The purpose of this study was to (a) embed nature and mindfulness into university course curriculum to determine the influence they have on students’ health and well-being, (b) examine students’ perspectives of mindfulness in the natural environment, and (c) to determine what students identify as the impacts of integrating nature and mindfulness into the university curriculum. This study was unique from previous studies. Several mindfulness practices were introduced so participants could explore and evaluate what worked for them and what did not. The research was conducted in two Environmental Education Certificate courses at Arizona State University: The Ecology and History of the Sonoran Desert (SCN 301) and Nature Journaling (SCN 309). This action research (MMAR) study included a participant pool of thirty-two students: sixteen from the in-person SCN 301 courses and sixteen from the online SCN 309 courses. Students participated in four activities requiring them to sit in a location, engage in mindfulness, and observe nature. These activities are identified as “sit spots” in this study. The four sit spots included two indoor and two outdoor sit spots. Students participated in a one-minute breathing meditation, a 54321 mindfulness technique, and a self-administered, non-clinical Mindfulness-based Art Therapy (MBAT) component during these sit spots. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected via the pre- and post-Nature Relatedness Scale (NR) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Quantitative data was also collected during the Activity Survey (AS). Qualitative data consisted of open-ended questions in the AS, class discussion, researcher observations and notes, and students’ reflections. All analyzed data was synthesized to produce the findings in this study. The findings suggest that integrating mindfulness and nature into university positively influenced students' mental health and well-being. Students reported decreased stress and anxiety while increasing focus, attention, and academic performance. Mindfulness and nature cultivate a more mindful and meaningful way of connecting with oneself, individuals, and nature. Mindfulness and nature also were linked to learning by producing academic benefits. The results of this study inform my local practice and set the foundations to produce results in a larger educational context.

Museums have long been known as an exciting, educational field trip for teachers and students, however, they have the potential to be more. Aside from field trips, some museums offer a range of resources for teachers including professional development sessions. This study followed a sample of classroom teachers as they completed a three-part workshop on Project Based Learning in order to determine in what ways does museum-based professional development change (a) Teacher perceptions of museum resources and (b) Teacher utilization of museum resources within their classroom, as well as what aspects of the museum-designed professional development experience did teachers find most effective in impacting their own teaching. The Experiential Learning Theory and an Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA) effect model were used to evaluate how perceptions changed before and after the museum-designed experience. Overall, the trustworthiness of the informal educators and their resources increased, as well as teacher utilization of the resources since participation. Some of the aspects that teachers reported as most effective included their willingness to engage because of their overall enjoyment of the experience. Teachers also emphasized that these workshop sessions enhanced their current teaching practices, and did not simply replace them.

As we count down the years remaining before a global climate catastrophe, ever increases the importance of teaching environmental history and fostering environmental stewardship from a young age. In the age of globalization, nothing exists in a vacuum, yet our traditional education system often fails to reflect the abundant connections between content areas that are prevalent outside of schools. In fact, many of the flaws of the field of education have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a forced transition to online schooling, with many educators reverting to outdated practices in a desperate attempt to get students through the year. The aim of this project was to design a unit curriculum with these issues in mind. This month-long environmental history unit engages students through the use of hands-on activities and promotes interdisciplinary connections. The unit can be taught in a physical, online, or hybrid American history class, and will hopefully inspire and motivate students to become environmental stewards as they look toward their futures on this planet.

This project consisted of creating at-home lesson plan activities for middle school sixth-grade students centered around environmental education topics. The lesson plan activities were informal for students to do at home by themselves or alongside their parents. I focused on Environmental Education topics such as awareness, animal and plant life so that students can learn more about the environments that surround them. Environmental Education invites students to look closer at the environment surrounding them while also helping them develop a sense of place and respect for their environment. My lesson plan activities encouraged students to go outside and learn more about their surroundings, developing an awareness and an appreciation for their natural setting. After implementing the lessons, I surveyed the students on the following 1) engagement: was the activity enjoyable 2) knowledge: what did you learn? and 3) the ease of the activity directions: what challenges did they face. After collecting the surveys, I analyzed them to see what went well, and changes I would make to future activities.

The creative project, First-Year Teachers Manual, is specifically designed to be a resource for beginning teachers, along with returning educators, who are seeking tips about the profession and day-to-day duties of teaching. The manual is research-based and is a toolbox of tips, suggestions, and additional resources that every teacher should know before walking into their first classroom. The information presented can be adapted for various grade levels and types of classroom settings.

