During the spring of 2011 KBNERR education staff conducted an environmental education needs assessment and market analysis as part of a Reserve-wide effort by the NERR to identify gaps in coastal education.

On a local level these assessments will enable KBNERR and partnering coastal educators in Homer to better meet the needs of teachers and students within the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Needs Assessment Survey

The Process:KBNERR targeted all 16 schools within a 30-mile radius of Homer.

A total of 156 teachers are employed at the 16 schools. All teachers at each school were contacted by an email delivered through the school superintendent.

40 teachers responded to the invitation to complete the needs assessment for a total response rate of 26%.

Key Needs Assessment Results:

Marine science is a required topic for 82.9% of the teachers surveyed, while climate change science and estuary science are required topics for about half of all teachers surveyed (51.5% and 48.5% respectively).

The vast majority (97.4%) of teachers are interested in including more outdoor education into their classroom schedule. Most would like facilitated hands-on or inquiry-based activities (88.9% and 77.8% respectively).

Real-time and Archived Data:

Real time and archived data sets appear to be underutilized by respondents, with 56.7% stating that they use none of the above.

Temperature and air data garnered the highest response rate at 20%.

The Science of Climate Change:

The majority of teachers who participated in the survey (68%) are teaching about the science of climate change.

Given that 51.5% of respondents indicated that climate change is a required part of their school’s curriculum, it would appear that some teachers are teaching about climate change even when it’s not a curriculum requirement.

“If 98 doctors say my son is ill and needs medication and two say “No, he doesn’t, he is fine,’ I will go with the 98. It’s common sense – the same with climate change. We go with the majority, the large majority… The key thing now is that since we know this industrial age has created it, let’s get our act together and do everything we can to roll it back.”

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Professional Teacher Development Opportunities:

Teachers identified a need for more science-based professional teacher development opportunities.

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The top five professional teacher development needs identified are: (1) conducting hands-on activities (2) incorporating new lab activities (3) facilitating inquiry-based activities (4) marine or estuary science (5) facilitating field work and data collection based

Market Analysis Survey

The Process:KBNERR targeted coastal educators working within the greater Homer area. A total of 13 educators from State, Federal, and non-profit organizations were identified for the survey based on their experience and/or interest in coastal education.

Nine educators responded to and email request to fill out the Market Analysis for a response rate of 69.2%.

All educators are known to KBNERR staff, and most partner with KBNERR on program delivery, outreach efforts, and annual program planning.

Key Market Assessment Results:

Most respondents (75%) indicated that they address human impacts to the environment, while five of eight responded that they address climate change, sea level rise and/or ocean acidification.

Topics such as water chemistry; heat transfer; and physical properties of water are not being taught. This indicates a clear gap in Homer’s coastal environmental education.

The results also suggests that more coastal educators are teaching these topics at the elementary school level, with a drop in both numbers of environmental educators teaching and subjects taught at the middle and high school level.

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The Science of Climate Change:

Would you be interested in local environmental education training specific to climate change issues?

Answer OptionsResponse Percent

Response Count

Yes 83.3% 5

No 16.7% 1

Other (please specify) 1

answered question 6skipped question 4

All responders include information about climate change in their programming, with 42.9% stating that they almost always do, and just 28.6% stating that they usually do not.

All responders with the exception of one would like to receive local environmental education training specific to climate change issues.

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Six survey responders (out of nine) indicated that they offer professional teacher development. Four target elementary school educators, while the other two target middle school educators.

Based on the KBNERR Needs Assessment area high school teachers are in need of coastal teacher professional development opportunities. This lack of emphasis on high school- level professional teacher development indicates a gap KBNERR should look to fill.

Professional Teacher Development Opportunities:

Conclusion:

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KBRR and other partner coastal educators can address stated data gaps in the following areas:

Physical Oceanography:

Develop and deliver physical oceanography programs at the middle and high school level (physical properties of water; water chemistry; water density; salinity; heat transfer; real estuary measurements and data; and interdisciplinary research).

Include the use of real time and archived data sets.

Offer physical oceanography professional development workshops to 7th – 12th grade teachers to meet the identified need for more professional teacher development at the middle and high school level.

Climate Change:

Based on the MA and NA survey results, both coastal environmental educators and Homer area teachers are hungry for a broad range of climate change education, from sea level rise, to ocean acidification and stewardship actions.

The KBRR Discovery Labs format, along with targeted teacher workshops, can help to provide information on the impacts of climate change to Alaska’s ocean waters, ocean life, weather, and climate.

Questions?