Now in its fourth year, the Boston Children’s Museum’s Waterfront Learning project has engaged Boston teachers and multiple environmental organizations in the preparation and piloting of curricula, resources, and a website to make Boston Harbor a rich resource for STEM learning. Materials, trips, and training focusing on 15 fieldwork sites in and around Boston Harbor have been piloted with 119 Boston teachers and their classes. Curriculum is being finalized based on revisions suggested in field testing. STEM skills include inquiry, life sciences, earth science, physical sciences, and technology/engineering that are identified in each trip guide developed by the project.

For students to have access to the Harbor as a learning experience, their teachers need to see it as an exciting way to engage students in their curriculum, and they must feel comfortable leading trips and teaching the content. The BWLP is carefully designed to develop the tools and training that will provide teachers with the support they will need to engage their students in waterfront exploration. Training and support includes a workshop, staff consultation, fieldwork materials and supplies, and transportation.

Pipeline Funding will provide 750 students from Boston Public Schools with access to fieldwork experiences that are fully integrated into the elementary curriculum and will Train and support 30 new Boston teachers to guide fieldwork experiences at Harbor sites and implement pre and post Harbor walk trip activities in their classrooms. Boston Children’s Museum will work with Boston Public Schools Science Department to plan workshops for 30 elementary teachers, to be delivered collaboratively with teacher leaders who developed the curriculum. Museum and BPS teachers will finalize the Waterfront Learning website and produce CD-ROMS containing curricula and background information. 30 classes will take trips to any of 15 sites along and in Boston Harbor, and follow up STEM learning with classroom activities.

Boston Waterfront Learning Project is finalizing the development of curriculum activities, training, and materials that have been carefully designed to complement and supplement the Boston Public Schools curriculum in grades 2-7. The dissemination phase begins in the 2004-5 school year; over the next three years, the goal is for all Boston students to participate in at least one fieldwork experience during their elementary and middle school years. BPS Science Department has been an active partner in the Waterfront Learning Project since it was planned five years ago, and will help oversee its institutionalization. Participation in the BEST Network will be a first step in disseminating the project to other school districts. Because teachers helped to create the curriculum, materials, website, and training, and these have been so extensively piloted, the likelihood of successful transferability is high.