For the first time this past summer, a small group of NH educators joined PELI for a week, and what an addition. The New Hampshire teachers developed their own environmental stewardship and cultural heritage preservation action plans appropriate for schools in their communities.  From their written reflective essays and spoken comments, it was clear the NH teachers were moved and motivated by the educational issues addressed in the Pakistani’s action plans.  As a result of our enriching cultural exchange, I now look at my own environmental education work through a new lens, asking myself- am I accomplishing enough, how can I have the biggest impact, what is the most productive use of my time to affect change, what difference will my activities make in the lives of students, and am I modeling being the best environmental steward?  My commitment to place-based environmental education will forever more have me urging students to consider the global significance and implications of their environmental activities.  I was so inspired by the collective energy of the involved teachers and I wonder how all are doing in their endeavors?  I hear news reports of problems in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and I think of our PELI colleague from this region.  When schools, allowing girls an education, are being threatened or closed, I imagine civic awareness about environmental issues must not be moving forward. 

Yesterday, I started out my morning at the local K-8 school, attending a meeting with my 12 year old daughter.  Around 25 students, teachers, and the school principal, (mostly all females) met before school started to plan green, sustainable initiatives, including exploring building a green house or growing dome on the school property.  The president of the student council, a 14 year old girl, gave a report on the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative (PAREI).  PAREI, formed in 2004, has a mission to encourage energy conservation, energy efficiency practices, and promote the use of renewable energy at the residential level through education, community building and an increased accessibility to renewable energy:  http://www.plymouthenergy.org/.   The young woman making the presentation thought PAREI might want to collaborate with the school.  She brought forward an environmental idea to impact her school, hoping to enrich the curriculum, reduce the school’s carbon footprint, and help enhance the school’s grounds for wildlife.  I tell this story to emphasize how schools provide leadership opportunities for youth.

Thinking about schools being closed in the FATA, became more poignant when last night I watched the movie Daughters of Afghanistan, 2004, directed by Robin Benger, featuring Canadian journalist Sally Armstrong interviewing and following four Afghanistani females.  The film is about women who pursue liberation, who hope to harness a future for their daughters and includes a story of a school principal who is determined to provide an education for girls. The movie is in part a plea to the international community to help improve conditions -provide access to clean water, medical care, an education, and employment opportunities for women- vital components for rebuilding the country’s infrastructure. The message seemed to be transferable to the FATA.

I wonder how our PELI 2008 colleague from the FATA region is faring especially with her action plan, amidst the turmoil in her region.  I remember vividly the day this past summer when she informally shared about her life in the region when asked by the scientists from the United State Geologic Survey, who were guest presenters leading us on a field trip.  I’ve since read, the US has pledged $750 million for FATA largely for development.¹  What difference will these tax dollars have for educators like my PELI colleague from the FATA?  What difference will my tax dollars have for improving the lives of girls and women in the FATA?  While we-Pakistani and New Hampshire educators- discovered our commonalities as teachers this summer- I’m also struck by the differences in the educational issues we face in our communities.

My real purpose in writing to my PELI colleagues at this point in time is to ask for your input. I have been invited to be part of an international NATO workshop focused on environmental security and sustainability. So, for the last month, I’ve been tuned into when, where, and how conflict and environmental issues intersect. A recent New York Times Article, Iraqi Elections Face Crucial Test in Violent Mosul, January 30, 2009, points out the fear that some have that the ensuing elections in Iraq are just another means for Arabs and Kurds to continue their struggle over limited natural resources like land, oil, and control of water supplies. As I plan my contributions for the NATO event, I find myself wanting to know how my PELI colleagues view the topic of environmental security and sustainability. What messages and or insights do you have from your region of the world?  How do the conflicts in Pakistan, especially in the FATA region, threaten the environment?  How have recent political events in Pakistan influenced environmental stewardship and cultural heritage initiatives? What kinds of communication/resources can best help support and sustain your educational initiatives and action plans developed during PELI?  I appreciate our PELI blog site, because otherwise, as Americans, all we have to go on is our news reports of instability in your country. I want you to keep informing my practice and life as an environmental educator.  I value what I learn from you.  I look forward to continuing my global education through PELI and I hope to take some of your views to my NATO workshop.

¹ Haider, Ziad, “Mainstreaming Pakistan’s Tribal Belt” A human rights and security imperative.” Belfer Center Student Paper Series #09-01, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA, January 2009. 

