Connecting to the Environment in Non-majors Ecology

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2012, Volume 33

Mary Ann McLean

Abstract

Students do not know species in their local ecosystems. Since environmental protection requires concerned and knowledgeable citizens, it is vital that non-majors ecology students learn about and appreciate their natural surroundings. Field notes following a walkabout accomplish these goals. In early fall, a local naturalist leads a walk-about in a park. We talk about everything we see or hear – birds, insects, plants, mammals. This has a profound effect on students, who begin to realize how much there is to see and hear. This prepares students to write field notes, which emphasize observations of the natural world and connections with lecture topics.

Keywords:  ecology, environment, Field Trips, field notebook

New Mexico State University (2011)