The Evolution of an Agriculture-Ecology 
​Outdoor Activity Trail: 
​Community Partnership in Action

​This section of my website is intended to showcase my interest in science communication and outreach in general and my growth as a community engaged educator in particular. 

It highlights some of the content from a written portfolio that was created to fulfill the requirements for Certification in Community Engagement from the Graduate School and the Office of University Outreach and Engagement, Michigan State University.

My community engaged teaching and learning project focusses on the development of an activity trail at Michigan State University’s W. K. Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). This activity trail was designed to introduce elementary students to both agriculture and ecology, and was intended to be a resource for outdoor informal education. It was based on the research from the KBS Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, funded by the National Science Foundation since 1988 (www.lter.kbs.msu.edu).

​As part of this project we designed a physical trial as well as the curricular materials that could be used on the physical trail. On the right is the front page of the activity book that was intended to be used by students when they were exploring the trail. In the following pages, I will walk you through the evolution of this trail. Hence forth, unless specifically mentioned, the word trail will refer to the curricular materials and not the physical trail. 

Front page of the Activity Booklet.

To learn more about my community engaged teaching and learning project please see:

• The Theoretical Underpinnings of the Project
• The Community Partnership
• The Action Research Driven Phases of the Project
• PDF Version of the Final Portfolio