Teton Science Schools research program seeks to better understand and document the impact of place-based education as well as answer important questions of practice in education.
Our educational research is driven by our five hypotheses about place-based education
Effective place-based education results in:
Increased student and teacher engagement
Increased student learning outcomes
Stronger connections to community and greater community impact
Science learning is essential for understanding how to evaluate evidence, problem solve, and think critically. We know that most science learning occurs in non-formal settings, which Americans visit at higher rates than any other developed country. Emerging evidence also supports increased science learning through an inquiry approach, in which students ask and attempt to answer their own questions by using the scientific process. Yet little empirical evidence exists on the efficacy of various pedagogical approaches to inquiry learning in non-formal settings. In this study, we examined the differential impact of three models of inquiry-based instruction on student learning outcomes during a weeklong residential environmental education (REE) program at TSS.
Specifically, our mixed methods study used pre- and post-program student surveys, program observations, and student interviews to compare inquiry field research, citizen science research, and adventure hike experiences on student learning outcomes in three domains: attitudes about science, self-efficacy, and understandings of the nature of science. Our results show that pedagogical approaches with increased student centeredness (field inquiry and adventure hike) resulted in increased student growth in attitudes about science and self-efficacy. Those treatments that involved greater engagement in the process of science (citizen science, and field inquiry) showed greater student growth in understanding of the nature of science. The field inquiry treatment was unique in showing student growth in both cognitive and affective domains, and this finding deserves future investigation. Overall, for the domains measured in this research, our data show that treatments that engage students in science investigations resulted in greater student growth than those that do not.
Collaborators:
Dr. Ana Houseal, Outreach Science Educator, Science and Math Teaching Center, University of Wyoming
Dr. Louis Nadelson, Chair, Associate Professor, Dept. of Leadership Studies, College of Education, University of Central Arkansas
Clare Gunshenan, M.S. University of Wyoming
Allison Cross, graduate student, University of Wyoming
Teacher experience and training have important impacts on student achievement. While each state creates and enforces standards for teacher certification, no state requires training in place based education, and nationally, very few teacher training or certification programs incorporate courses or practica in place-based pedagogy.
Teton science schools has been offering teacher training and professional development courses in place-based pedagogy for 25 years. In this thread of research, we seek to better understand if and how training and experience in place-based education has impacted teachers’ attitudes, practices, and efficacy. We seek to critically test four hypotheses concerning teacher training in place-based education:
Training in PBE improves teacher perceptions and delivery of place-based instruction.
Training in PBE improves teacher and student engagement.
Teacher training in PBE improves student learning outcomes (academic and social-emotional learning).
Training in PBE improves teacher retention and leadership.
Leveraging our research-practice partnership with the University of Wyoming and our nascent Place Network of place-based schools across the nation, we seek to critically examine the above hypotheses. Capitalizing on our highly collaborative grant-funded work with the University of Wyoming to implement teacher professional development across the state of Wyoming as well the national and international work of our Teacher Learning Center and Place Network, our work with educators becomes a laboratory to better understand effective teacher training. Spanning a series of master’s theses, this process is currently underway. We will examine these hypotheses with a mixed methods approach: utilizing quantitative and qualitative data to understand both what the impact of our educator development programs are as well as why each is occurring.
Collaborators:
Dr. Kate Welsh, Associate Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, University of Wyoming
Maggie Vest, M.A., University of Wyoming
Sarah Thacher, M.A., University of Wyoming
Megan Hedley, graduate student, University of Wyoming
TSS and Ohio University have collaborated on a week-long Ecology of Leadership course for undergraduates with the aim to teach leadership concepts and skills through the study of ecological systems and subsequent application to human systems. Topics include interconnectedness, interdependence, leverage points, resilience, inquiry, communication, and service. This thread of research seeks to understand both short term and long term impacts to participant’s perceptions of their own leadership skills and social-emotional growth due to their participation in this course.
This collaborative project between faculty at both TSS and Ohio is currently underway with one year of pilot data. To hear more about the impacts of this course from the students and faculty themselves, check out this podcast made by Jennifer Shutt Bowie and Michelle O’Malley of Ohio University.
Collaborators:
Dr. Michelle O’Malley, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Ohio University
Jennifer Bowie, Assistant Vice President of Communication and Chief of Staff, University Advancement at Ohio University
Student engagement is a foundational element of student growth and learning. Educators can offer amazing learning environments, but if students are not adequately engaged in learning, then student learning outcomes will fall short of what is possible. In this research thread we seek to critically examine our hypothesis that place-based learning leads to increased student engagement.
