Introduction

    This will be a Whale of a Class! This summer, the department of Occupational Studies will offer EOCS 6000 Situated Cognition Theory and Implications for Teaching.     The course will be a cooperative effort between the Whale Conservation Institute (WCI), Cape Ann Whale Watch Company (CAWW), and the Department of Occupational Studies of the University of Georgia.

    Course participants will be masters and doctoral candidates in a variety of departments and programs within the School of Leadership and Lifelong Learning, and the College of Education.  Other participants will represent the CTL program at UGA.  This group will consist of selected preservice teachers who will serve as interns with the WCI and CAWW.

    The course will consist of three segments. Members of the community will first study and participate in a seminar on the situated cognition and communities of practice (learning) literature. This activity will occur on the campus of the University of Georgia during the Maymester, 2001.  During the last week of May, we will move to Gloucester, MA for the second part of the class.

    A second segment will examine situated cognition theory within a learning laboratory that will be created in cooperation with the North Shore whale watching community. Class will resume as we travel to Gloucester, Mass. The learning laboratory will begin with an orientation on Sunday evening. This portion of the class will continue through the week concluding with a celebration on Friday night. The final segment of the course will reconvene on the UGA campus for a final day of instruction and reflection on our entire learning experience.

    The CAWW will provide the context for the laboratory while learners serve as researchers. The laboratory activities will include observing and collecting research data on humpback whales, videodocumentation of whale behavior and course tracking. Other members of the community will be conducting photo identification of individual whales, while others will be working as spotters and observers. Two voyages will be undertaken each day. In addition to members of the learning community, paying passengers will be also on-board. Selected UGA students will participate in an experimental aspect that involves the implementation, experimentation and analysis of instructional technology designed to improve the environmental and conservation education of passengers.

    An additional hands-on science voyage will be conducted with youthful learners. This activity will consist of learning activities such as navigation techniques, water quality testing, plankton tows, and ocean bottom analysis. Members of the learning community will work directly with the youth employing a variety of instructional approaches. Each youthful learner will be given an opportunity to try his or her hand at each activity. Subsequently, an informal focus group made up from all participants will ascertain the appeal and appropriateness of these learning/teaching strategies.

Educational Objectives

Create an on-board interactive educational presentation for passengers that encourages a conscience awareness of environmental conservation and promotes a desire to take further action. These educational results will be measured through the use of a researcher-constructed data collection instrument.

1. Create implement, and field-test educational technology used in the education of CAWW passengers. The results will be obtained through the use of open-ended questionnaires and interviews.
2. Create and field-test a series of learning stations for middle school, high school, and adult learners.
3. Create a context-based learning for UGA students where knowledge of whales, and whale conservation is constructed.
4. Create a community among interns for the purpose of reflecting on their constructed knowledge and it’s meaning in their lives.

The course supporting this activity is EOCS 6000, Situated cognition theory and Implications for Teaching. It will be taught at the University of Georgia, Summer Semester, 1999. The theory is based on a sociological view of learning that has emerged from the research of educational anthropologists. Situated learning theory has been characterized as "natural learning that takes place in natural settings." Underlying research has been conducted in both underdeveloped and advanced cultures throughout the world. Some groups and "situations" that have been studied are apprentice tailors, social and work relationships in agrarian third-world societies and among members of Weight Watchers. In this case we will be experiencing and examining the roles of members of the whale research community.

The theory of situated cognition is based on several primary positions that have emerged from the research. Those assumptions posit that learning (is): (a) essentially a social phenomenon (b) rooted in its context, and (c) transforms learners’ identities. These perspectives represent a departure from traditional views of psychological learning and the classroom as the optimal place for learning. Another theme in this course will be aligning the assumptions of situated learning and communities of practice with the art of teaching. If we have learned something about how individuals learn naturally, what implications are there for us as teachers? How can we apply these ideas to make the facilitation of learning more effective?

Specific Intern Activities On and Off the Boat

Orientation. A Sunday night orientation will consist of: (a) introductions, (b) a briefing about the CAWW boat, (c) safety concerns, (d) basic whale information and discussion of previously provided technical readings, (e) information about the WCI, (f) procedures for the collection of scientific data, and (g) an overview of the up-coming week’s activities.

