Inspiring Investigations through Citizen Science

One of the practices that I feel most important for my students is building their ability to ask meaningful questions. This is important because this is one of the first steps in the inquiry process. If the students don't ask questions that are meaningful or that they will be able to investigate, they will not have a successful inquiry project. I think another important practice that would benefit my students in the inquiry project is building their ability to create a concept map. This is important because it allows students to use their prior knowledge, brainstorm, and connect important ideas.

I am currently developing new curriculum for our outdoor education program. We have over 180 acres of land that can be used during lessons and workshops. Since students will be outside of their classroom learning science I think that giving them the time to make observations and wonder about what they see here is going to be important.

Our curriculum is already inquiry-based and we use the conservation land that abuts the school to explore, practice observation skills and generate questions.  However, I am excited to take the next step into citizen science which will add more structure to our inquiry AND allow us to better explore practices like gathering and analyzing data, collaborating with other scientists around the world, etc.

I feel that enabling the students to be active participants in citizen science projects around our school will greatly enhance their understanding of science. We will utilize the pond habitat near our school as our outdoor learning lab where we will conduct a bioblitz, bird counts, and monarch monitoring.  I feel that the students will not only be engaged in the projects, but also feel empowered that their data will contribute to global scientific databases.

Using observation and experimentation to answer the questions that students have may be the most important approach to our setting. I feel that we are pretty competent about the research angle for finding information. Enabling students to find the information on their own will be valuable.

We are fortunate that we have an outside nature area. Using the Scientific Method and Citizen Science will give the students more direction in their outdoor inquiry.  I am really excited to implement this way of learning! I am looking forward to seeing what is put on the Wonder Board! While taking this course, I have started the process to implement a huge  Wonderboard, to make it the focal of our room.  I am looking forward to observing the conversations and seeing where the Inquiry Driven learning model takes our students!  Excited to see what and how the students develop from this!

I think being flexible but prepared for each class. My location is gold. My classroom is under a Mulberry tree right by a grove of trees. The kids and I will easily be able to set up a little areas for the birds to conduct all kinds of studies. The downside to this tho is I have to bring all my stuff out to the classroom. If I forget something like the field guide books, then it takes 5-10 minutes to get them from the storage. Also, research is limited. We have no internet and I hate using phones, so I will have to figure out how to encourage research in a way that the kids will follow through. I think I will put together binders of info for bird research.

The biggest thing that I want students to come away with after a lesson is really more questions then what they came in with, and really, just learning how to answer questions. This doesn't even have to be for a science class or lecture. This is important in all subjects. When I was teaching at the high school level, I found it that even juniors and seniors couldn't come up with simple questions or even think critically for an assignment. It's things like citizen science when started early can provide these students with better ability to look critically later in school and life.

I feel we need to continue to working at our local stream and lake, by to adding more learning opportunities at these locations, through identifying waterfowl, birds, mammals or even insects in some or our prairies.  Whatever we choose to do at the locations will most definitely involve collecting data, drawing conclusions and sharing this data we have collected.

I teach mostly in the classroom, but I hope to be able to offer more outdoor experiences for kids to help them make connections about what they learn in the classroom and what they see in their own neighborhoods. It's important to offer opportunities for kids to contribute to science in a meaningful way in their own habitats. I also hope to help other educators make connections with local scientists who specialize in certain areas of science - aquatic science and water quality, urban wildlife, herpetology, entomology, etc. This will help kids see themselves in these roles and find what interests them while seeing the application of their knowledge and skills on a broader, even global, scale.

1. Getting kids outside and developing expertise in scientific methods. 2. Getting students involved not only in conservation of species but conservation action. Getting them working on hands on projects that make science a more reachable goal and not a jumble of facts. (Share the work and take action).

1.  Just getting kids outside 2. Improving student observational skills 3.  Improving data collection methods.  Keep the data collection and the solution finding student driven. 4. Framing the scientific need for the data--show the maps, the data compilations, talk about the real world problems that the data sets are aimed to help solve 5. Presenting the project and the project findings to an authentic outside audience and perhaps brainstorming next steps with that audience (projects to implement at school or in a local setting, new school policies or school district policies, local, state or federal legislation)---and then do it!!!

