K-12 education and curriculum

The University of Florida's Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP) created the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative three years ago (2005/2006). The intent was to provide educators with the information and resources they need to teach students about the harmful impacts that invasive, non-native plants have on natural areas and neighborhoods.

Learning modules
Four complete learning modules have been produced for use in the classroom, along with many hands-on activities and materials (e.g., classroom sets of freshwater plant BINGO games, jigsaw puzzles, artificial plant identification kits, flash cards, etc.). Each module has an introductory audio-visual "new media" presentation (PowerPointTM and online Flash videos), all developed with direct input from dozens of educators around the state. The learning modules meet Florida State Standards for curricula and are updated as needed. As of January 2009, these materials had been distributed to more than 500 teachers (upper elementary, middle and high school). Many more teachers have accessed these materials/lessons from our website: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/education.

Teacher Workshops
The Initiative also provides a professional development workshop for teachers once each year (2008 was our 3rd year). These intensive four-day programs include outdoor fieldwork and lab activities to provide hands-on learning experiences for educators. So far, 94 teachers have completed the training. These individuals take their new knowledge back to students and often conduct mini-workshops with local nature groups and/or fellow educators. Several trainees work for Environmental Education Centers, where they reach thousands of school children each year with this new knowledge.

The National Network of Invasive Plant Centers could compile and synthesize a list of other K-12 educational programs about invasive plants throughout the U.S., and disseminate this information to other educators throughout the country. This would allow all such programs to benefit from shared information by facilitating cooperation and collaboration. Communication among educators and educational program creators would be enhanced and all stakeholders would be engaged. Program development would be expedited without the expense of creating new programs from the ground up. It would also enable states where no such programs exist to begin engaging educators in their areas. Individual states and/or regions could still tailor programs to their individual needs and geographic regions, but much of the structure, format, delivery mechanisms, graphics and themes would be available for sharing. Thus, while tax dollars are being spent in on-the-ground management of invasive plants, future citizens can be learning the advantages of early detection and rapid response to invasive species. This knowledge would create a receptive environment for invasive plant management into the future.

Karen Brown
UF/IFAS - CAIP
February 10, 2009