EJ Track

For the past two weeks I have been involved in an academic course that is focusing on issues of environmental justice. We have been assigned the task of interviewing various organizations around the country and to compile a list of goals and methods they use to address and educate about issues of environmental justice.

My focus has been on urban systems of education and I have interviewed organizations in Brooklyn, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Many of these organizations educate students about urban ecology - the aspects of their urban ecosystem that they should be aware of such as where their water comes from (the water cycle), sustainable design buildings (and renewable energy sources), water quality testing, waste treatment, food systems, etc. It was been very interesting to speak to various people about this topic that is so vast and prevalent in today's urban centers.

From the information we gather, a cohort of five graduate students will be organizing a workshop that will be presented at the Shepard Symposium for environment justice at the University of Wyoming in April. Stay tuned for our future findings...

In the meantime, we have 24 8th graders coming from Sheridan, Wyoming today who will be the beneficiaries of our knowledge of systems theory, sustainability, and aspects of environmental justice.

Complex Systems Theory

For the past two weeks I have been taking a class focusing on advanced instructional strategies. We discussed different educational philosophers including Dewey, Piaget, and bell hooks, we analyzed the pros and cons of constructivist education, and we looked at different pedagogical foundations based on Montessori, Steiner, and Waldorf. Additionally, we were asked to read Tom Wessels book, The Myth of Progress, in order to learn about complex systems theory.

A complex system, as explained by Wessels, is any system that feeds back on itself. It is involved in a cyclical process that uses energy efficiently, wasting as little as possible. Enmeshed in this theory are branching ideas such as entropy, self-organization, nestedness, emergent behaviors, and co-evolution. The purpose of learning about this theory is to recognize the interconnectedness of ecosystems and help students understand the "big picture" behind natural, as well as human-created systems.

For example, the idea of emergent behaviors states that unpredictable events may happen when elements of an ecosystem are changed. In Australia, adding toads to the ecosystem produced an emergent behavior that resulted in the explosion of the toad population. This was an unpredicted result of a human action. Self-organization follows the theory that organisms in nature will organize themselves as to minimize competition and increase chances of survival. The ungulate population in Jackson Hole (elk, moose, antelope, deer, bison, etc) feed in different areas at different times of the year and might migrate in the winter to increase their supply of food and decrease competition. Nestedness is the idea that organisms are embedded in different elements of a system; they have a specific niche. For example, I am part of a family, but also part of a group of friends. I am a graduate student at Teton Science School yet I am also a teacher. Organisms exist in different circles as well - at times they are predator and at times prey. They can destroy a group of willow trees but will feed the earth when they die.

These ideas are heady and take some careful thought but the book is wonderful. However, what do complex systems have to do with teaching and education? Well, many of these elements can be used to explain why human behavior is not sustainable and is not creating a healthy complex system. Many of our actions are linear transactions. When we are buy a new ipod we throw the old one away, when we get new sneakers, the old pair goes into the garbage. We have not created a self-organizing system. Additionally, this theory explains why climate change is such a large problem.

In a complex system, energy is being given off and then reused in different forms. For example, a tree that is in an entropic state is losing more energy than it is gaining. Eventually this tree will decompose and its nutrients will return to the ground to provide energy for another organism. In our system, we are releasing carbon dioxide in large quantities and that energy is not being reused. In fact, it remains in our atmosphere where it is causing emergent (unpredictable) effects on a large scale.

I am still wrapping my mind around these issues and theories however it is important for students to understand the complexity of natural ecosystems and the way in which humans affect the natural rhythms of these natural spaces. Our final assignment for this class is to come up with a two-day lesson plan that will allow students who come to Teton Science School to access this material. I am basing my lessons around the concept of sustainability and the lessons humans can learn from the natural systems around them. I will be using these lessons to teach the 8th graders from Tongue River, WY who will be coming in two weeks. I look forward to seeing how students process this information.

Ski culture - a new language

This weekend I spent three days skiing at Grand Targhee, a ski resort in Alta, WY. I spent most of my time in the Shoshone area - a special area of green slopes for those new to skiing and/or the steep slopes of the west. As I rode up and down the chairlift I began to realize the extent to which my vocabulary has grown the past few months. It did not grow in the traditional sense, more in the Jackson sense. For example, if I had heard the following sentence spoken in August, I would have had no idea that the conversation was about skiing:

"I took my probe and transmitter and went to the pass this weekend. Out-of-bounds was great, it was a total powder day."

Obviously this is slightly exaggerated but words such as steeze, gaper, the willage, skins, in-bounds, and tracing have become part of my Wyoming vocabulary. Avalanches are not some foreign natural disaster but a reality that is watched and talked about daily as skiiers go out-of-bounds to find the perfect powder run.

I am also being exposed to the many different types of winter sports that involve skis. Of course I always new about alpine (downhill) skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboards but now I am recognizing AT gear, skate skis, and the many different types of bindings that can be purchased.