As a secondary educator that only sees my students once a week for an hour, some of these practices could be a challenge to incorporate into our limited time together. I think for my situation, the approaches that I look forward to using are to incorporate wonder boards, or other forms of this idea into a walk on our nature trail. Have them brainstorm questions as we walk. The most important type of science to focus on for us would be observational studies: things that we can observe during our outdoor meetings. Making reports or displays probably isn't in the cards for my groups but I think that they can still go through the process of inquiry and collecting data for projects.

Because we are an outdoor facility, engaging students with complex social ecological systems is an important part of their experience. It's important to get kids to look at what they are seeing, collect data and look at the impacts of these systems on each other. We need to work on establishing a strong connection with the teachers for post field trip work- students are welcome to use our facility to find ways to educate others on their findings. We'd also like to provide ideas or connections and resources for teachers to use for allowing students to make an impact.

Important approaches for my setting will be for students to share their findings with outside audiences through blogs or presentations; for students to take ownership of their data, becoming experts and reviewing peer's data; and engaging with complex social ecological systems, for example, how humans impact the area they are investigating. Students should learn science by 'doing science', using methods that professional scientists use, and being involved in investigations that allow them to ask and answer their own questions, especially if the answers to the questions are not already known!

Some inquiry practices important in my setting include asking questions, carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, engaging in an argument with evidence and communicating the information. These practices dovetail beautifully with the citizen science practices of positioning youth as people who do science, helping students take ownership of data quality and sharing findings with outside audiences. All of these practices help students actively do the work of scientists and will help students see themselves as scientists.

A scientific experiment in the "real world" rarely provides results that are expected. Students are accustomed to getting an answer or results that proves their hypothesis to be correct and consequently never experience the struggle a professional scientist deals with. I use this as an opportunity to further challenge a students own beliefs and thoughts about what he/she thought was going to happen so the student can improve or modify the experiment or to simply analyze the results and develop a new hypothesis. The inquiry continues when a student chooses to go in this direction.

My school is downtown San Francisco, so we are in a concrete jungle with little access to nearby parks. I think, if I can get approval for half or full day field trips, I will have my students use Ebird and Budburst to help them observe what they see (as mostly what they observe are cars and people). I also plan on using an "I Wonder" board to help my students ask questions before we go outside to observe, to help them organize their thoughts a bit better.

My question is, why are some birds so scared of humans. And some not. A Canada Goose, a Crow, a Seagull, all will eat food, practically out of your hand. In the wild. Other birds, would take a trainer, and/or a low % of that certain breed, would not fly away. I have always seen GREAT BLUE HERONS, and Raptors, or Eastern Bluebirds, be of the 'flighty,' type. But a Canada Goose, Duck, or a Sparrow, be much less scared of humans. Especially if we have food, for them. The obvious answer is the partial domestication of that bird. But some birds fly away, immediately, at the sight of a person, walking in their territory. Yet some birds, stay put, until you are about a few inches from them. Certain percentages exist, of course, of exceptions, of each hypothesis. Not all bird are always scared, and most flinch a little. But some will stay right near you,and some will fly away from fear, at the mere sound of a footstep. Why ?

As of right now I am focused on the concept that testing and data do not prove a hypothesis, rahter they can disprove a hypothesis and guide further investigations.  The importance of sharing data, being willing to openly critique the data and conclusions, and continue to test and explore cannot be over stated.  Doing so also helps promote a growth mindset and long term thinking.

One thing that I have gained from the video, and the Investigating Evidence guide, is students need to ask questions  But also have time to research, observe, or experiment to answer their own questions.  As a teacher, I need to resist the urge to answer everything for them.  This also plays into the growth mindset, not everything comes easy in life.  Students need to work on their problem-solving skills.

I feel that getting outside and doing inquiry would be the best thing for my students, who spend most of their lives indoors. Ebird and Budburst seem to fit well both with the age group I teach and the curriculum.

