combining computer and real environment - UfZ

COMBINING COMPUTER AND REAL ENVIRONMENT - EXPERIENCE FROM IMPLEMENTING BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM Karin Ulbrich, Stefan Klotz, Josef Settele Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ (GERMANY)

Abstract Climate change and dramatic loss of biodiversity are essential subjects for EU research. However, little of current knowledge is reaching the young generation. In order to implement biodiversity research into the reality of school education we brought members of the scientific and educational communities together. Educational software has been developed which combines desk (or rather lap)top work with field experiences by (1) combining virtual excursions with real ones and (2) by motivating students to undertake own research projects. The software PRONAS shows how scientists handle questions about the impact of climate change on species’ habitats. It makes core results of research projects available for students from 12 to 19 and is freely accessible on www.ufz.de/pronaslernsoftware. The software has five parallel entries: (1) The storyline with “Tom and Tina”, (2) the “Science” entry with detailed information based on the IP ALARM (www.alarmproject.net) which has been funded by the EU, (3) four virtual excursions which encourage students to move from the computer into nature, (4) the “Species gallery” with more than 30 plant and animal species, and (5) suggestions for field projects. A special book for teachers - which was written in close cooperation with teachers - shows how to implement PRONAS in the in– and out-of-classroom learning. The present paper shows how research findings describing climatic risks on the European scale challenges students to study changes of species' dynamics in their backyard. Using the example of five selected endemic butterflies students analyzed monitoring data and participated in field research. This shows that digital media developed by environmental scientists to convey research results to school students, may inspire students to initiate own research, In this way, PRONAS intends to bring knowledge, which is available in Earth Science, from the spheres of science really “down to Earth”, i.e. into classrooms. Keywords: Biodiversity, educational software, climate change, virtual excursion, future scenario, simulation.

1

INTRODUCTION

The present paper deals with the question how digital educational media, developed by environmental scientists, can be combined with real nature experience. At present, scientists are realizing an increasing number of high-level research projects dealing with biodiversity risks under climate change [1,2]. However, many young people are not aware of these problems as they are more and more alienated from nature [3], and school lessons are often filled with abstract and theoretical subjects. Knowledge about nature seems to be uncool, and less and less students want to study environmental sciences [4]. As early as in 1992, the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emphasized the global commitment to implement biodiversity in the fields of environmental education (see www.cbd.int). Education on biodiversity was highlighted as an essential component of the education for sustainable development (ESD). Scientists of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ developed the educational software PRONAS (PROjections of NAture for Schools) in close collaboration with educational experts [5,6] (see Fig. 1). The software PRONAS makes results of biodiversity research available for students from 12 to 19. It is based on the interdisciplinary research project ALARM (Assessing LARge scale environmental risks for biodiversity with tested Methods, www.alarmproject.net). 67 partner organizations and 250 scientists from 35 countries participated in this project which received EC funding of nearly 13 million Euro [2]. ALARM focused on drivers of biodiversity change such as climate and land use change, environmental chemicals, invasive species, and loss of pollinators. The project combined ecological, environmental, and economic research. Scenarios of socio-economic, climate, land use and other

Proceedings of EDULEARN14 Conference 7th-9th July 2014, Barcelona, Spain

3493

ISBN: 978-84-617-0557-3

biodiversity-relevant trends explore the framework conditions for biodiversity pressures. The three basic scenarios are: SEDG – Sustainable European Development Goal, BAMBU – Business-AsMight-Be-Usual and GRAS - GRowth Applied Strategy [Spang]. The real challenges for the network consisting of scientists and educators were to implement a learning environment that: (1) presents content and simulations about recent research on climate change and risks for biodiversity in a way that enables students' understanding of ecological processes and (2) motivates students to merge virtual subjects with real ones by undertaking own research, excursions and observations in nature.

