Science in action: tools for teaching urban aquaculture concepts.

Abstract

In the last 20 years K-12 aquaculture education has moved from its place as an extension of vocational agriculture in the United States to having solidified itself as an integral part of environmental, biological and research-related courses in classrooms across the USA. This attention to aquaculture in the classroom has been driven in large part through support by government agencies like the National Council for Agriculture Education, the US Department of Agriculture and the National Science Foundation, and other entities such as aquaculture industry, university outreach and education programmes, regional and state boards of education, and fishery management organizations. References give indications that aquaculture is an effective teaching tool (Caldwell, 1998) and students are highly motivated to learn in an environment that includes aquaculture (Wigenbach et al., 1999). This chapter presents an overview of the role of aquaculture in the education of our youth, and how technology has increased the quality of such an educational experience for students involved in research projects.

Fish in the Classroom: A Survey of the Use of Aquaponics in Education

“…In addition to soil-based gardening, other methods of agriculture are increasingly incorporated into educational curricula and activities, including aquaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics (Frederick 2005). Aquaculture systems, in which aquatic plants and/or animals are raised, can be effective tools for providing students with new environments for hands-on learning (Caldwell 1998;Frederick 2005;Wigenbach, Gartin, & Lawrence, 1999).…”

“…In addition to soil-based gardening, other methods of agriculture are increasingly incorporated into educational curricula and activities, including aquaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics (Frederick 2005). Aquaculture systems, in which aquatic plants and/or animals are raised, can be effective tools for providing students with new environments for hands-on learning (Caldwell 1998;Frederick 2005;Wigenbach, Gartin, & Lawrence, 1999). Initially, aquaculture education was focused on traditional agriculture and vocational schools in order to produce a qualified workforce for the aquaculture industry; however, increasingly educators in secondary schools are taking an interest in incorporating aquaculture into their programing as a vehicle to teach science, math, and other topics (Frederick 2005), and Soares, Buttner and Leavitt (2001) document a variety of existing aquaculture curricula for educators.…”

“…Aquaculture systems, in which aquatic plants and/or animals are raised, can be effective tools for providing students with new environments for hands-on learning (Caldwell 1998;Frederick 2005;Wigenbach, Gartin, & Lawrence, 1999). Initially, aquaculture education was focused on traditional agriculture and vocational schools in order to produce a qualified workforce for the aquaculture industry; however, increasingly educators in secondary schools are taking an interest in incorporating aquaculture into their programing as a vehicle to teach science, math, and other topics (Frederick 2005), and Soares, Buttner and Leavitt (2001) document a variety of existing aquaculture curricula for educators. In fact, at least one program, the Maryland Sea Grant Aquaculture in Action program in the United States, has been developed to offer training and support for teachers running recirculating aquaculture systems in their classrooms for use as a living laboratory for student research projects (Maryland Sea Grant, 2014).…”

A aquaponia como ferramenta didático-metodológica no ensino de ciências e matemática: experiências e propostas didáticas no contexto amazonense

“…Além disso, a aquaponia possibilita aos alunos situações de aprendizagem nas quais podem coletar dados, identificar tendências e fazer correlações entre fatores físicos, químicos e biológicos, além de efetuar simulações dentro de um ambiente particularmente controlado. O resultado desse processo é uma melhor consciência ambiental, o desenvolvimento de habilidades aplicadas, o conhecimento científico, o conhecimento ambiental e a valorização pelo esforço requerido para aplicar os conceitos no campo (FREDERICK, 2005).…”

“…Para Frederick (2005), a aquicultura pode engendrar ambientes de aprendizagem capazes de conectar o aluno ao ambiente, ao mesmo tempo em que oferece a experiência do "aprender fazendo", mediante processos e conceitos científicos e técnicas de resolução de problemas. Por esse motivo, segundo o autor, é fundamental integrar a educação em ciências com a educação ambiental, para todos os alunos, independentemente do seu núcleo de interesse.…”