     During the first international Pakistani Education Leadership Institute (PELI) video conference on December 23, 2008, PSU faculty and staff connected live with approximately 30 partners in three sites in Pakistan, including ITA leaders- Plymouth State University’s primary NGO partner in Pakistan, officials from the Federal Directorate of Education, Oxfam, the Fulbright Commission and PELI alumni. This rich professional development experience enabled PELI participants to span five years of work, communicating face to face. This state of the art technological communication tool enabled us to meaningfully connect and push forward with our exchange and exploration of best pedagogical practices that work in both cultures.
     As a participant, I wanted to respond to a Pakistani colleague’s request for information on best pedagogical practices in mathematics. Just prior to the international PELI video conference, I attended the first Wixson Endowed Professorship presentation give by Brian Beaudrie, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Director, of the New Hampshire Impact Center for Mathematical Education Research at Plymouth State University which provides assistance in implementing standards-based mathematics curriculum materials that enrich and enhance the learning of science and mathematics for New Hampshire children. Professor Beaudrie was recognized as the first Wixson recipient for his exemplary teaching, scholarship, and service. Beaudrie shared that research consistently shows that good teaching matters and good instruction includes, but is not limited to:

• Deep understanding of subject matter;
• Actively engaging students in learning;
• Administering quality and frequent formative assessment;
• Setting explicit academic goals- aligned with and often exceeding state or national standards;
• Making decisions based on data;
• A culture of collaboration among teachers with focused professional development activities;
• Having tools to implement best practices for all students and focusing on broader learning objectives than narrow, specific discipline based, compartmentalized concepts; and
• Opportunities for recognizing outstanding performance by both students and teachers.

Other characteristics of high performing schools include extended class periods to allow exploration and targeted interventions to meet the needs of struggling students. There is controversial national educational related legislation initiated by the outgoing US President focused on testing all students to make sure “No Child Is Left Behind”. The concept is hard to argue with; it is the details of the implementation that has practioners frustrated.
In New Hampshire, there have been discussions among the science education leadership about how a lack of preparation and experience in mathematics hinders performance in science. As a science education faculty member at PSU and as Director of Education for the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, I believe that quality science education integrates mathematical skills and processes. The most obvious example is that students need to know how to communicate scientific results in quantifiable terms for verification and greater impact. For example in the biological, ecosystem sciences field, high school students should be able to conduct transects and present data graphically.
     Listening to Beaudrie’s presentation and the ensuing discussion, one of the most thought provoking take home messages for me as a science educator, was the need for students to be able to problem solve in teams, actively discussing and exploring in small groups. Does this happen in high school mathematics classes in Pakistan? How much does this happen in my university classes? Do we role model this approach for PELI participants during their visit to the PSU campus in the professional development activities we provide? How can we do a better job of monitoring and assessing the impact of this kind of learning? In NH as elsewhere in the country, there is continuing focus on inquiry where students systematically ask and investigate their own questions with guidance. Our higher education system follow s this model, students pursue theses and dissertations under a committee’s guidance; but how do we economically ensure that younger students progressively learn and master these skills? We need to start with commitment, discipline, and perseverance. We must resist the easy pattern of having our instructional sessions dominated by lecturing, modeling, and providing answers.  Step by step ,we can develop expertise and comfortableness with implementing inquiry oriented, integrated math and science, learning progression activities grades K-16.

We wanted to take you to the Belknap Mill in Laconia to present an exemplary model of a key site in New Hampshire’s history that once used the nearby water for energy for an important industry. Oncee there was little regard for the textile’s impact on water quality, but today many recognize that environmental stewardship of river resources goes hand in hand with a strong economy.  Now, thanks to many dedicated citizens who formed the Belknap Mill Society the building and surrounding property is a rich learning museum offering tours.

We never made it to Livermore Falls just up the road from Plymouth, where unlike the Belknap Mill site described above, there is no formal, collective recognition of the significant, diverse cultural, historical, geological, and biological features. The lesson to be learned is that some sites have such potential and are just waiting for a motivated teacher, his/her students, and some helpful partners to turn the site into a rich learning laboratory for environmental stewardship and cultural heritage preservation.

You expressed interest in visiting the closest operating landfill and waste water treatment facility. Stay tuned, it won’t be the same, but I can create a “virtual tour” and post it on this site.