2 2.1

METHODS Developing educational software

Close collaboration between members of the scientific and educational communities enabled us to transfer scientific findings into the reality of school education [6]. The network consisted of environmental scientists, educational researchers, teachers, and educators from field stations. Students from universities and from schools as well have been involved in the project. The educational software PRONAS (www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware) has five parallel entries. Each of them is combined with interactive exercises. (1) A guided tour based on the storyline with the comic-like characters “Tom and Tina” (Fig. 1). Basic approaches and scenarios are presented using short dialogues between Tom and Tina and the scientists. (2) The “Science” entry provides detailed information on topics as climate change, land use, biodiversity, pollination, and climatic modelling. The basic scenarios GREEN, YELLOW, and RED are applied according to the ALARM project (www.alarmproject.net) [7,8]. They characterize ”possible future worlds“- where the scenario GREEN is the optimal scenario describing sustainable development strategies for Europe. The pessimistic scenario RED stands for a growth applied strategy – a future world which is dominated by the market. A simulation tool allows simulating future distribution areas of 15 European butterfly species until the year 2100 for each of the scenarios. (3) Virtual excursions in different landscapes are designed in a way which favours “retracing” of virtual trips in reality, or – at least – those excursions may motivate to go out for individual trips. Undertaking virtual excursions, students “obtain” landscapes (e.g. dry and wet grasslands) and species (e.g. Tree frog Hyla arborea, Dusky Large Blue butterfly Maculinea nausithous) that are subject to research studies and climatic modelling. (4) The “Species gallery” includes more than 30 plant (e.g. European spruce, Stinging nettle) and animal species (e.g. European Peacock, Blue tit) with their short characteristics and climatic risk projections. Projections of geographical maps show possible future geographical distributions of the species in Europe throughout the next decades. (5) Suggestions for research and conservation projects are provided to motivate students to individual activities in the field. Examples are observations of trees' phenology, butterfly monitoring, and studies on solitary bees.

3494

Fig. 1. Screenshot of the educational software PRONAS (www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware). Guided tour with “Tim and Tina”: Here a scientist explains phenomena of climate change.

2.2

Linking computer-based research with field studies

Regarding the structure of the software PRONAS it becomes obvious that there are several options for links between digital learning and field research: (1) Findings presented in the software inspire students to start their own research. They want to understand if environmental risks (that are described on large spatial and temporal scales) can be observed on local scales, e.g. in their backyard. (2) Virtual excursions motivate to go out to retrace them or to undertake individual trips. (3) Links to monitoring and conservational projects stimulate students to take part in those projects or to initiate their own activities. After PRONAS (www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware) went online in 2011, numerous research students’ projects have been derived following those approaches – among them are projects related to pollinator studies, to tree observations and butterfly monitoring. In the present paper, we focus on the first approach where students are challenged to pose own research questions (Fig. 2): Using the educational software PRONAS, students acquire knowledge, analyse the given content and try to apply it to their local environment. They formulate questions and hypotheses and try to solve the problems combining computer work with field studies.

3495

Scientists and educators develop digital educational media (e.g. PRONAS)

Students aquire knowledge about ecological processes using the software

Students indicate research questions, e.g. “Are our local butterfly populations at risk?”

Digital learning

Students undertake research

Nature experience

Life nature experience, excursions, monitoring etc.

Fig. 2: Flow chart indicating how digital media which was developed by environmental scientists, inspire students to undertake own field research.

3 3.1

RESULTS Computer-based butterfly studies

Our example considers the climatic risk of butterflies. As shown in the “Species gallery” of the educational software PRONAS many butterflies are expected to lose huge parts of their territories. Among them are widely known species such as the European Peacock Nymphalis io (Fig. 3) and the Common Blue Polyommatus icarus (Fig. 4).

3496

Fig. 3. European Peacock Nymphalis io. Photo by Hannelore Müller-Scherzer.

Fig. 4. Common Blue Polyommatus icarus (Male). Photo by Ericsteinert/wikimedia. Where will the butterflies occur in the next decades? Geographical maps – the so called “projections” show in which areas the species may still remain, which areas may get lost due to climate change, and which areas may become climatically suitable [Schweiger, CRAB]. Fig. 5 shows the results for the European Peacock. These projected distributions have been calculated assuming the scenario GRAS – a scenario describing a “possible future world” that is dominated by the market and production growth. As shown on Fig. 5, the butterfly could lose large areas until 2080. Potentially new, climatically suited areas could be gained in Northern Europe.

Fig. 5. Projected geographical distribution of the European Peacock in Europe in 2080 (Scenario GRAS). Grey: lost areas, orange: remaining areas, brown: potential new areas (climatically suited).

3497

Students posed the question if the butterflies occurring in their region are already under risk and if this can be confirmed by field studies? They followed the link on butterfly monitoring given in PRONAS (www.tagfalter-monitoring.de). Using the scientific data base students generated the diagram for five selected butterflies that occur in their close neighbourhood (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Butterfly monitoring data from a transect near Halle Anhalt in Germany Fig. 6. Butterfly monitoring data from a transect near(Saxony Halle (Saxony Anhalt in Germany). The number of butterflies observed from 2006 to 2013 on a given transect (study area) is plotted on Fig. 6. There seem to be no clear trends for most species, whereas the population of the Common Blue Polyommatus icarus seems to be reduced in numbers.

