Ecology and Restoration Potential of the Manchac Wetlands: Teacher workshops and In-Service Training

D. Dardis

Project Overview

PBRP offers stipend grants to teachers recruited from public schools in parishes adjacent to Lake Pontchartrain to attend a series of workshops in wetland ecology. The goals of the workshops vary according to level.

• Level 1 workshops are interdisciplinary in nature, and will familiarize teachers with the ecology of the Pontchartrain Basin. Teachers will create digital portfolios and participate in activities that may later be feasibly implemented in their classrooms. Level 1 teachers will be introduced to the various research projects conducted by university faculty.

• In Level 2, teachers are recruited as research associates to work closely with graduate students and university faculty in the Manchac area. Written reports and oral presentations of the research projects will provide opportunities for teachers to replicate activities of the scientific community.

• Level 3 teachers will focus on curriculum development and implementation in their classrooms. They will also be asked to conduct a small research project with their students during the academic year and to facilitate the brief summer camp at Turtle Cove for middle and/or secondary school students. A total of 60 teachers, 16 parishes, and hundreds of students will be impacted by this project