CONTACT:
Matthew Winston
(540) 231-8508
BLACKSBURG, June 4, 1997 -- Can children really learn about science in the parking lot of their school, or a backyard play area? The answer is YES! The world of a child centers around home and school, so why not bring science into their world? A new book from the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History, a branch of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, shows how.
Model Inquiries into Nature in The Schoolyard (The MINTS Book) is a unique field guide to the natural history of schoolyards and other similar areas in Southwestern Virginia. The MINTS Book is a 275-page field guide to schoolyards designed to help teachers use the natural settings of the outdoors to teach science to school children. While revealing the richness of local habitats, the book's natural history information is applicable throughout Virginia and the Southern Appalachians. Any ecosystem is worth studying and the explorations described in MINTS can be adapted to yours! The MINTS Book can help students and teachers alike see more of the natural world right outside their door.
"The MINTS Book is based on using inquiry ideas of teaching to engage students in active learning," Alan Raflo, one of the authors of the text, said. "The heart of the project is to work with the local environment and to use the natural resources available to their full extent."
"The book is a wonderful resource to have to use with the hands-on science approach and for a rookie like me to become aware of the opportunities in our schoolyard," said one elementary school teacher who has used the book. "The materials are formatted so we can use them easily."
The MINTS project has been funded since 1992 through a grant from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The concept of MINTS was developed by the Virginia Tech museum in collaboration with local teachers, university faculty, and other educators.
"We took input from teachers all along," Raflo said. "While writing MINTS, we noticed that it became both a research project and a service project at the same time." The MINTS Book took into consideration the recommendations of the many educators who have participated in the project.
Students participating in MINTS activities have the opportunity to develop scientific and critical-thinking skills, while learning about and enjoying life outdoors. "The students really become involved with the activity and like science," wrote one teacher who used MINTS activities with her students.
"Teachers see the advantage of a resource where science can be performed with inexpensive equipment like rulers and pencils," Raflo said.
Charles K. Jervis, a teacher at Auburn High School and user of the MINTS Book wanted such a text to be created so that students could apply science to their own local habitats. "The publication and the workshops available are an excellent means to engage in active field study. The project is broadly enough defined to allow application in all grades."
But local teachers and students aren't the only people that the MINTS program has impressed. The project has also received national attention for its excellence, including awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and from the Eisenhower Regional Consortia for Math and 
Science. In the fall, the MINTS project will also receive a Certificate of Recognition from the Excellence in Education Conference, which is held by the College of Human Resources and Education at Virginia Tech.
The Museum offers workshops and programs for science teachers and others who are interested in learning how to useThe MINTS Book and their schoolyard more effectively. The workshops include hands-on activities and practice in developing schoolyard lesson plans that can be used immediately in classes. Each workshop consists of one full-day session at the Natural History Museum in Blacksburg, followed by a half-day session at a local high school. K-12 teachers, pre-service education students, and other science educators are invited to attend.
Several workshops are upcoming. The scheduled dates are:
Pre-registration is required. Please contact the Virginia Tech Museum of Natural History at (540) 231-5307 or send e'mail to Alan Raflo at MINTS@vt.edu for more information on the workshops or about obtaining a copy of the MINTS Book.