I really want to allow students the opportunity engage in science by doing science, asking their own questions that connect to subject about which they are passionate. This takes time and follow through, and when I only get to have students for one period a week, this is a challenge. With my position as an instructional coach, I hope to be able to work with teachers to find more opportunities for co-teaching time so that I have more opportunities to encourage my students to be scientists by doing science.

Right now, I am focusing on planning and carrying out investigations. I think this really makes science class fun and engaging to students. It also helps them understand the topics more when they are the ones actually conducting the investigation. They are more likely to learn and remember when they do a hands-on activity.

In my setting, I think that engaging students' natural curiosity and giving them ownership over their questions and answers will be most important.

The "I Wonder" board is a great idea and can be used not only for science, but it could be adapted to foster curiosity about literature, history, geography, etc.

I want to get my kiddos asking more questions and feel comfortable posing them.  I feel like they're used to being handed information and/or directions in school.  I would like them to remember what it feels like to wonder things.  I'm thinking about having them start a question/wondering journal.  They could jot things down throughout the day that they wonder about.  I think it might be slow at first, but once they get in the routine of realizing they can ask questions the inquiry process will be much more kid led and much more exciting to them.

I think best practices will be developed through more work with students but for now I plan to work within the new CDC guidelines and still have as open a learning environment as possible where students are given time, materials, guidance, and space to pursue their own interests and be creative while tracking their work and collecting data if appropriate. We'll use journals to record all possible ideas, creations, and more.

I think in my setting as a language teacher, it is important to teach my students the language of practice in science, not just vocabulary of content, which is what they are used to.  Then learning about the language structures of inquiry and research...how can they use the terminology they've learned to describe the processes they see in the natural world and then also the processes they go through as an observer and researcher?  Before all that, developing questions in relation to inquiry is also important...how do we phrase those questions we want to ask?  Again, as a language teacher, these genres of speaking and writing are essential and beneficial, and tie in beautifully with citizen science and inquiry-based learning.

As a classroom educator, I want to incorporate and provide citizen science activities that are authentic and inspiring (link down).

For me the positioning youth as people who do science would be the most important in my setting. The county I live in is focused on test scores and teachers are required to adhere to the curriculum and be sure all standards are taught with limited time for anything extra. STEM learning is part of the curriculum and this would allow students to do real science. And citizen science would be an additional option if time allowed.

Honestly, I think both of them are important and can be easily adaptable and incorporated in what I am already doing now.  Having 50% reduced class size is going to help also in executing real inquiry studies and CS projects.

I want to incorporate more "I wonder"boards-- especially before they go outside so that we have a basis for discussion in later- research.

I use a lot of these practices right now. As a science teacher, Scientific Inquiry is the basis of my teaching. Citizen Science would be an integral and important part of my students' experience. It will enhance the feeling of ownership of their findings when they can share their information even further. I like the concept of "I WonderBoards" boards and plan on having one handy!

I plan on incorporating more "I Wonder" board activities into the beginning of my outdoor programs with families. Instead of telling them what I think we might see on a walk, I'll ask them what they think they might see, document what we do see, and compare it to the initial list. I will also try to document their questions along the way, then review which ones we answered through observation, and consider which ones we didn't answer and how we might go about finding those answers.

Hello Administrators. Just an FYI that the link for the article noted above:  "Science Investigation and Developing Students’ Science Process Skills Through Citizen Science" is not working.  When the link is opened we are sent to NSTA but get a message "Page Not Found".

I don't have a formal background in education, but apparently I've naturally tended towards inquiry based learning, so it was nice to be affirmed in what I've been doing as well as see a more developed framework for the approach to enhance the class/group experience. As to a specific item - I will definitely be using the Vultures: See or Smell as it succinctly (and memorably!) captures so many aspects of the scientific process: beyond the basics of observation, questioning, developing investigation, conclusion but also the importance of repeating and continuing to refine and that even 'great' scientists get things 'wrong'. As the current pandemic has shown, even a surprising amount of adults in our society are uncomfortable with the lack of  a single, straightforward, definitive answer to a myriad of aspects of a novel disease.