However, upon reflection, now that our collective time together is over, and I can relax and am no longer in the “instructor” mode, I recognize I really want more time to hear all of your experiences and listen to your interactions with one another, and learn all I can from you.  My motive in writing this piece is to pay tribute and thank you, to tell you how much I gained personally and professionally from meeting each of you and being involved in PELI 2008. Isn’t that one of the reasons we become educators, because we believe in and want to actively practice lifelong learning?

Thank goodness for your master/action plans to initiate change in your own communities, and for our expectation that you will share your challenges, progress, and successes with us, so that we can offer support, encouragement, and help recognize your efforts. Related to action/master plans, I read a relevant quote in the paper this week by computer science college professor Randy Pausch who just died of cancer, but who wrote in his international bestselling book, The Last Lecture, just published in April, obstacles serve a purpose: They “give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” So, remember the value of perseverance and patience as you strive to bring about change.

Thank goodness Syeda (Sarah) recognized in her public remarks at one of our final events that the “Academy” is officially over, but the action/master plans are just beginning. Take inspiration and strength from the notion that 27 of you are about to embark on a similar journey as you strive to make a difference in your home communities. We await your stories as they represent a bridge that connects us.

Yours truly,

Mother Nature (MaryAnn McGarry)

1. what are your objectives (broad statements that describe the program goals;
2. what are your outcomes (statements that describe what participants should be able to do as a result of participating in the program;
3. what are the specific performance(s) required to meet the above stated outcomes that are confirmable through evidence;
4. what are the processes that identify, collect, use and prepare data that can be used to evaluate achievement; and lastly,
5. how is the information obtained from the processes in the step above interpreted, valued, and used to take action.

While these steps don’t seem novel, I was glad to be reminded in a straight forward manner of what’s important in assessing or evaluating any kind of program- whether it be the student’s work in my classes or the professional development I offer to international educational visitors at PSU- like our Pakistani guests.  What was really nice is that Gloria emphasized that more data isn’t necessarily better, and in fact, she has a rule of thumb that one shouldn’t specify more than four performance criteria for a particular outcome.  So, for example, in her model, if the desired educational objective is, “work effectively with others,” then, the outcome could be, “ability to function on multidisciplinary team,” and the performance criteria could be, “1) researches and gathers information; 2) fulfills duties of team roles, 3) shares work equally, and 4) listens to other teammates.”  As a science educator, I might add that Gloria had particular credibility with me because she worked at a small, higher education institution that primarily focused on graduating competent engineering students, before becoming a consultant on program evaluation.  It was interesting that the examples of objectives, outcomes, and performance critieria she used for students at her former institution were so generic and transferable- valuable skills for most anyone in the workforce today. 

Gloria also shared tidbits of wisdom, what she called “things I wish I had known” about program evaluation and her list included, “Capitalize on what you are already doing; You don’t have to measure everything all the time; Take advantage of local resources; and, Don’t wait for perfection.”  She had many other gems of advice (http://www.abet.org/).   

Gloria provided a list of assessment methods:  “written surveys and questionnaires, exit and other interviews, standardized exams, locally developed exams, archival records, focus groups, portfolios, simulations, performance appraisal, external examiner, oral exams, and behavioral observations.”  She also emphasized that it is crucial to use a multi-method/multi-source approach to maximize validity and reduce bias of any one approach.  I’m finally getting around to sharing this information with you, which I’ve been meaning to do for several weeks, because the external evaluator for this summer’s Pakistani Institute, sent me an email asking for more information and for a time to set up a phone interview.  So, I’m pleased to say, PSU’s Pakistani Institute is following Gloria’s recommendation of using multiple assessment methods.   

I’m still reflecting on my work with you this summer, asking what could I have done better and recognizing that providing a syllabus at the onset which clearly articulated my goals, objectives, outcomes, and performance criteria would have been best.  I knew about these best practices, but now this succinct chart/list is prominently displayed on the bulletin board in my office to serve as a beacon and framework for all my future curricular work with students and international invited guests.   

I hope you all are doing well!   

Best,  

Mary Ann

Working with educational leaders from any country would be rewarding, but interacting with colleagues from Pakistan is particularly eye-opening, because it is a chance to learn about a different culture.

My involvement with the Institutes started off minimally, but from the beginning I was selfishly hooked. In the summer of 2005, for my brief role, I had the group focus on sharing about their watersheds. This is when I started to develop a mental picture of the geography of the land. I heard the pride, knowledge, and concern that the residents used to describe their rivers, running mostly from the North to the South in the country. This is when I started to realize that both are cultures cared about our natural resources. I started thinking about what we had in common, instead of focusing on our differences.