In collaboration with Dr. Bradley Smith at the University of Houston, we are in the preliminary stages of piloting a study on student engagement in place based education. Using a within subject design, we seek to compare various measures of student engagement in place-based versus place-agnostic pedagogies. Student self-reported cognitive, behavioral, and affective elements of engagement will be paired with teacher reports of student engagement as well as direct observational measures of student engagement.
Collaborators:
Dr. Bradley Smith, Professor and Director, School Psychology Ph.D. Program, University of Houston
Research on Place Based Education
Interested in what the scientific literature says about place-based education? Check out our searchable database of over 80 peer-reviewed articles on place-based education.
Interested in conducting collaborative research with us?
The research program of Teton Science Schools seeks equitable and productive research-practice partnerships. We welcome research of our programs, especially to critically examine our hypotheses about place based education and/or to answer pressing questions of practice in education. If you are interested in working with us, please fill out the interest questionnaire below.
Alex was born and raised in Springfield, IL and grew up reading field guides whenever he wasn’t out looking for turtles and frogs. He can still vividly remember
the first Great Blue Heron he saw and it was this modern day dinosaur that sparked his interest in birds. He moved to Olympia, Washington to study ecology at The Evergreen State College where his love of natural history continued to grow. While studying abroad in Chile Alex discovered a passion for sharing his love of natural history as well as getting into birding as a hobby. Straight out of undergrad Alex attended Western Washington University to obtain a Masters in Environmental Education, which included a yearlong residency teaching and writing curriculum at the North Cascades Institute. In the ten years since finishing grad school he has worked naturalist and outdoor education jobs in Oregon, California, Maine, and back to Washington. For two years he managed education and outreach programs for the New Mexico Wildlife Center. There he delivered live raptor programs, cared for non-releasable birds, mammals, and reptiles as well as assisting in the rehabilitation of injured wildlife.
Alex came to Jackson Hole in 2022 to join Wildlife Expeditions as a Guide and loves sharing the magnificent wildlife and scenery of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with visitors. When he’s not guiding, Alex can be found birding, cross-country skiing, or hiking with his adopted husky, Mia.
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: The Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Whitney (she/her/hers) has a passion for helping people connect with the outdoor world through a scientific lens and for promoting stewardship to protect the places we all love. She has both a Master’s degree in Ecology and a teaching certificate, which she has used as a wildlife guide, the curriculum designer and instructor of the University of Wyoming’s Guide Certification program. Whitney has an extensive teaching background both in and out of the classroom. As the Director of Wildlife Expeditions, Whitney provides our guides with mentorship, continuing education experiences and professional development to ensure that we offer the best guides in the industry. In her free time, you can find Whitney somewhere on the river, hiking with her husband and toddler, or examining scat with more interest than many would find normal.
David Howk
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Moose
Born and raised in the Texas hill country, David grew up hearing stories from his parents of the majesty of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. While earning his degree in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University, David assisted in the care of captive elk, lynx, and white-tailed deer, some of the animals found in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. After realizing that he couldn’t safely own a pet moose, he decided to move to Jackson so he could see them daily. Since arriving, he has thoroughly enjoyed sharing his passion for the parks by creating memorable experiences for his guests while also inspiring love for our beautiful planet and its creatures. The fact that Jackson Hole has 3 more seasons than Texas is an added bonus. When not guiding, David enjoys hiking with his dog, skiing and snowboarding, reading, and gazing up at the Teton range.
Samantha Fogel
Hometown: Southern New Hampshire
Favorite animal: Bison
Samantha grew up in southern New Hampshire, skiing and hiking in the White Mountains. After graduating from Hamilton College with a degree in Philosophy, she returned to New Hampshire to work for the Appalachian Mountain Club in their backcountry hut system. Samantha then turned her enthusiasm for outdoor education into a position at a local Waldorf school in the White Mountains. She moved to Jackson in July and can be found exploring on her bike, hiking in the mountains, or getting mildly lost in the side streets of town square.
Logan Edgeman
Hometown: La Fayette, Georgia
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Logan (he/him/his) grew up in southern Appalachia which connected him to the outdoors and natural world from an early age. While obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Leadership from Young Harris College in Northeast Georgia, Logan immersed himself in as many outdoor experiences as possible to better connect himself with outdoor places and communities. After working many seasons as a guide and field instructor, Logan began working with private and public colleges in the State of Georgia coordinating outdoor programming with an emphasis on introducing inner-city and underprivileged students to outdoor initiatives and sustainable practices while recreating outdoors. Logan‘s model for facilitating outdoor programs is to introduce, educate, inspire, and create an everlasting and expanding relationship with the natural world and diverse communities around us.