3.2

Butterfly monitoring in the field

This result inspired students to go out in the field and to monitor butterflies themselves. They identified butterfly species, among them the Common Blue and the European Peacock. Going out in the field students can better understand how human activities, like land-use and climate change, impact on biodiversity at local and global levels. Own field work increases the sensitivity of young people concerning their roles and responsibility in these processes.

4

CONCLUSIONS

The software PRONAS shows how scientists handle questions about the impact of climate change on the habitats of many species. PRONAS makes core results of research projects available and digestible for students from 12 to 19 and is freely accessible on www.ufz.de/pronas-lernsoftware. A special book for teachers - which was written in close cooperation with teachers - shows how to apply PRONAS in the in- and out-of-classroom learning. We found that appropriate didactic approaches to raise interest, awareness and motivation are the integration of future scenarios and simulations, the combination of digital learning and field work, of virtual and real excursions, and the link to “real” scientists. Research findings describing climatic risks on the European scale challenge students to study possible changes of species' dynamics in their backyard. Also, with the virtual excursions the project aims to encourage students to move from the computer into nature. Excursions are designed in a way

3498

which favours “retracing” of virtual trips in reality, or – at least – those excursions may motivate to go out for individual trips. PRONAS intends to bring knowledge, which is available in Earth Science, from the spheres of science really “down to Earth”, i.e. into classrooms [see 9,10]. The supportive structure of both the software and the associated teacher handbook convey effective application. Broad dissemination has been favoured by the network of scientists and educators. The educational software PRONAS provides alternative learning approaches that can encourage a variety of young users – those who are open to new learning techniques and even those who may not respond well to traditional teaching formats. Through provision of scientific information based on current research projects such as ALARM the software supports the development of critical and dynamical thinking and other competencies and skills that are essential for the young generation.

REFERENCES [1]

Settele, J., Penev, L., Georgiev, T., Grabaum, R., Grobelnik, V., Hammen, V., Klotz, S., Kotarac, M. & I. Kühn (Hrsg): Atlas of Biodiversity Risk. Pensoft, Sofia, Moscow, 280pp.

[2]

Settele, J., Kühn, I., Klotz, S., Hammen, V., Spangenberg. J. (2007). Is the EU Afraid of its Own Visions? Science 315, 1220 (2007) (see www.alarmproject.net).

[3]

Brämer, R. (2010). Jugendreport Natur 2010, Bonn, Marburg, Juni 2010. www.natursoziologie.de, 04.09.13.

[4]

Ulbrich, K., Settele, J., Klotz, S. (2013). How to Implement Biodiversity Research in the Classroom? Proceedings of Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2013). Published by Infonomics Society, pp 19-22.

[5]

Ulbrich, K., J. Settele, Benedict, F.F. (2010). Biodiversity in Education for Sustainable Development – Reflection on School – Research Cooperation, Pensoft Publishers.

[6]

Ulbrich, K., Lindau, A.K., Hörning, C., Settele, J. (2011). Lebensräume von Tieren und Pflanzen simulieren – Zukunftsszenarien zum Einfluss des Klimawandels, Pensoft Publishers. 58 pp.

[7]

Spangenberg, J., Carter, T. R.,Fronzek, S., Jaeger, J.A.G., Jylhä, K., Kühn, I., Omann, I., Paul, A., Reginster, I., Rounsevell, M., Schweiger, O., Stocker, A., Sykes, M.T. & J. Settele (2012): Scenarios for investigating risks to biodiversity. Global Ecology and Biogeography 21 (1): 5-18.

[8]

Settele, J., Kudrna, O., Harpke, A., Kühn, I., Van Swaay, C., Verovnik, R., Warren, M., Wiemers, M., Hanspach, J., Hickler, T., Kühn, E., Van Halder, I., Veling, K., Vliegenthart, A., Wynhoff, I. & O. Schweiger (2008): Climatic Risk Atlas of European Butterflies. BioRisk 1: 1710.

[9]

Ledley, T.S., Dahlman, L., McAuliffe, C., Haddad, N., Taber, M.R., Domenico, B., Lynds, S., Grogan, M. (2011). Making Earth Science Data Accessible and Usable in Education. Science 333, 2011, pp 1838-1839.

[10]

Mervis, J. (2013). Science Standards Begin Long, Hard Road to Classroom. Science 17 July 2013.

3499