Finally, I am now a self-identified telemark skiier. I am just starting out but I now understand the difficulty of linking turns, the ache in your quads after a day of tele skiing, and the wonderful feeling of accomplishment after completing a successful tele run.

I am learning new terms everyday; today I found out the "chiver" (pronounced "shiver") is the name of an out-of-bounds run, not the feeling you get when you are chilled. It is exciting to understand this new language and to feel included in this cultural phenomenon.

Snow pits and avalanches

Getting ready to dig snow pits.

Making snow angels to keep warm.

The tongue depressors were used to mark each layer found in the snow pack.


Group working in a snow pit.

Today in class we focused on snow science and avalanche safety. After a morning lesson about snow metamorphism and snow crystals we headed up to Towgotee Pass to dig some snow pits and collect snow data.

At -10 degrees, it was a cold expedition. Each group dug a snow pit around 60 cm deep. We were asked to measure the temperature of the snow pack, identify the various levels within the pack, determine snow hardness, and take the density of each layer.

Our evening lecture was about avalanche safety and the different entities to look out for in avalanche territory (aspect, altitude, and angle).

Winter Adaptations

Huddling to keep warm - this decreases the amount of surface area available for heat loss to occur to the surrounding environment.

Foraging for chocolate - I only collected 135 calories, not enough to survive the winter.

Foraging for food.


Our assignment for our first day of winter ecology was to come to class in short and a t-shirt. For those of you who have not been tracking the weather here in Kelly, most nights drop into the negative digits and most days do not go much above fifteen degrees.

Our morning activity was to forage around campus in search of food (in our case chocolate treats.) Each treat was worth a certain number of calories; we needed to collect 200 calories in order to survive the winter and 300 calories in order to survive and reproduce. Every five minutes we were called to a central location in order to have our core and extremity temperature taken. The purpose of the activity was twofold.

First, our instructor wanted to demonstrate the difficulties faced by animals who stay in Wyoming throughout the winter. Their food supply is greatly diminished while their energy expenditure increases. 15% of animals die during the winter in Wyoming for a variety of reasons. As in "real life," there was not enough calories set out around campus for all of the graduate students to survive the winter.

Secondly, our foraging in minimal clothing demonstrated human adaptations (or lack of adaptations) to cold weather. As the minutes ticked on, many of us found our arms going numb and our legs turning shades of red and then blue. This was vasoconstriction at work - blood was being shunted from our extremities to heat our core. My hands, where extremity temperature was taken, dropped to fifty degrees while my core was twenty to thirty degrees more. Despite the below freezing temperatures (it was zero degrees at 9:00 am) we had fun foraging in the snow.

"To know and not to do, is not to know"

Over the past week, the graduate students have been exploring the questions: why school? why education? In order to engage these loaded queries we started by learning about the history of education. We learned about the multiple forces that were at play over the past two centuries that helped shape our current public school system. We noticed a constant tug-of-war between traditional and progressive educators and this dichotomy played out throughout history.

In addition to engaging theory behind public schooling, we were also asked to explore the ways in which people put their beliefs into practice. Today we spent the day making conference calls to educational organizations throughout the country. Our instructor set-up times for us to speak to people he felt were, not only inspirational educators, but had made a difference in the world of education. In different groups, we researched the school/organization and spoke with such organizations as: The Mountain School, The Island School, Summer Search, High Mountain Institute, Star Lane, and The Darrow School, among others.

The process was quite interesting as we came to understand how visions and philosophies of education played out in the "real world." Some of the common themes that came out of these interviews included the following beliefs:

- "We should be teaching students how to think, not what to believe."
- "Education that omits man's role in nature is not education."
- "Students cannot be taught solely in a classroom, in isolation. They need to understand that they are part of a larger world with many invisible pieces working at once."
- "Mentors play of key role in student development."

Additionally, we had the opportunity to listen to Jack Turner and Barry Lopez, two well-known and respected nature writers.

In a spirited, humorous, and at times, morose talk, Jack Turner reminded us of our responsibilities as educators and scientists to the environment and to the American public. He encouraged each of us to inspire wonderment in our students. He emphasized that children who are not connected to their environment will have little incentive to respect and protect it later in life.

Barry Lopez spoke about the need for humankind to take care of each other - to promote intimacy, acceptance, warmth, collaboration, among all humans. He asked us the question: "What are the components of a life worthy of living?" I believe we should take these components and encourage them in our students.

It has been a most interesting week which has stirred an internal dialogue that I will continue to ponder.

Horse Warriors

Belle and Buzz enjoying their dinner.



Me and Ropey

This past week, Kelly and I have been in charge of fifteen wonderful horses. Everyday after class we have been running down to Rafter J and Shootin' Iron Ranch to feed, brush, and enjoy the company of the horses. It has been such a pleasure looking after them, observing their interactions, and understanding the intricate dynamics within the herd.

The scenery is beautiful and I look forward to coming back from Thanksgiving break to ride and feed them once again.