"Learn science by going science." Yes!! This is a motto that I use as an educator daily.  I always say innovating and solving local problems in the biological classroom by doing real science is the only way to make sense out of science. Creating the "I Wonder" board and discussing what is science are two great ways to prime the minds of young people to start thinking like investigators.

I think in my setting, as an informal educator at a wildlife refuge, the most important practice would be to frame the project locally and globally. This will further help students connect with their local habitats, and realize that everything we do here connects to the bigger-picture globally.

My students are 4 and 5 years old. My approach will need to be modified to meet the needs of early learners and, since I teach at a School for the Deaf, a lot of our focus is on language acquisition in American Sign Language and written English. My program is largely outdoors (garden, woodlot, playground, conservation areas) where developmentally appropriate open inquiry is the most common practice. The Ontario Kindergarten Program runs for 2 years and is play-based which provides plenty of opportunity for open inquiry that is 100% student-centred. Of course, there are still some teacher-led segments of each day, but they are very short with a very specific goal in mind, and are not to interrupt a student's natural learning when they are "in the zone" of their own deep play. "Play" is a child's work and it is my job to infuse that play with new provocations and opportunities for deeper inquiry, learning and skill development through their two years with me. Confirmation, structured and guided inquiry are used less in my daily practice. Now I have a greater appreciation for the role of this type of inquiry with young students and will employ them more often and with greater attention to detail during our teacher-directed segments of the day.

As an informal educator in a nature center, I am able to provide a lot of hands-on learning in the park. We often do citizen science events, but not as much in a smaller program setting. I feel that I need to bring more inquiry into our smaller programs. I like the idea of the "I Wonder" board. While I can't always incorporate the scientific process in activities and crafts that I lead, I believe that an "I Wonder" board could fit well into any program! The kids can contribute questions to the board throughout the program and at the end we can discuss the questions and how we would go about finding the answers. This way, the kids can take these ideas home with them and work on finding answers as an at-home extension.

The NGSS Science practices are important for my students to understand and use so those 8 practices will be an important part of our process. I like starting with just getting outside, because that is where observation can happen, and then develop into a more formal structure of documenting observations. I also use John Muir Laws I wonder, I notice... observation tool https://johnmuirlaws.com/product/observation-question-stickers/ It is handy as we begin to formalize our observations and questions. I like the I Wonder board idea and will try that out. I also like the whole idea of exploring the kinds of questions on our board and how we can classify them to better understand which ones require research, exploring current data, observational study or experimentation. Analyzing questions will better help students identify the kinds of questions we would use specifically for some type of investigation or experiment vs reading/researching and why that is important. I do think parts of Lesson 2 from Investigating Evidence would be better to do first, such as drawing a scientist. Part of the reason is because it does serve as a kind of pre-assessment and that can be really useful when you are trying to gauge change in student understanding over time. I can do a lot of what I want because my district doesn't have specific science curriculum. We have old textbooks, but I am free to do what I want for the most part. I will teach energy, geology, waves, and structure and function as these are part of the 4th grade NGSS standards. I also teach grade 4 in California which means that  I will be teaching California History and I also teach California natural history as part of this, along with California's Indigenous Peoples. So there is a lot of opportunity to explore native flora and fauna while enjoying schoolyard and outdoor classroom walks, and engaging students in investigations.

I'm currently not in a position to provide an inquiry-based learning project. The case study based on the Lost Ladybug Project was a great model I would like to emulate. I like the point that the teacher should be the facilitator to guide students through a citizen science project. As a facilitator, the educator should help team members take on roles that take advantage of their strengths. Having a student or student(s) find a skill that they excel at, and that can be highlighted during the project would be wonderful outcome in addition to any other outcomes provided by the other three educator practices.

Since I work as a non-formal educator and the students I see, I am adding to their classroom instruction or reinforcing what they are learning in the classroom. I feel it is best to encourage students through their observations, making personal connections, and try to add in the wonder board, since the wonder board would be something I would be able to leave with students for them to add to and the teacher can also follow through with for the remainder of the topic related discussions. Also, this may allow for me to come back and elaborate with students on their observations and may allow for my current lessons to be taken more into the inquiry/citizen science project levels.

