Education: Improving individual decisions to protect, restore, and maintain stream health

• Summer 2009: Conducted 20 student interviews and assessed the knowledge gaps concerning stream/watershed health
• September 2009: conducted OSU-GLHS Curriculum Infusion Workshop and delivered the preliminary knowledge gaps to the six participating Gahanna Lincoln High School science teachers 
• 2009-2010 school year: Teachers designed lesson plans to infuse into existing curriculum that address the stream/watershed knowledge gaps and major misconceptions shared by students.
  • Pre- and post-infusion surveys were conducted in both of the classrooms using infusions (treatment groups), and a classroom not using the infusions (control group).
  • The preliminary infusion survey results indicate that the infusions decreased the identified knowledge gaps, and increased student concern specific to water quality, as well as perceived responsibility for stream health.
•  Three of the participating high school science teachers are working to improve their infusions and incorporate them again into the classroom during the 2010-2011 school year.  
• The project team are now taking steps to share the results and new lesson plans more broadly with high school educators in Ohio.

(November 2010)