Abstract
Ripples of Change is an eco-STEM unit designed to address Indiana’s environmental education goals by fostering environmental literacy and informed decision-making among middle school students. By engaging students in community-based learning activities that empower students to address watershed issues, this eco-STEM unit promotes culturally sustaining integrated STEM education. Preliminary findings indicate increased student awareness and responsibility for their impact on local ecosystems using evidence-based reasoning, highlighting the potential for Ripples of Change to inspire global citizenship in students and scalable eco-STEM approaches.
Document Type
Brief
DOI
10.5703/1288284317833
Recommended Citation
Thiel, Elizabeth Andrew, "Ripples of Change: Middle School Students Navigating the Future of our Watershed through Eco-STEM" (2025). Indiana STEM Education Conference. 3.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/instemed/2025/briefs/3
Included in
Engineering Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons
Ripples of Change: Middle School Students Navigating the Future of our Watershed through Eco-STEM
Ripples of Change is an eco-STEM unit designed to address Indiana’s environmental education goals by fostering environmental literacy and informed decision-making among middle school students. By engaging students in community-based learning activities that empower students to address watershed issues, this eco-STEM unit promotes culturally sustaining integrated STEM education. Preliminary findings indicate increased student awareness and responsibility for their impact on local ecosystems using evidence-based reasoning, highlighting the potential for Ripples of Change to inspire global citizenship in students and scalable eco-STEM approaches.