We use the FOSS kits with my district;I have not yet gotten to view them so I'm not sure how much inquiry they involve or whether they ask students to complete a lab where the teacher poses the question, tells them how to complete the lab and record date, and then moves on.  If so, then I would really like to incorporate either CS and inquiry-learning into the curriculum.  I love the idea of a Wonder board and know that I have access to an outdoor classroom, so I can imagine using that space as a place to observe nature to develop questions and to engage into CS.  I also really want to incorporate the idea of empowering students as scientists.  Before I took over my fifth grade classroom in October last year, the prior long-term sub had students fill out a poster telling what kind of scientist they would like to be when they grow up;  I could see instead, researching, interviewing, or skyping with actual scientists in the field to learn what different types of scientists there are, but then asking students to develop poster/journal on each type of scientists and brainstorm ways that they can practice being that type of scientist through our CS and inquiry-based learning, for example, one big unit for sixth grade is weather patterns.  We could learn about the different kinds of weather scientists there are and then develop/complete CS or inquiry-based lessons that help students practice being that type of scientist.  This way they can be a scientist, not just help a scientist, which in turn will empower them to engage in science and develop a deepen understanding of weather (I hope).  I also really want to develop ways to use the ideas of students as experts who can teach other students, adults, or community members what they know.  In our school, the sixth graders have typically completed a co-taught egg hatching unit with first graders.  I think it would be great to have students use the CS and inquiry-based learning ideals to become the experts who teach the first graders.  I also really want to find more ways to have my students use what they learn in our school and local community.

I would love to do what was discussed in Lesson 1 with observations and development of the I Wonder board.  I had an opportunity to experience this first-hand through a Project Wild workshop through my local park district.  We walked around the park, came up with several questions, and then chose one to study.  It was very open-ended and would easily work in my suburban schoolyard. I also like the drawing of a scientist even for my high school students.  I think it is important to encourage students of all types to consider themselves capable of becoming scientists and their stereotypes may interfere with that.  From the webinar last week I think it would be great to incorporate guest speakers of all types so students can meet real scientists and recognize their diversity.

Since I work at a nature center, the most important way we can help layer upon classroom instruction is to encourage students to make observations. We regularly chat about what a scientist looks like and what scientists do - calling attention to alternative careers beyond the mad scientist cliche image. So far this unit has helped me understand just how important it is for students to be involved in the entire process, from proposing the question to recording the data and then the dissemintation of results. Although we don't always have time ffor this entire process in a single-day visit, I think this approach would work well for summer camps and youth mentor groups.

CS and inquiry-based learning are fun for children and adults.  The young birders' club that I lead visits nearby natural areas monthly.  I would like to explore ways to make these field trips more actual science based rather than a hike for families and a chance to be outdoors. The kids attend with their parents who provide the transportation.  Most parents want their children to have these experiences or the children are interested in birding.   I wish there was a method of conveying to the parents the value of these field trips and what their children are gaining through these experiences.  This class has brought these deficits to my attention.  Furthermore,   the club often visits natural areas and the staff at these sites generously shares their time and knowledge with the kids.  These talks with the experts  (scientists) could be framed as more of inquiry experiences where the kids can ask questions.  Using the "I wonder" board may be a method for the kids to reflect and develop questions in advance what they would want to know when we talk to these experts.   I am not sure if the families and kids are utilizing the science lessons that can be realized through these encounters.  It would be great if they could take more responsibility in these field trips.   Since the viral outbreak, may of our field trip have been cancelled.  The young birders club offers these hands-on and engaging field trips, I need to contemplate a better approach to make these field trips more science bases with inquiry components identified.  Perhaps using something where the club members could stay engaged beyond the monthly field trips would be smart.  These lessons have given me a lot of consider.

Stating to think of inquiry at different levels and taking that approach I think will be helpful. I can be more deliberate in how I structure my learning. There has been a lot of confirmation of my belief system of how teaching should be done.  I now have some items tools in my tool belt. I've been wondering how to use citizen science in my classroom in any capacity.

