flexe: From Local to Extreme Environments
Components of flexe
courtesy of D. Fornari, WHOI
Protocol-driven fieldwork and analysis
- Protocols for collecting data in local environments
- Classroom-based learning activities and data analysis
Systematic, facilitated data comparisons
- Data from deep-sea extreme environments, plus "field notes" and analysis tips from scientists
- Data from a partner school class
Structured interactions with scientists and other students
- FLEXE Forum: series of questions posed by scientists, discussed / answered by students
- Report-writing: report templates available to encourage scientific writing
- Peer review of student reports by other students
- Culminating Wrap Up commentary and Q&A between students and adult scientists during "live" research cruise.
Support for teachers, trainers and GLOBE partners
- flexe-specific Teachers Guide, online interactive demonstrations and web seminars
- Tools to help teachers review and assess student work, customizable by GLOBE partners
Web delivery
FLEXE is a web-based system of activities, tools and Forums, with pages tailored for:
- Students: each class has its own dynamic web page
- Teachers: each teacher's page is an enriched version of his/her class page, with teacher-specific information and tools
- flexe scientists and educators: to post scientific data, notes, comments and questions to students.
- GLOBE partners/trainers: by 2010, ability to customize some tools for teachers
Curriculum
Energy Unit Overview: in pilot test...
Students explore how energy transfers between components of the Earth system and understand how patterns of temperature variation differ in time and space.
Extreme Life Unit Overview: coming soon...
Students understand that life is pervasive, and that recent discoveries in the deep-sea have caused us to rethink our understanding of life and its ability to survive even in the most extreme environments.