience is anchored in educational theory and best practices, yet extremely difficult remotely.

Prior to being a classroom teacher, I taught outdoor education for a couple of years to predominantly inner city students who had never seen trees or dirt. It was amazing to see the spark, the curiosity, and the development through the medium of the outdoors. This led me to the classroom, where I continued practicing many of these principals, teaching Earth science, astronomy, chemistry, and finally my greatest love, 7th grade.

I don't entirely think that pandemic and distance learning is flawed-it simply magnifies the already present issues. There is a fantastic article in the Atlantic That largely inspired this.

Please note that this is entirely my brain child, and NOT affiliated in ANY WAY shape or form with Arroyo Seco or the William S Hart School District. Participation is entirely voluntary, and social distancing and masks will be enforced.

I would like to gauge interest in a weekly outdoor science club, aimed at my Seco students. I am taking Sabbatical this Spring to work on my PhD., and would like to utilize some of this time to work with students in non-traditional settings. If you are interested, please fill out this brief form.