Minimizing Human Impact at West Ottawa
Created by:  West Ottawa Biology Teachers

Project at a Glance :

The goal of this project is to design a solution that will reduce the impact of human activities on the environment and biodiversity. Within this design, students will focus on reducing human impact locally at West Ottawa High School. Through project based learning students will create a solution, describe how their solution will be implemented, and how the solution would maintain the environment. 

Driving Question:

How can we create a movement for sustainable culture at WO?      

Standards:

• HS-LS2-7  Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
• HS-LS4-6  Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse impacts of human activity on biodiversity.
• HS-ETS1-3  Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
• Critical Thinking, Communication/collaboration, Problem solving, Technology Literacy

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA protocol
• Hopes, Fears, & Norms​

​​Entry Event:

• Students took a closer look at our school both inside and out. Students observed and identified biodiversity on campus, but also identified evidence of negative human activity on our campus environment.

Stakeholders:

• Current and future West Ottawa students
  
• WO teachers, supporting staff, administration, and central office staff
  
• The WO district and greater community
  

Empathy Building:

• Students created Empathy Maps and a Stakeholder Map

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Before students begin the investigation stage, students have a chance to display their prior knowledge of the topic.​​

• Students interviewed - Dan Boersma, City of Holland Sustainability Manager and Bob Wandel, Outdoor Discovery Center Education Network Director.
  
• Students researched sustainability practices from around the world.

• Students groups completed research about five different human impacts. Examples include, paper usage, plastic usage, food waste, transportation, and energy usage.
• Students created a poster illustrating the knowledge they gained from research.

Incubation:

• Idea Quota protocol​​

• Anti-problem activity

​Checking in:

• Students broke down the driving question to develop a better understanding of their problem.

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• ​Elevator Pitch - After students have narrowed down their ideas to a signal solution, it is a great time for the teacher to check-in and see where your students thoughts are. 

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Solution Building:

• Dot Voting​

• Poster Session​

Critique and Revision: 

• Critical Friends

Authentic Audience:

• WO Administration and Central Office staff​
  

Final Presentation:

• Students created a Flipgrid to present their final solution to our authentic audience at West Ottawa.​

Reflection and Feedback:

How will you use skills we completed during our PBL in your future career?​ 
     "I will work and communicate with people that are different from me to accomplish a task."
     "I will be more confident when presenting my ideas."
​      "When meeting with coworkers or customers, I will listen their opinions."

​What is one thing you learned about yourself during the PBL?
       "I learned that I am an investigator and helping my group find helpful information." 
​       "I learned how to communicate with others."  "I leaned that I can be a group leader."

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

Reid Murphy teaches Biology and Botany at West Ottawa High School.

     With PBL/Design Thinking the learning becomes real, which improves student motivation and passion for the learning process."

Jessica Lepley teaches Biology at West Ottawa High School.

     "Students were more engaged and interested when using PBL/Design thinking, yet they weren't just more engaged, they were also challenged to expand their thinking skills, collaborate with others, and make connections they wouldn't have before."

West Ottawa teachers Katie Lee, Samantha DeBoer, Sean Hoey, and Kristina Graham helped to create this project.