Page 181 - GIS for Science, Volume 3 Preview

PREPARING FOR CAREERS IN THE SCIENCES
Through inquiry-based work, students sense they can do something about the challenges facing the world. When students start with a pressing question and then receive the data, resources, and guidance they need to explore options, and present solutions, then they can take charge of their own learning. Alicia (Ali) Pressel uses this approach to great success in her environmental science classes at Creekside High School in St. Johns, Florida, where she was honored as 2021 Teacher of the Year.
Students in Pressel’s class embrace the learning process as a form of exploration. “Too often, that’s a missing link in our education system. We’re not doing enough to let students ask their own questions and inquire why things are happening,” Pressel says. Cultivating a young explorer’s mindset requires that teachers model it. “You and your students both have to try new things,” she said. “You have to be willing to challenge yourself, and you have to be willing to fail. Students have to know if you’re going to be an explorer, things are not going to work every time.”
Pressel challenges her students to think through questions such as, “How does land development and habitat fragmentation influence our community watershed? How does it influence biodiversity in the state?” She guides them in using ArcGIS, survey tools, and storytelling resources to research, form, and test hypotheses; create action plans; and communicate the issues and solutions to the community.
The teacher is inspired by the work of her current and former students to improve lives beyond their own. She recently connected with a former student who is working in the Dominican Republic using GIS to identify where fresh water is scarce, but direly needed. The former student works with local engineers to provide fresh well water access to underserved communities in mountainous areas of the country. “I don’t remember her as outdoorsy, but she’s trekking in the highlands with all this equipment to install these pumps so impoverished communities can have clean water,” Pressel said.
Another former student, Jule Campbell, is a graduate student studying conservation biology and environmental sustainability at the University of Central Florida. During a visit to Creekside High, she encouraged Pressel’s students to use their skills to help people outside the classroom. Her own dream is to become an environmental educator. “You can’t make change without education,” Campbell said. “Teachers are there with you since kindergarten. They’re consistently making an impact on your life. That’s true with me and Ms. Pressel. She’s literally the reason I’m on the path I’m on, and to be able to give that back to students is something I’m really excited about.”
Fueling Curiosity to Foster a Healthy Planet 169