Lenore Walsleben and Brandywine FLOWS: “Working with What Is”

Could you picture yourself leading an exciting learning project like this one?

Brandywine “FLOWS” Into Action is a unique science course of Downingtown High School that employs hands-on, innovative strategies to learn about water. The Brandywine Valley Association has been the school district’s primary partner in this project since the course’s inception. The acronym “FLOWS” stands for “Future Legacy of Our Watershed,” and project mentor Lenore Walsleben and others on the team help students put it “Into Action.”

The project began about 10 years ago when the Science Department of Downingtown High School teamed with Brandywine Valley Association (BVA) to develop a new kind of environmental science course. Downingtown had been teaching environmental science for 20 years, but the collaboration with BVA for a new course brought with it funding resources plus the expertise of a BVA staff member. The course was to focus on watersheds, suburban sprawl and water problems, issues that were present in the communities comprising Downingtown School District. In its early years it utilized West Chester University college students to teach some sections. An important part of the program was to have the high school students go to the elementary schools to teach younger students some of the important concepts they had learned.

Reflecting on how the program and her role in it have changed over the years, Lenore says:

“This topic has really taken on a global awareness aspect. Students today have an understanding of water crises in places such as Darfur. Over the years of program operation we have added more science to the course and more participants from the community. For example, we have recruited well-drillers and environmental field scientists to volunteer their knowledge and expertise to the project. We have expanded the program from one section at one school, to three sections at both high schools of the school district. We now have a mentoring component, so my new role is to mentor staff in how to run the program. And, we are working on a Water Festival in conjunction with Earth Day celebration.”

Lenore emphasizes Downingtown School District’s emphasis on diversity in using heterogeneous class groupings. This emphasizes that the real world students enter is populated by people with many differences.

The Educator 500 also enumerates highly motivating activities of the program, such as canoe trips, local water testing, and a global project:

“Students see water treatment and sewage plants. They tour watersheds, dry dams and land fills, as well as Honeybrook golf course, an Audubon Society wetland and bird management site. They visit the Hagley Museum and participate in a mock land use hearing. They also have a project to design a community showing its water use. For graduation projects students volunteer their time at the Brandywine Valley Association. The program activities are linked to state standards for environmental science education. They take a standardized mid-term and final to help find out what they have learned.

Brandywine “FLOWS” Into Action is a prime example of project oriented, research and inquiry-based learning. It is amazing how we can now carry out most of the program without outside funding support. By now we have an entire cadre of resource people, including township officials, businesses and members of the community.”

Lenore emphasizes the wide variety of educational projects that could be considered entrepreneurial. She notes that entrepreneurial educators tend to use their expertise and real world experience to shape the curriculum rather than textbooks. They are always looking for ways to bring others into their projects. Lenore Walsleben’s advice for an aspiring entrepreneurial educator:

”Remember the key in the educational environment is to work within the parameters of the school system. For example, our program was scheduled to minimize its invasion into regular school time and the educational program as a whole. It also is important to link the state standards to real world experience and to use other means of assessment than standardized tests. My best tip is to ‘work with what is’ and to remain flexible to achieve what you want.”

To read the Brandywine FLOWS into Action complete project description visit the 3E web site at FLOWS Into Action or click here to access the Educator 500 database.