I plan on using this whole unit this upcoming year.  I started with it this year and then when Covid hit, things went sideways.  The thing I'd like to get better at this year is becoming more familiar with some of the Citizen Science platforms so I feel more confident using them in the classroom with students.  I think I will start with Celebrate Urban Birds.  I really want to have a deeper understanding of eBird so that I can capitalize on all the rich opportunities for data analysis.

Because I mainly work with young students in the gardens, where anything can spring up anytime, I think the "Early bird club" and the "Wonder board" are practices that will be useful for promoting observations and posing questions among students. Also, inquiry-based and citizen science learning is local-based, with readily available materials, and can be done without expensive laboratory settings, so it'll be great for public schools with limited resources in our city.

I feel like the most important practice or key point so far is choice of project to make it meaningful an authentic to students. By choosing a meaningful project students are invested in and feel connected to, it will be easier to hit on other key practices such as following and promoting inquiry and investigations, teaching them scientific processes, connecting both globally and locally and having youth "do science." If a project is not age appropriate or does not match up with curriculum, these other points will be very difficult to achieve.  

I like the ideas of the "I Wonder" board and "Meet a Scientist."  My students were fortunate over the last couple of years to have parents and a grandparent who are scientists/teachers.  We invited them to our class, and each visit was hands-on, inquiry based, unique and interesting.  The students created "thank you" books with photos and their thoughts. We have perfect opportunities to participate in more than one citizen science project with our own garden and the discoveries we make on our own school grounds.  It will be a focal point for us this year.

I continue to believe if we can find that 'spark' of what interests a student, it will continue to motivate and excite their learning.  I was reminded in the readings of the different scientists how many of them could recall back to a time in their early childhood when something peaked an interest and their scientific pursuits took off from there.  I was also reminded of how research can be done, and then be looked at again as in the vulture study to find new information.  I liked this perspective especially because a well-known name like John James Audubon made some observations, but also some assumptions that were subsequently questioned and disproved.

I really appreciate the reminder to share information with outside audiences. It's a great way to get the students involved and allows them to "make a difference".

I love the idea of having an "Early Bird" club.  Students that get to school early or can arrive early could participate in this club if they are interested.  The eBird project will probably be a great place to start.  It makes sense to start on a small scale and build from there.   I plan on using the idea to have students design ideal bird feeding areas, and finding the best location for birdhouses and bird baths.  With all the resources I have read and listened to, I think I just need to prioritize and start with one idea find out interests and go from there.

My organization is a support group for the area's National Forest and Wildlife Refuges. The students get the opportunity to explore and learn about these places. I would like to connect these lessons and experiences so that the students don't forget about their public lands once they leave the field trip. A goal of our environmental education programs is to inspire young students to become motivated citizens that will continue to protect our public lands. I think that citizen science and inquiry-based learning can spark this interest to want to protect the places they learned about and even take their new knowledge back home and spread it to their family and friends.

I am lucky in that my program is completely outdoors and designed primarily for the homeschool community, so I don't have any standards or curriculum that I must follow, and I don't have to answer to an administrator. Citizen science has always been one of the main pillars of my program however I want to be more intentional about it moving forward. I want students to not just collect data but actually begin to use the data to ask questions and solve problems. I also want to include the step of having their peers review their claims prior to submitting their evidence and claims to scientists. I also hope they can go a step further and actually implement their solution. Throughout this course, I have used my fall theme, of invasive species as an example. So when I talk about taking it a step further an example relating to invasive species, would be them helping the park with restoration and/or eradication of the species in question. Another aspect I am adding into our citizen science work is having students create informational brochures and/or posters that they can share with the public to raise awareness about invasive species and why they are a problem for our fragile desert ecosystem.

