Environmental Education—Current Projects
Coastal Explorer Program
The "Coastal Explorer" is a 31-foot class "A" motor
coach that was custom-built for use as a marine science educational
vehicle. The Coastal Explorer is equipped with a computer for use
with interactive CD-ROMs, a TV/VCR for showing marine life videos,
microscope with video-flex attachment for viewing marine life on
the TV screen, saltwater/freshwater aquariums, a blue shark model
displaying both external and internal anatomy, and other hands-on
exhibits. Coastal Explorer serves Barnstable County schools, with
average visits lasting one week. During the summer, Coastal Explorer
makes one-day visits to Barnstable County beaches, libraries and
youth camps.
Objectives
- Schedule, maintain and direct the Coastal Explorer program, which
includes teaching, exhibit and aquarium maintenance, coordinating
volunteers as needed, marketing and scheduling, and coordinating
any maintenance for the vehicle
- To develop marine and environmental science curriculum and educational
resource materials, serving as a reference for area schools. Reference
materials are available for teachers' use within the marine science
vehicle
- To increase knowledge and awareness among youth in the areas
of marine organisms and their threatened habitats, coastal processes,
and water quality
Watershed Education
NREC provides curriculum materials, training, and demonstration
projects to build a constituency of educators and general public
who can ably teach the science and environmental civics of watershed
protection and engage others, including youth, in problem solving
and action to protect the environment. Projects provide a real world
context for teaching and learning that integrates science and math
content standards, and secondarily associated history and social
science and language arts standards of the Massachusetts Educational
Frameworks. This program serves as a model for schools, watershed
communities, watershed associations, Massachusetts Bays Program,
and other educational institutions for involving youth in building
environmentally healthy and sustainable watershed communities.
Objectives
- Partner with the Massachusetts Bays Program to chart a course
for the implementation of the CCMP priority action plans to achieve
environmental results
- Assess and integrate school / Dept of Education educational
needs with the objectives of the Massachusetts Bays Program, NREC,
and the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative
- Increase educators’ learning and teaching of core interdisciplinary
content and educational strategies to investigate and problem-solve
environmental issues
- Establish educational programs for informal educators, citizens
and community leaders, and science and social specialists that
will provide a knowledge base necessary to understand specific
watershed problems and set some problem solving and mitigation
strategies into motion
- Promote use of research and educational resources through teacher/leader
workshop brochures, Newsletters, news releases, email distribution
list, public exhibition and teacher recognition awards for class
stewardship projects
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