Catching butterflies gives me an image in my mind that I know I can share with my students," says Brandyn Scully, a science lab teacher at Second Street Elementary School in Los Angeles. "Itís made me a better teacher; the students tell me they love science; they cheer when I tell them we are going to work on the butterfly project."Actually, Scully isnít just capturing butterflies. Sheís counting them, tagging them, releasing and recapturing them as part of "Butterfly Dreams" a UCLA Science Project workshop exploring environmental issues through the study of an endangered butterfly.
Scully, and about two dozen other teachers spent five hot days last week, butterfly nets in hand, combing a deserted bluff above San Pedro, capturing and counting butterflies. In the process, they learned about the connections between butterflies and the natural environment, why species become endangered, the causes of species losses, and the impact of humans on the environment.
"Itís so cool because we are learning basic scientific concepts and techniques that we can take back to the classroom" , says Annie H. Chung, a member of the UCLA Teacher Education Program who will be a first-year teacher this fall at Denker Avenue Elementary in Gardena. This is really very exciting. Weíre learning by doing it, getting dirty, getting a hands-on lesson."
"I want teachers to use butterflies as tools for teaching general biology, says course instructor and butterfly researcher Rudi Mattoni, a professor in the UCLA Department of Geography. "Butterflies are a great vehicle for teaching all aspects of science." Teachers can use them to set up experiments and teach kids how to form and test a scientific hypothesis.
"Butterflies are a wonderful way to hook kids on science," adds Pat Dung, director of science for the Los Angeles Educational Partnership, and head of the LAEP Project Inquiry initiative which is working with UCLA on Butterfly Dreams. "They can open the doors to the whole wonderful world of science."
Teachers participating in the butterfly workshops learn by doing. The course is conducted at the deserted Naval Defense Fuel Region, which is a site for endangered species of butterflies. In addition to capturing and tagging butterflies as part of a population study, teachers learn to grow plants for adult butterfly and caterpillar food, make equipment for study and breeding, and use simple computer butterfly ecology programs. They also have opportunities to talk with research and government experts.
Teachers also learn to connect their experiences to the classroom by developing classroom ideas and instructional models. For example, Scully and other teachers at Second Street Elementary have developed a garden at their school that serves as a habitat for butterflies. The kids learn to grow plants that attract and sustain butterflies, as well as learn scientific techniques used in their study.
"Working with Butteflies lets you bring an ecosystem into the classroom. You can show the kids that nature is not isolated, everything is connected," says Gloria Simosky, a fourth-grade teacher at Figueroa Street School. "These are urban kids, this helps them to develop a better viewpoint about all living things."
"Kid’s have a hard time learning in an abstract manner," adds Dung. Kids want to touch it, feel it, see it move. They love butterflies. They're perfect for interdisciplinary instruction - you can use them to explore science, count them in math, use them in art. You can teach anything with them."
Butterflies In The City is a part of LAEP
Learning Exchange.