By Sara Westhead

There has been increasing interest in educational circles in developing interdisciplinary STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programmes that not only teach students about scientific method in the classroom, but also how it can be applied in real life experiences. These hands-on learning experiences are now part and parcel of a number of curricula used around the globe, whether it be the Common Core in the United States, or the Cambridge Curriculum that is in use here in Bermuda.

Hands-on experiences have long been a vital component in the classes offered through the Bermuda Zoological Society’s Schools Programme.  However, taking students to the next level can require a great deal of creativity, forethought and, most importantly, time – something many classroom teachers simply do not have.  As a result, a number of schools have now approached the BZS Education team to assist them in further developing and enhancing their curricula.

Over the past year, the BZS Education staff have stretched even further to accommodate teachers’ needs through specially-designed programmes. These primarily come in as requests from teachers, some because teachers have previously brought students for classes, while others are now asking because they have heard from colleagues about the benefits of the Schools Programme at BZS.

A saltus student conducts scientific experiments while out
on the open ocean aboad The Endurance as a part of the
Marine Sciene programme. Photo supplied.

Guided inquiries were added to the ‘Skeletons and Movement’ and ‘Pollination and Seed Dispersal’ classes, for example, to give students experience in doing experiments and provide opportunities to incorporate math into a science topic.  Also, BZS’s collaboration with the Bermuda National Gallery’s ‘Water is Me’ art competition spawned the creation of a day-long programme that included a morning class and lab on the water cycle (primary school), over fishing (middle school), or ocean acidification (senior school), followed by an afternoon of snorkeling.  A total of 232 students took part in these classes last fall.

But probably the greatest amount of innovation has occurred with classes for senior school students. 

BZS’s Dr. Alex Amat collaborated with Berkeley Institute and Saltus Marine Science teachers to enhance their existing programmes and, in the case of Berkeley Institute, was instrumental in the development of a second year for their Marine Science course in order to prevent Berkeley’s Marine Science Programme from being cancelled.

Previously, Berkeley had only one year of Marine Science; however, it was decided that as students now have two years after completing the GCSE programme, it would need to be a two-year programme, otherwise the whole course would be cancelled. Thankfully, Dr. Amat, who has a very strong background in marine science, was able to help develop a very comprehensive programme with implementation anticipated for the 2015-16 school year.

Dr. Jamie Bacon also helped enhance a ‘Hydrocarbon Pollution and Pond Remediation’ class and field trip for Berkeley Institute’s Environmental Science II Course and created an Ecological Sampling class and field trip for MSA year 11 students. What had originally started as a lecture on hydrocarbon pollution several years ago has since evolved to become more complex each year. In addition, these classes help students meet curriculum requirements for field work outside of the classroom, which are seen as a vital component in contemporary education practices.

Teachers needing assistance in enhancing current classes or developing new ones are encouraged to contact the BZS Education office at edofficer.bzs@gov.bm. However, it is important to note that such programmes require a great deal of time, effort and collaboration between the school and BZS’s Education team.