Congratulations to Ina Ahern, a NHPLT 2007 Outstanding Educator!

Ina’s first exposure to PLT was at a New Hampshire Science Teacher Association (NHSTA) conference in 2004, where she picked up a copy of NHPLT’s Educator’s Guide to NH Forests.  She says, “I was so impressed with the information and found it extremely useful.”  Two years later she had seen a flyer about a new professional development opportunity being offered by NHPLT called A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC).  NHPLT sponsors this program in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation.  Ina used this unique experience to help to strengthen the field-study project that her students conduct on their local watershed each year.   

Although I think the activity guides you provide are excellent, the real strength is the people--both the staff and the community/industry contacts that you have and can make through your programs.  Because of PLT, my white pine lesson that I've done for years, was expanded to include more information on land use history in NH.  I was also able to use the information I gained from FFEC to clarify the difference in land use history in the Northern vs. Central and Southern parts of the state. (Ina Ahern, 2007)

During the months of September and October, Ina and her students spend a large amount of class time on the upper Pemi and Baker watersheds, taking measurements and collecting samples for lab analysis.   The students become familiar with proper sampling techniques, and measure the various water quality components using several different tests and procedures, which enables them to compare results.  The students also take measurements to calculate flow volume and velocity, and map cross-sections of the riverbed.  GIS technology is used to map the entire watershed area.  Taxonomic keys are used to identify the macro-invertebrate and fish communities.  All of this work culminates in an evening presentation, to which the community is invited.  The students present their data and compare it with data collected in previous years, some of which dates back as far as 1988.  At the completion of this project, Ina’s students become very familiar with their local rivers and its watersheds, as well as the factors that influence its health.  As part of the mapping component, Ina teaches her students to learn to use ArcView GIS software to map local areas, such as Squam Lakes and the town of Plymouth, including the Upper Pemi and Baker watershed regions.  The maps are then used to locate different types of land use (including conservation lands), roads, surface water, and more. 

My greater knowledge about the local environment, greater access to resource people, and the experience of FFEC allowed the students to complete a project with much deeper understanding of the local environment and produce a far higher quality product this year. (Ina Ahern, 2007)

Through this community investigation, students not only gain science content, but also knowledge and skills in scientific data collection and analysis, graphing, mapping, and public speaking.  This project also helps to build ties between the school and its community and is a great reflection of how we hope PLT materials are used.

Ina is one of those teachers who embodies the ethic of lifelong learning and she works very hard to foster this love of learning in her students.   For Ina, studying the natural environment and the local community is a key strategy for bringing academics to life and PLT is a way to help her do just that. 

Congratulations to Katy Fralick, a NHPLT Outstanding Educator 2006!

Katy Fralick has been a Professor of Education at Plymouth State University since 1986. Prior to that, she spent 23 years teaching in the public schools at elementary, middle, junior and high school levels as a teacher, reading specialist, learning disabilities specialist, and art teacher. Her research interests are reading, study skills, and most significantly, the integration of content areas, especially science and children's literature. Katy currently collaborates with many public and private schools to enhance the teaching of literature and reading in the content areas.

Since becoming a PLT Facilitator, Katy’s involvement with PLT has blossomed. All Methods I and II students now participate in Project Learning Tree trainings. Once students have become aware of PLT, learned about the resources and activities available to them, participated in activities that challenge their skills and understandings, Katy requires students to conduct PLT lessons in the classroom.  By preparing, leading, and debriefing their experience, students better grasp how PLT can help them teach in the classroom. Katy emphasizes, “PLT’s connections to hands-on discovery activities and learning, the connection to children’s literature, and the connection to national and state curriculum frameworks is an invaluable resource for future teachers.”

Katy’s commitment to environmental education is career-long.  She has understood and practiced it since its earliest inception. In her own works, Katy explains: “I have been committed to environmental education throughout my career. Even with challenges and changes in curriculum practices, I have held the belief that children must experience the world and be active in finding answers for themselves.   I am committed to keeping an environmental focus, where appropriate, in all aspects of my teaching.”