Robert Blair

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Science Professional Development with Teachers: Nurturing the Scientist Within

We used a mixed-methods study to understand the nature of classroom instruction and the enactment... more We used a mixed-methods study to understand the nature of classroom instruction and the enactments of inquiry with nine teachers after an extensive professional development (PD). The Summer Ecology Institute for Teachers focused on science as a process and included mentoring by scientists and science educators. We validated our findings using a triangulation approach with multiple data sources: pre-post attitude surveys, classroom observations using the CETP-COP protocol with observation notes at 5 minute intervals, semi-structured interviews, and review of student science notebooks. Our first three findings address the nature of classroom instruction:1) in their classroom practice the nature of the instruction was as mentors for K-12 students as they engaged in scientific inquiry, 2) the teachers' instructional practices were drawn from their own emerging identities as scientists who practice scientific inquiry in their interactions with their K-12 students (TIS) and 3) the classroom practice of the teachers promoted high levels of cognition and student engagement. A fourth finding addresses the enactment of inquiry in teachers' classrooms: Finding 4) while teachers integrated inquiry into many aspects of their classroom instructional practices, there was unevenness in the components of the inquiry enactments. Implications for PD are included.

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Best Practices for Environmental Field Days: Structuring Your Event for Fun and Learning

by Nathan Meyer, Amy Rager, and Robert Blair

Journal of Extension, 2004

Six "Best Practices" for environmental field days will help you deliver a clear message at almost... more Six "Best Practices" for environmental field days will help you deliver a clear message at almost any non-formal educational event involving schoolchildren, natural resource professionals, and volunteers. Based on research and experience, the guidelines form a practical foundation for field-day planning focused on understanding participants' needs, developing concise goals, and communicating goals effectively. The practices will ensure better learning for the hundreds of thousands of students who attend such events around the country every year.

Best practices for field days: A program planning guidebook for organizers, presenters, teachers and volunteers

by Nathan Meyer, Amy Rager, and Robert Blair

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Grounding a Program Theory to Enable Authentic Inquiry through Citizen Science

by Nathan Meyer, Andrea Lorek Strauss, Robert Blair, and Karen Oberhauser

Extension programs are well-suited to provide youth & adults with exposure to science. However, d... more Extension programs are well-suited to provide youth & adults with exposure to science. However, designing programming to fully engage participants in deeper experience with science practice is a complicated challenge. Grounded theory is one research approach that Extension staff can use to explicate these program models. The Driven to Discover: Enabling Authentic Inquiry through Citizen Science project (D2D), funded by the National Science Foundation, demonstrates potential for using grounded theory to identify factors that provoke authentic inquiry by youth/adult research teams using citizen science experiences.

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Citizen Science as a REAL Environment for Authentic Scientific Inquiry

by Nathan Meyer, Andrea Lorek Strauss, Robert Blair, Karen Oberhauser, and Siri Scott

Journal of Extension, 2014

Citizen science projects can serve as constructivist learning environments for programming focuse... more Citizen science projects can serve as constructivist learning environments for programming focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for youth. Attributes of rich environments for active learning (REALs) provide a framework for design of Extension STEM learning environments. Guiding principles and design strategies for the University of Minnesota Extension's Driven to Discover: Enabling Authentic Inquiry through Citizen Science project demonstrate how education and investigations grounded in real-world citizen science projects can capitalize on REAL environments to generate meaningful STEM learning. Positive evaluation results support the efficacy of the design for enhancing youth science identity and practice.

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