Pu'u 'Ō'o Sunrise (Week 11b)
Learning Journey Reflection from Last Friday
I was hoping to have time to write my reflection from last week's learning journey sooner than this, but oh well. Last week Friday was a great day. I had planned an early morning field experience with my Environmental Science class to go bird watching and visit the kipuka off of Saddle Road. Last quarter we studied biogeochemical cycles and I decided that we would start this quarter by looking at how carbon is stored in Hawaiian forests. We learned about different types of remote sensing practices (LiDAR and Landsat) and discovered that satellite imagery along with aircraft LiDAR technology is way more efficient at mapping large amounts of forests than actual people on the ground. With that in mind, large areas of forests can be analyzed to determine relationships between forest structure (heights, densities, and age) and carbon storage, amongst other things. Forests provide a plethora of ecosystem services and are excellent at storing carbon, an essential function considering our precarious climate future. Forests are also critical for the preservation of watersheds (hahai nō ka ua i ka ulu lā'au) and provide critical habitat for many endemic species on our island. Hawai'i island is most famous for our endemic bird species; hence, our class going bird watching last Friday. One of the most impactful ideas I have learned so far in STEMS2 is that first, I have a responsibility to build in my students a sense of wonder and appreciation for their environment, a love for nature that is rooted in its mystery and complexity. And second, only after that can I ask them to be partners with me in its protection and to fix the environmental problems society, inclusive of all of us, has created. What is the point of bombarding my students with the doom and gloom stories of water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, atmospheric pollution, deforestation, etc. etc. etc….if they have never seen an old Koa tree? Or heard an I'iwi sing? Or walked into a kipuka and felt the mist on their faces? What a shame that would be.
We spent the earlier part of last week completing a web-quest for Project Noah (Networked Organisms and Habitats), a "citizen science" website that nature lovers can use to document local wildlife. Project Noah is supported through National Geographic and offers teachers online classrooms to build missions for their students. On Friday, we met at 5:00am and drove to the Pu'u 'Ō'o trailhead before the sun rose. Upon arrival, we engaged in a short protocol by announcing ourselves with Malana Mai Ka'u and then quietly made our way into the chorus of bird songs. The effect was magical as we watched the sun rise below us, over the clouds, and through the 'ōhi'a. 'Apapane flew overhead. An 'I'iwi perched nearby and sang to us for several minutes. We sat and had some time to kilo the area before making our way to the first kipuka. I guess I can go on and on about what I saw that morning, but, by far the most exciting thing that struck me was how happy my students were. I couldn't blame them for wanting to stay.
In the end, my students identified about 19 plant species of mostly natives along the Pu'u 'Ō'o trail, and they posted their spottings on our Project Noah missions page. I managed to connect concepts of carbon cycling, and remote sensing to the places we saw while we hiked. I also was able to talk about land succession and differences between native, alien, and invasive species. We saw quite a few birds including the Hawai'i Amakihi, 'Apapane, 'I'iwi, 'Ōma'o, Khalij Pheasant, and a few Japanese White Eyes and Melodious Laughing Thrushes. Over the next few days, we are going to practice our species identification, and they will take a quiz on naming the birds and plants we saw. After exploring a couple kipuka in real life, we can talk about it in class. Now, I understand that this experience has not [yet] led us into any type of STEMS2 investigation or design thinking challenge, and I am going to be hard-pressed to find an NGSS PE or SEP that fits just right. But, in my heart I know that I need to find the time for more experiences like this for my students. And I will.
We spent the earlier part of last week completing a web-quest for Project Noah (Networked Organisms and Habitats), a "citizen science" website that nature lovers can use to document local wildlife. Project Noah is supported through National Geographic and offers teachers online classrooms to build missions for their students. On Friday, we met at 5:00am and drove to the Pu'u 'Ō'o trailhead before the sun rose. Upon arrival, we engaged in a short protocol by announcing ourselves with Malana Mai Ka'u and then quietly made our way into the chorus of bird songs. The effect was magical as we watched the sun rise below us, over the clouds, and through the 'ōhi'a. 'Apapane flew overhead. An 'I'iwi perched nearby and sang to us for several minutes. We sat and had some time to kilo the area before making our way to the first kipuka. I guess I can go on and on about what I saw that morning, but, by far the most exciting thing that struck me was how happy my students were. I couldn't blame them for wanting to stay.
In the end, my students identified about 19 plant species of mostly natives along the Pu'u 'Ō'o trail, and they posted their spottings on our Project Noah missions page. I managed to connect concepts of carbon cycling, and remote sensing to the places we saw while we hiked. I also was able to talk about land succession and differences between native, alien, and invasive species. We saw quite a few birds including the Hawai'i Amakihi, 'Apapane, 'I'iwi, 'Ōma'o, Khalij Pheasant, and a few Japanese White Eyes and Melodious Laughing Thrushes. Over the next few days, we are going to practice our species identification, and they will take a quiz on naming the birds and plants we saw. After exploring a couple kipuka in real life, we can talk about it in class. Now, I understand that this experience has not [yet] led us into any type of STEMS2 investigation or design thinking challenge, and I am going to be hard-pressed to find an NGSS PE or SEP that fits just right. But, in my heart I know that I need to find the time for more experiences like this for my students. And I will.
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