Published on Edutopia

In “Outdoor Science Lessons Foster Environmental Stewardship” AIP graduate student Jim Spandikow explains how he creates opportunities for his students to study outside and connect to nature through hands-on lessons.

Spandikow is working on his Master of Arts (MA) in the biological sciences from Miami University through Project Dragonfly‘s Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) while working as an eighth-grade science teacher in the Vista Unified School District in California. He has been teaching for 30 years at the middle school level and has been involved for the past six years in early implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. As an AIP student, Spandikow takes web-based Miami courses and participates in experiential learning through San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and explores natural areas around California.