Dylan Klinesteker
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Bison
Dylan grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Summer road trips introduced him to the National Parks and the mountains of the American West. After graduating college with a degree in Environmental Education, he has gotten an opportunity to live and work in some of the most amazing places in the world, including Mt St Helens National Monument, Redwoods National and State Parks, Death Valley, North Cascades, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. Outside of work, Dylan enjoys photography, travel, biking, hiking, and watching movies.
Helen Lewis
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Osprey
Helen grew up exploring northern Wisconsin’s forests, lakes, rivers and bogs. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned dual degrees in Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies. There she had the opportunity to study marine and terrestrial tropical ecology in Ecuador, and she focused her studies on alpine plants in high Andean grasslands called páramos. Throughout her time in school and after graduating, Helen led 9 to 45-day canoeing, sea kayaking, and backpacking expeditions focused on leadership development amongst groups of young women. These trips led her from the Great Lakes Region to the tundras of the Canadian subarctic in Nunavut and Northwest Territories, where she developed a love of hardy plants and animals thriving in cold, dry places. In 2019, Helen moved to Jackson and began working for Teton Science Schools as a Field Instructor, marrying her passions for science and the natural world with her experiences leading in outdoor education. With this unique landscape and its wild inhabitants in the foreground, she has since had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of visitors in this spectacular ecosystem. When not out inspecting nooks and crannies of high alpine environments for hidden wildflowers, Helen enjoys trail running, cooking colorful meals, backcountry skiing, and learning about the ever-evolving intersections between people and the environment in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
AnnaLisa Mayer
AnnaLisa first began to develop a love and enthusiasm for the practice of Natural History from a childhood spent immersed in the Northwoods of Vermont. With studies completed in Ecology and Environmental Humanities at Sterling College, AnnaLisa has since served with nonprofit environmental education organizations in diverse ecosystems across the country, worked as a college field instructor, and most recently as an NPS Wilderness Education Ranger. Passionate about experiential learning and the confluence of art, culture, and ecology, AnnaLisa enjoys getting to know the things that are sometimes overlooked and sharing them with others. In addition to flipping through field guides, she can be found playing music, riding her bike, and embarking on extended backcountry expeditions.
Keith Moore
Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Great Grey Owl
Keith grew up in Jupiter, Florida where he spent most of his time exploring the ecosystems in and around the Everglades. At a young age, Keith was exposed to many national parks and public lands around the southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. Keith went on to earn a degree in environmental studies with minors in geology and interdisciplinary studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. After graduating, Keith worked as a Geoscientist-in-the-Parks intern at Bryce Canyon National Park. This led to a seasonal position as an interpretative park ranger with the National Park Service. Keith has worked several seasons at Bryce Canyon and two seasons at Grand Teton National Park. When he’s not guiding, Keith can be found photographing wildlife, backpacking, bird watching, fly fishing, or playing guitar.
Samantha (Sam) Strauss
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Favorite animal: River otter
Born and raised in Michigan, Sam spent her childhood dreaming of the mountains and vast deserts of the American West. As an adult, she moved to California to study at the University of San Diego. During that time, Sam began teaching wilderness skills and leading outdoor adventure trips throughout the Southwest.
Sam went on to work as a naturalist in Southeast Alaska’s temperate rainforest ecosystem, guiding river trips and leading backcountry expeditions throughout the The Last Frontier State and Canada.
The next stop on Sam’s journey was Wyoming, where Sam moved in 2018 for a dream job with Teton Science Schools. She has since become an active volunteer Firefighter & EMT with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.
Sam is passionate about experiential education, backcountry medicine, and science communication. She loves to share those passions with others, including sharing her love for the GYE!
In her free time, you can find Sam writing, trying to finish a crossword, or exploring a national park.
Jeff Mulligan
Hometown: Franklin, MA
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE): Grizzly bear
Jeff grew up exploring the forests, mountains, and coastlines of New England and graduated with a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He began his outdoor career track working with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Park Service. Jeff moved to Jackson in 2015 to work with the Teton Science Schools and has worked as a field instructor and wildlife guide. During the summer season, Jeff works for the National Park Service, having worked at parks in Boston and Colorado, as well as both Grand Teton and Yellowstone. In his free time, Jeff enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, skiing, and wildlife photography.
Callie Lajza
Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Favorite animal in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Beaver
Callie graduated from William & Mary in 2018 and from the University of Central Florida in 2016. She originally moved to Jackson to work for the Bridger-Teton National forest and continued her time in the area with Teton Science Schools Field Education. Currently, Callie spends a lot of time on the water as well as pursuing hiking and climbing in the Tetons!