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April 23, 2001
Q&A:
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"Students respect a teacher's firsthand experience more than any other kind of knowledge." |
Jacalyn
Willis
director, professional Resources in Science and Math Program
TIME FOR KIDS magazine, which reaches 3.6 million students nationwide, has named Jacalyn Willis one of 10 "Ford Motor Company Hometown Heroes for the Planet" in its special Earth Day supplement. Willis, who spends one month every year on Barro Colorado Island in Panama studying mammals, shares her experiences via e-mail with fourth and fifth graders in New Jersey through the Rainforest Connection. "It's a joy to be recognized and nominated by children for the work I do to bring the natural world into their lives," she said.
The director of PRISM (Professional Resources in Science and Mathematics) recently discussed her research and her connection to children in the state that made her a hero. INSIGHT: Tell us about your research at Barro Colorado Island. Willis: I saw opportunities to work on a large-scale environmental project in Panama run by the Smithsonian to monitor changes in the tropical forest over a long period of time. I do the mammal census. My husband, Greg, and I have walked the trails on this island in January every year since 1983. Greg is a trout fisherman and a hunter who loves forests. He takes time out from his own work as a contractor to record the different species of mammals on the island.
INSIGHT: Name some of the mammals you track.
Willis: The most numerous animals are squirrels and agoutis, which look like
big guinea pigs. There are coatimundi, relatives of the raccoon; anteaters;
several species of monkeys; rodents; rocket and white-tailed deer; and ocelots.
Some puma recently swam over to the island and have taken up residence as well.
The biggest danger I ever encountered was from killer bees. I stumbled upon
one of the bee colonies, but I wasn't attacked because I recognized the situation
and left quietly.
INSIGHT: What is the Rainforest Connection?
Willis: The Rainforest Connection is an e-mail project that allows me to incorporate
my research in Panama into what I do here with elementary school teachers. It
gives them an opportunity to discuss with me what I do as a scientist, and to
have their students interact with me on a personal level because they can write
to me directly. I write journal entries at a fifth-grade reading level that
describe what I see and do. Several hundred teachers are involved, which means
I'm writing to thousands of children in New Jersey from a field station on the
island. I hope to incorporate video conferencing when they upgrade the equipment.
INSIGHT:
How do you get fourth and fifth graders to recognize their role in preserving
the environment?
Willis: Children already have an interest in animals and habitats. They just
need to get outdoors and see what a forest is and understand the complexity
of a habitat and the roles of different organisms within an ecosystem. Once
they understand that, children usually have great respect for the importance
of preserving a habitat. Using textbooks has done a terrible disservice to education
in this country because we don't use them well. They can be used as resources
but not the primary source of information.
INSIGHT:
Tell us about PRISM.
Willis: Great Ideas in Science, a five-year project funded by the National Science
Foundation to help East Orange and Jersey City teachers improve their science
teaching skills, ended last year. PRISM grew out of that $2.8 million project.
The New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative (NJSSI) asked Montclair State to
become one of seven regional centers to work with schools and districts in every
county in the state. We reach out to school districts in Newark, Passaic and
Hudson counties to improve mathematics, science and technology education for
students in grades K-12. PRISM provides specialized services for teachers who
are already in the profession, helping them to better teach science, math and
technology. We want to create an atmosphere of systemic change so the entire
system can grow and develop in positive directions.
INSIGHT:
Why is it so important for teachers to go on field trips?
Willis: Students respect a teacher's firsthand experience more than any other
kind of knowledge. I hope to expand on the trips we offer teachers by developing
funding to support them in this kind of travel.