My school has an overall traditional way of teaching science that I have tried to move away from. They use prepackaged science kits and scripted curriculum that leave little room for inquiry and discovery. Students become consumers rather than doers of science. I think it is going to be real important for me to redirect students thinking about what it means to be a person who does science. Although most students in my school are drawn to science topics they seldom have the opportunity to have their questions answered about wonderings and noticings through their own investigations and discoveries. If I can offer and teach students the skills they will need to carry out their own investigations I will be kind of like giving them the tools to fish on their own. Also, students at my school are taught to be compliant to get a good grade without seeing the personal value or real world connection their learning might have. I want to help students see the real world connections and impact that  doing science can have in their lives. I think open inquiries based on students interests will help start a movement toward more inquiry based, student centered, teaching and learning of science at my school.

I can see that student involvement in observation and collecting data creates questions by students. When they are able to pursue activities to answer these questions through investigations, they 1) are more invested in the project, 2)gain confidence as a student and a scientist, and 3)become leaders and peer teachers. This process is flexible, with the ability to start and progress as teachers and students become more familiar and confident with their citizen science project. Knowing that makes this venture a little less scary, and modeling the citizen science learning process along with the students will help everyone to become more successful!

I think the most important thing to engage youth in Citizen Science is allowing youth to take the lead and internalizing the need for their research, allowing them to have time to go off track and ask more questions in an open inquiry setting.  In college I was taught the use of KWL charts, What you Know, What you Want to Know and What you Learned, as a way of assessment and youth taking a lead on their own learning; this closely relates to the “I Wonder” statements being discussed.  I love the idea of asking kids to observe their I Wonder statements and brainstorming questions.  I would use this as a group opportunity, let youth ask questions about the statements they see displayed, helping each other frame the questions as most effective for conducting an experiment.  This would allow youth that have trouble with coming up with their own research question to reflect on their statements in a positive learning environment.  After brainstorming questions, allowing time for youth to explore articles and other research being done on the topic, bringing in real-world examples and making connections to other scientist.   I also like the idea of peer reviewing, this allows for youth to see and reflect on other’s work adding to their repertoire of ideas and concepts while giving others constructive feedback and ideas to consider.   Likewise, it is important for youth to have a purpose for their research, whether they create a science project from the data they collect, create a podcast or submit their findings to the  BlueSleuth Investigator Magazine, giving youth a connection to a real-world will help instill the importance of science and how they can contribute or even make a difference. This way of teaching is not only allowing youth to gain knowledge about a topic of their choice but it is teaching youth how to become life-long learners, teaching them to ask questions and use non-biased researched based articles to seek answers.

I believe my students need to be the major stakeholders in Lessons. They need to develop the skills to take the lead on investigations and  bring their interests  and curiosities to the table.  Authentic experiences that are student led have a deep and meaningful impact and lead to students who want to develop and investigate their own ideas. This natural intrinsic motivation will help students become vested in their own education and foster a love of learning and the knowledge that they are capable of questioning and researching ideas,  collaborative learning and their ideas are valued and important.

There are many benefits for incorporating so many aspects into the educational spheres in Hong Kong, but the most compelling is to have 'a reason' to conduct the investigation in the first place that is relevant to the students' lives.  Sometimes it is about satisfying an internal curiosity, but most often the satisfaction comes from contributing to something bigger than oneself and having a positive impact on something.  I would like to tap into intrinsic motivations and curiosities, and with the range of CS projects, the capacity to build collaborative or co-created CS projects with the help of various NGOs and experts locally and globally (one of my goals is to build a database to bridge the gap between experts and public/teachers/students) and with access to technology (including DIY and Maker-culture), our imagination is our only limiting factor to support some incredible experiences possible for our students! I've written about things related to this (in a 3-min read on Medium) from the perspective of my colleague who has been one of my greatest allies while bringing citizen science into our curriculum: "Exploration + Education + Citizen Science = Students as 'Agents of Change'.

In the previous discussion post, I explained how I would like to use CS to frame the work globally and locally for students in my classroom. To begin, establishing a culture of respect in the classroom that will allow for effective communication and discussion in the classroom is a first step that must be taken in my highschool classroom. From here, students will be able to 1) investigate and share their findings in a respectful setting, 2) work in collaborative groups and 3) debate/discuss how their questions, findings and suggested practices can benefit the local and global community. I think working collaboratively and communicating with teachers, classmates, and other stakeholders are important practices for students to become familiar with and to become comfortable with. Then, students will be able to further their curiosity and investigations by learning about and responding to the opinions or findings of others.