In the summer of 2006, my role as a faculty instructor expanded and I had the opportunity to travel with the Institute participants to New York City, along with my then 10 year old daughter. After stopping at a mosque on a Friday afternoon in Connecticut on the way to our destination, conversing all the way down and back in a bus, eating in Pakistani restaurants, visiting Ground Zero together, receiving a special tour of the United Nations by a Pakistani guide (a relative of one of our PSU participants) and taking in many other sites, upon returning to Plymouth, I almost felt like I’d been to Pakistan, in the cultural exchange sense.

My daughter summed up her encounters, which I’ve repeated many times as I’ve described the value of the trip, “I love the Pakistanis, I want to go to Pakistan.” My primary goal in taking her was accomplished; based on this early formative, meaningful experience, I doubt she’ll ever engage in any negative profiling against Pakistanis or any other “seemingly different” culture. She’s as keen to visit the country as I am.

This summer, 2007, I was so sorry that other professional commitments kept me from traveling to Washington D.C. with the group; for I knew what camaraderie I was missing. It is hard for me when the Pakistanis are on campus to think about focusing on anything else, I don’t want to miss any learning opportunities with them. I am particularly proud of connecting young New Hampshire students with our Pakistani guests this summer. Both groups participated in hands-on earthquake activities, which Kim Rawson, a PSU graduate student, and I developed for a middle school curricular unit integrating geology, geography, and culture.

Around the time Kim and I field tested the unit in a local school in the spring of 2007, both Pakistan and our New Hampshire community experienced earthquakes. These recent jolts, produced from crustal plate movement, helped justify our educational goals which were to help students recognize general causes and risks associated with earthquakes in Pakistan and how these differ for New Hampshire. The magnitude of the two earthquakes was quite different. As an earth science educator, and relative newcomer to New Hampshire, I was startled to learn that NH is at moderate risk for earthquakes, instead of low risk, which is what one would think since New Hampshire is nowhere near a plate boundary. The unanswered questions on why this is so were evocative for me. As a science educator, I could use this information to promote science as a process, and not just as a history lesson. I could emphasize to students, not everything has already been discovered in the field of science, there is still uncharted territory. There is room for the next generation of geologists to probe further.

Involving Kim, in the 2007 summer Institute was particularly gratifying. This is the best I can offer a PSU graduate student- in depth interaction with international guests in an educational setting. Expanding her global cultural education the summer before she embarks on her first public school teaching job will hopefully have huge ripple effects. Just as I plan to incorporate my growing cultural appreciation and understanding into my undergraduate and graduate science courses, I imagine Kim doing the same at the middle school level. Kim named our evening of sharing desserts and games, which brought the 7th graders and Pakistani educational leaders together, the Cross Cultural Forum. I know from our many discussions that she valued the opportunities associated with the Institute as much as I did. She even got to travel to Washington D.C. with the group.

I teach an undergraduate Hazardous Earth course for non-science majors at PSU. I want to link issues of culture and science so that PSU graduates can employ interdisciplinary methods of analysis and resolution, make careful assessments, and develop useful courses of action related to reducing the loss of life and property due to natural disasters.

I am grateful to the participants of the 2007 Pakistani Institute for: engaging in the earthquake activities, endorsing the need for the earthquake unit, and encouraging alignment of the activities with Pakistani educational standards. Sharing the reaction of the NH students and receiving feedback from the Pakistanis was motivating as Kim and I prepare to refine the unit for further implementation.

Each institute is uniquely rich. With each Pakistani group arriving on campus there are new lessons to learn. The blending of professional and personal rewards are great. My involvement with the Pakistani Institutes at PSU, are without a doubt, one of the richest experiences of my life.

My hope is that this blog site will facilitate connections throughout the year, that PSU and Pakistan participants can continue to collaborate and dialogue. I want to be able to virtually support the 2007 participants in their assigned task of evaluating the impact of projects initiated by their successors (previous summer institute participants) back in their home country.

I want to thank all of the Institute participants for their willingness to travel to the US and share their educational insights, needs, and hopes. Your presentations were powerful, informative, and helped us bond. I look forward to learning more about the fruits of your labors in Pakistan and hope one day soon to observe firsthand the results of your achievements by travelling to your country.

I’ll be asking for your feedback as I work to align my unit with your educational standards, but now that I’ve had my debut on our blog site, I’m willing to explore many issues.

Thinking of you all!

Best,

MaryAnn