Although sustainability has become a key focus in higher education, developing a better understan... more Although sustainability has become a key focus in higher education, developing a better understanding of how sustainability competencies can be cultivated in college and university courses and programs is still needed. This article argues that learners who are to become capable of affecting holistic sustainable change, transforming values and culture, healing the earth and human communities, and designing creative solutions, must have the opportunity to engage in learning processes that reflect these learning outcomes. We outline key elements of sustainability pedagogy and suggest best pedagogical practices for designing engaging and holistic sustainability learning, and highlight these practices through a sustainability course offered at our institution.
School gardens offer culturally relevant learning opportunities for engaging children and youth i... more School gardens offer culturally relevant learning opportunities for engaging children and youth in applying science and engineering to solving real-life challenges, helping teachers meet the needs of all students, including underrepresented minorities. Consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards, gardening experiences provide opportunities for students to explore topics that integrate science and engineering in depth over extended periods of time. Science in the Learning Gardens (SciLG), described in this chapter, is a middle school curriculum project that was pilot tested at two middle schools that serve predominantly low-income and ethnic and racial minority students. The curriculum provides holistic, integrated, hands-on, project-based and place-based learning experiences and embedded formative assessments.
The International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context, 2018
By their nature, gardens embody diversity. This article explores the cultural significance and va... more By their nature, gardens embody diversity. This article explores the cultural significance and value of school gardens for diverse communities in restoring and reclaiming their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and resilience through stories, myths, and practical examples. It highlights details for experiential dimensions of garden based learning education. Grounded in the research-based, seven-fold benefits of garden-based sustainability education, this article is the international collaborative effort of garden researcher-practitioners from indigenous, multicultural, urban, biocultural, and STEM perspectives from over a half dozen different diversity-intensive urban learning gardens in the Pacific Northwest. It also describes dynamic experiential teaching approaches for sharing stories and engaging with hands-on approaches to garden-based learning at multiple scales and modes. Vivacious, research-based garden learning from regional learning gardens activates urban learning gardens as sites of diversity-enhancing sustainability education, nurturing the resilience and collaborative creativity required for biocultural flourishing
ABSTRACT Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is important on a nat... more ABSTRACT Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is important on a national, regional, local, and individual level. However, there are many diverse problems facing STEM education in the US, one of the most critical is the limitation of current measurement tools and evaluation methodologies. The development of a common measurement system is an important step in addressing these problems. This paper describes the conceptualization stage of the development of a common measurement system. The resulting STEM Common Measurement System includes constructs that span from student learning to teacher practice to professional development to school-level variables. The authors detail the constructs and measurement tools associated with each construct. The interconnections within the STEM Common Measurement System are also discussed.
This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking co... more This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking concepts to investigate students' engagement, thinking, and learning in science in an urban, K-8 arts, science, and technology magnet school. A grant-funded school-university partnership supported the implementation of an inquiry-based science curriculum, contextualized in the local environment through field experiences. The researcher worked as co-teacher of 3 sixth-grade science classes
Although sustainability has become a key focus in higher education, developing a better understan... more Although sustainability has become a key focus in higher education, developing a better understanding of how sustainability competencies can be cultivated in college and university courses and programs is still needed. This article argues that learners who are to become capable of affecting holistic sustainable change, transforming values and culture, healing the earth and human communities, and designing creative solutions, must have the opportunity to engage in learning processes that reflect these learning outcomes. We outline key elements of sustainability pedagogy and suggest best pedagogical practices for designing engaging and holistic sustainability learning, and highlight these practices through a sustainability course offered at our institution.
School gardens offer culturally relevant learning opportunities for engaging children and youth i... more School gardens offer culturally relevant learning opportunities for engaging children and youth in applying science and engineering to solving real-life challenges, helping teachers meet the needs of all students, including underrepresented minorities. Consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards, gardening experiences provide opportunities for students to explore topics that integrate science and engineering in depth over extended periods of time. Science in the Learning Gardens (SciLG), described in this chapter, is a middle school curriculum project that was pilot tested at two middle schools that serve predominantly low-income and ethnic and racial minority students. The curriculum provides holistic, integrated, hands-on, project-based and place-based learning experiences and embedded formative assessments.
The International Journal of Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context, 2018
By their nature, gardens embody diversity. This article explores the cultural significance and va... more By their nature, gardens embody diversity. This article explores the cultural significance and value of school gardens for diverse communities in restoring and reclaiming their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and resilience through stories, myths, and practical examples. It highlights details for experiential dimensions of garden based learning education. Grounded in the research-based, seven-fold benefits of garden-based sustainability education, this article is the international collaborative effort of garden researcher-practitioners from indigenous, multicultural, urban, biocultural, and STEM perspectives from over a half dozen different diversity-intensive urban learning gardens in the Pacific Northwest. It also describes dynamic experiential teaching approaches for sharing stories and engaging with hands-on approaches to garden-based learning at multiple scales and modes. Vivacious, research-based garden learning from regional learning gardens activates urban learning gardens as sites of diversity-enhancing sustainability education, nurturing the resilience and collaborative creativity required for biocultural flourishing
ABSTRACT Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is important on a nat... more ABSTRACT Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is important on a national, regional, local, and individual level. However, there are many diverse problems facing STEM education in the US, one of the most critical is the limitation of current measurement tools and evaluation methodologies. The development of a common measurement system is an important step in addressing these problems. This paper describes the conceptualization stage of the development of a common measurement system. The resulting STEM Common Measurement System includes constructs that span from student learning to teacher practice to professional development to school-level variables. The authors detail the constructs and measurement tools associated with each construct. The interconnections within the STEM Common Measurement System are also discussed.
This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking co... more This mixed-methods study combined pragmatism, sociocultural perspectives, and systems thinking concepts to investigate students' engagement, thinking, and learning in science in an urban, K-8 arts, science, and technology magnet school. A grant-funded school-university partnership supported the implementation of an inquiry-based science curriculum, contextualized in the local environment through field experiences. The researcher worked as co-teacher of 3 sixth-grade science classes
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Papers by Sybil Kelley