Some of the practices I feel will be most important and work best in my classroom are setting my students up as scientists, have them start thinking and acting locally and globally, and of course, welcome the unexpected.  I am looking to set up some lessons and activities that will both encourage and promote my students as scientists.  Their minds should feel empowered to ask, explore and discover.  I want them to be thinking about the world around them, but then challenge them to think broader and more encompassing.  I want my students to look for surprises and relish in what is uncovered.  With these practices I hope to open up minds to new thinking, nurture new ideas and guide findings into new investigations.

Engaging in citizen science projects is a good introduction into inquiry based learning in the classroom. Reading through both lessons of Investigating Evidence I noticed a significant overlap of science practices. One of the practices I am going to keep at the forefront is "positioning youth as people who do science". Through observation and data collection students will be engaged in working towards a larger goal. They will also have opportunities for coming up with their own questions. I like how the first lesson has students focus on observation and posing questions without the weight of having to find answers for them. Through time students are able to using multiple methods to answer the questions. Questions that students think are important or keep coming back to are the ones that they can later focus on and answer. It is a natural process that they authentically engage in.

As mentioned in the last module's discussion post I felt that "positioning youth as people who do science" is still the top priority for what I feel is most important for my first graders.  Even at a young age they have the power to answer those questions that ignite their curiosity through investigations and citizen science projects.   I want to teach my students to have the drive, the confidence, and the perseverance to take charge of their learning and to know that their discoveries can go beyond our school and community. I absolutely loved the idea of the "I Wonder" board that was discussed in lesson one of the text.  It reminds me of the "W" acronym in the KWL charts that we do in class...what do they want to learn?  What questions do they wonder about?  Through this "I Wonder" board students can pose questions at any time with sticky notes.  I think it's important to teach them about how to find answers to the questions that they are asking through referencing materials, exploring and analyzing data, observational studies, and experimental studies.  This is a great tool to utilize with any topic or focus and comes with many extension activities that can be explored as well.  I'm excited to try using one of these boards in the upcoming school year.

I believe it will be important for me to approach inquiry and citizen science projects with students having ownership of the projects.  It is important for me to respect the questions and answers students are developing as we work through the projects together.  Nothing alienates a student more or destroys their interest faster than for them to feel that their input is not valued.  In students having ownership of the project, it will be important for me to work with students to develop the plan for the project.  It needs to be a project that excites the class or at least holds their interest.

I think positioning students as scientists will be the most important approach in my setting because I believe it's an opportunity to empower students and allow them to participate in meaningful, authentic learning. I think starting with observation and inquiries -- like in the "I Wonder" board is also important, though I think this is something that my students may need a lot of modelling of and practice in. I also really liked the example vulture activity -- I think examples and models will be very important for my students.

I really liked the teaching practice of positioning students as scientists, as I think it is a great way to get students more engaged and interested in the scientific process and will also make them care more about the environment around them. Citizen science helps connect students to their local environment, and I think that we need more of this from the younger generations in order to ensure there is a more positive future ahead.

I love the Wonder Board and will most likely use some of the "extension" activities from Lesson 1 with my group. Since I do not have a set group of students for an extended period of time (90 minutes once a mo.), I would introduce the activity and lead the discussion to sort the types of questions produced on the day's topic.  I think pairing that with some outdoor exploration would lead the students to see themselves as scientists. This would be a good introductory activity as we venture into inquiry based/ citizen science learning throughout the school yr.

For my setting, positioning students as scientists is most important. I want them to understand how the process of science works and everyone can do it not just a select few.

At my school, I run a nature club called Outdoor Masters. We will soon be participating in the Bird Academy FeederWatch program. I love the idea in the article of having a small group of students be the "bird watchers" before school to record the data. I could easly establish a small group within the club to do that.