situated learning - k-12 - paradise found

Detailed Description:

During the first half of the 20th century, US Armed Forces used Kaho`olawe, an island in the Hawaiian chain, as a target for gunnery and bombing practice. After World War II, it was returned to the stewardship of the state of Hawaii. As a middle school teacher, you feel this scenario would provide an excellent opportunity for your students to understand the interdependencies of ecology and human activity. By assuming the responsibility the government had, "to restore the island of Kaho`olawe for utilization by the Hawaiian people," students will enhance their skills in several domains, including science, community planning, team building, and problem management. There is extensive data on the web and in various media that students may use; however, there is no one correct or ideal solution.

Your students will be grouped into multi-disciplinary teams. Each team member will have a different role and responsibility, and may collaborate with members of other teams charged with a similar role. Team members will research, problem-solve, collaborate and develop both a description of the state of the island after World War II, and a plan for its restoration. Each team will present its conclusions and justify its findings. Restoration plans must include provisions for infrastructure, human services, business enterprises, and ecological sanctuaries. To ensure students can effectively transfer their skills to new contexts, you will "move the exercise" into a different geographical location - either to Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, or to the over-logged tropical forests of Costa Rica.

Learning Outcomes:

Students will experience the following learning outcomes:

  • Develop an appreciation of the interrelatedness of biology, geology, anthropology, commerce, and government in developing a solution to the problem
  • Enhance team-building skills, including collaboration, communication and critiquing skills
  • Compile information about the island's post World War II state and recommend realistic revitalization goals
  • Analyze and decompose complex problems into discrete tasks, and manage those tasks in a project-oriented process
  • Develop and test hypotheses
  • Combine data from multiple domains, including history, biology, mathematics, community planning, geography and physical sciences to develop an integrated solution to the problem of revitalizing Kaho`olawe