Jobs on the Boat. On each trip, interns will be responsible for one of five different research assignments. Those assignments include: (a) physical and behavioral data collection while we are with the whales, (b) identification photography of individual humpbacks and principal public relations contact (informal interviews with passengers), (c) videotaping and course plotting via global positioning satelites, (d) observing and spotting whales from the bridge of the boat, and (e) data entry and photo identification via matching today’s flukes (whale tails) with previous pictures.

Educational Outcomes. Each participant will be required to generate a creative representation of their experience will participating in the community. Those experiences will be presented in a public forum for the group and selected members of the whale watching community.

Social Gatherings. Each evening, immediately following the day’s last trip, there will be a brief social period where social discussion is encouraged. Immediately following is supper and unstructured time for relaxation.

Evening Activities. Each evening, approximately, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., there will be a reflection session where the entire group will examine that day’s activities. Emphasis will be on what has been learned that day and the mental and social processes that resulted in that learning. For example, a typical evening might include a report from each team on their assignments. This discussion would be followed by an activity that defines the meaning for each person. The WCI and CAWW personnel are anxious to receive feedback on the educational method employed that day.

Science Trip. One evening, take the boat out in the harbor to test the various stations. These stations include: (a) salinity and water, (b) quality tests, (c) plankton tows, (c) ocean floor analysis, and (d) navigation by GPS. Passengers will consist of a group of middle and high school-aged learners. The learners would be divided into groups that would rotate through the above mentioned stations. The instructional teams will be responsible for one of five science stations. In various areas around the harbor these stations would be activated, data collected, and analyzed. This would allow for testing a variety of instructional methods. Systematic evaluation will be conducted by gathering data from the learners and community members. Dinner will be provided on the boat this evening followed by the daily reflection session. It is anticipated that we would be finished early and free time would follow.

Concluding Event. The final evening (Saturday) will be devoted to a public sharing of each individual’s creative project that each learner will be responsible for. The creative expression could be photographical, musical, poetic, or whatever medium the learner chooses. The evening will be held in a public place and there will be some notification to the Gloucester community of its occurrence. If other people from the community would like to participate, they would be welcome. The learners from the science voyage will also be asked to participate with a presentation. As with the community members, they can use any medium they choose. Ideally, their parents will be involved or at least be present for this last evening. People from CAWW’s whale watch community would also be invited to bring photographs or other expressions they might have. After the event, the UGA group and WCI group will enjoy dinner at McT’s restaurant to celebrate the week. (No reflection required!!)

Specific Details

Housing. The community will be housed in the dormitories of Gordon College located on Route 128. The college is approximately 10 miles from Rose Harbor where CWAA is located. The specific housing arrangements with regard to number to a room, baths, and showers will be forthcoming.

Transportation. Members of the community will fly from Atlanta to Boston, MA via AirTrans. Currently, the round-trip fare is $220. Local transportation will be provided in the form of a van rented at Logan Field.

If sufficient interest exists, a UGA van might be rented and the community can travel as a group to Gloucester. Such a trip will require two days in route and an overnight stay somewhere near the Washington, D.C. or Baltimore, MD areas.

Food. Food will be provided in several ways depending on the day’s activities. Breakfast will be taken at Gordon College or can be purchased by individuals at restraunts located near Rose Harbor in Gloucester. Box lunches will be provided on-board during each day’s research voyages. Most evening meals will be taken at the Gordon College dinning hall. Several dinners will be taken as a group at other venues. Costs for most meals will be included in the overall price of the trip. Miscellaneous snacks and drinks will be purchased at the expense of each individual.

Dress/Uniforms. When on the boat and working with the public, khaki colored shorts or pants are required. Two golf shirts designating community membership and affiliation with WCI and CAWW will be provided as a cost of the program. Members are encouraged to bring a heavy sweater or sweatshirt when at sea. Even when it is hot on shore, it can be quite cool on the trip out and back. Rain gear is also encouraged. Shoes should be comfortable with rubber soles for good on-deck traction.

Estimated Costs. The following table is a breakdown of the costs for the entire trip. These costs are as they are now estimated. It is entirely possible that these costs might increase or decrease.
 
 

Description of item	Item Cost	Estimated Costs
Airfare	Roundtrip @ $220	220.00
Ground Transportation	$400 /10 (assuming 10 individuals)	40.00
Housing	6 nights @ $24	144.00
Food	6 days @ $15	110.00
Shirts	2 shirts @ $10 each	20.00
Film & Processing	$10 each	20.00
Rainy Day Activities	2 activities @ $10 each	20.00
Approximate Total		$574.00