This graduate thesis explains and discusses the background, methods, limitations, and future work of developing a low-budget, variable-length, Arduino-based robotics professional development program (PDP) for middle school or high school classrooms. This graduate thesis builds on prior undergraduate thesis work and conclusions. The main conclusions from the undergraduate thesis work focused on reaching a larger teacher population along with providing a more robust robot design and construction. The end goal of this graduate thesis is to develop a PDP that reaches multiple teachers, involves a more robust robot design, and lasts beyond this developmental year. There have been many similar research studies and PDPs that have been tested and analyzed but do not fit the requirements of this graduate thesis. These programs provide some guidance in the creation of a new PDP. The overall method of the graduate thesis comes in four main phases: 1) setup, 2) pre-PDP phase, 3) PDP phase, and 4) post PDP phase. The setup focused primarily on funding, IRB approval, research, timeline development, and research question creation. The pre-PDP phase focused primarily on the development of new tailored-to-teacher content, a more robust robot design, and recruitment of participants. The PDP phase primarily focused on how the teachers perform and participate in the PDP. Lastly, the post PDP phase involved data analysis along with a resource development plan. The last post-PDP step is to consolidate all of the findings in a clear, concise, and coherent format for future work.

This course will cover the history, ethics and impact of the fair trade movement for a variety of stakeholders in the Global South and Global North. We will be participating in various activities that will acquaint us with different topics, including globalization, the gender wage gap, environmental degradation and supply chain management. Guest speakers from the fair trade community will contribute their perspectives regarding the movement. Students will gain an understanding of the tradeoffs of the fair trade movement for the different actors throughout the length of the supply chain. Students will describe the purpose of the fair trade movement and who it seeks to serve. Students will explain what the Fair Trade certification entails for the actors who engage in the system. Students will debate the tradeoffs of the fair trade movement, incorporating the perspectives of multiple stakeholders from both the Global South and Global North. Finally, students will evaluate Fair Trade as a tool for sustainability both socially and economically.

This project examined the importance of inquiry in science education. The Arizona Science
Standards call for a change from teaching facts to teaching students to construct explanations of phenomena by engaging in science and engineering practices. Through a blend of science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts, the performance expectations form standards that address applying ideas to explanation of phenomena, problem solving, and decision making. The ideas conveyed in the standards need to be developed over time through multiple lessons. Rather than simply present information to students, the Arizona Science Standards require teachers to support students in constructing explanations of phenomena and developing solutions to problems. The integration of the Arizona Science Standards in the science curriculum through the Five E model has the potential to provide students with inquiry- based learning that will help develop their science literacy skills. The 5E inquiry model consists of five phases: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. Each phase contributes to the learning process as students are encouraged to actively build their knowledge. The learning experiences in science education become richer and more meaningful to students when the science literacy skills are successfully integrated into the 5E inquiry model. Not only will the students learn the skills of science, but also, they will be actively engaged with science content. Active engagements with science will likely foster interest and positive attitudes towards science. This thesis project developed a way to implement inquiry-based learning through an electricity and magnetism unit that uses the 5E model and aligns with the Arizona State Science Standards. The goal of this project was to develop a science unit that can be implemented in future classrooms.

As an aspiring educator pursuing a degree in education, hours have been spent observing, visiting, and working in classrooms of elementary schools. In this time, it has become apparent that social studies and science are not a priority within classrooms or even schools as a whole. This dilemma caused extreme disconnect, amongst students, throughout the common and crucial science and social studies standards that should be taught and implemented daily by law. These content experiences, especially in science, expose students to skill sets and themes that are highly desired throughout higher education, the career world, and for the well-being and longevity of planet Earth.
As a solution to this problem, I created an after school program to provide staff and myself additional time to implement such curriculum and expand the depth of knowledge that students are exposed to. This positive additional time to the educational day, was able to come to life through a grant that I wrote and received to transport students from their elementary school to a local greenhouse. At the greenhouse, I was able to create a series of lessons focused on the resources needed for gardens and plant production. Through these lessons, I utilized inquiry based lesson plans to provide me with a template that was unique from typical lessons taught at school. Through these hands on experiences in our club, students were able to work at their own pace and learn about resources, soil, water, pollinators, and parts of a flower.

Human activity produces ambient noise that potentially alters species’ abilities to communicate with each other—among other impacts. Given that birds are known to be sensitive to structural changes in habitat and highly communicative through sound, it is beneficial to understand how changing acoustic ecologies and ambient noise impact birds’ ability to communicate in their respective environments. In this study, mockingbird calls from an urban, desert, and intermediate study site were recorded and analyzed for differences in acoustic properties. Acoustic properties such as frequency and amplitude differed significantly across sites as it was determined that mockingbirds in urban areas increase both the peak frequency and amplitude of their calls in order to communicate. This study identifies what these changes in acoustic properties mean in relation to the survival and conservation of birds and concludes with recommendations for novel research.