I felt very fortunate to teach this course in Micronesia.  I had to teach myself a lot before I could pass on my knowledge to the students, but it was so much fun to learn about the land I was living on for the year.  Through weekly field trips, the students and I got to explore the island in ways I never would have done on my own.  Trips included a pearl farm, a pepper farm, a sponge farm, boating through mangroves, water treatment plant, and weather centre. Other classroom topics included: 

 

• Introduction to the Environmental Sciences

• Pacific Islands and People

• Ecology

• Energy flow and materials

• Soils, grasslands and forest ecosystems

• Desertification

• Aquatic habitats and wetlands

• Coral reef ecosystems

• Island human populations

• Flora and fauna of the tropical Pacific islands

• Sustainability

• Waste

• Global Issues

 

 

 

 

 

Ecotourism Project: This course was all about learning about the ecology of the students' own islands, so I developed this project as a way for them to look at what their land has to offer in terms of tourism.  They had to develop a schedule full of sustainable, fun activities that would show what their parts of the island had to offer.  The results were excellent and introduced me to hidden gems that I didn't know existed.

 

Healing Plants Project: This project was really interesting for both me and the students. The combination of living in a lush, trpopical environment and growing up in a culture that values family and tradition was perfect for this project. Students had to find a local plant and present its healing properties to the class. Many of the remedies were ones that were passed on from generation to generation and had interesting methods of preparation.