Westtown School, West Chester, PA (Grade 12)
INtroduction
Students were assigned the Migration Presentation from the Motus Education program and completed it as a self-guided tutorial. The interactive content provided background information and context for the field-based learning experience.
“I enjoyed the migration presentation the most because it is animated and explains each step of bird conservation with illustrations that are easy to understand.”
Field experience
The class visited during the regular fall banding season at Rushton Woods Preserve to observe how a banding station operates, watch banders handle and assess wild birds, and learn what kind of data is collected, and how it is used to inform land management and conservation efforts.
“Watching my students release birds at Rushton was pretty amazing. I think a lot of them were blown away by how small the birds were. I also like that they have a better idea of what bird conservation researchers actually do.”
making Connections
In a follow-up visit conducted on Westtown’s campus, students had the opportunity to visit the Motus receiving station installed on the school’s observatory. They also navigated the interactive Motus database and spoke with a bird conservation associate from Willistown Conservation Trust to gain a better understanding of the network’s functionality and applications of the data.
“I LOVED the field trip! I’m a visual learner, so it really helped me understand Motus/bird conservation in general. It was really interesting to see the methods the bird banders used and to hear their explanations”
Conservation Campaign
As a culminating activity, students were tasked with preparing presentations for each division of the school, both to assess their learning, and provide an opportunity to practice scientific communication and public speaking skills in anticipation of delivering presentations for their final research projects.
“I thought it was really interesting that Motus has the potential to inform conservation efforts by showing what sites are more important to different migrating birds.”
Conservation LEGACY
In 2020, student completed an independent study that involved researching avian conservation, exploring the data collected by the school’s receiving station, and conducting his own weekly field observations of birds on the school’s campus over the course of the school year. He demonstrated his learning by developing a web page for the school’s website detailing the community’s commitment to habitat and wildlife conservation, and carrying out field activities and lessons for a 4th grade class to foster the next generation of conservationists in the school community.
Click here to explore the resources used to introduce Westtown students to ornithological research and avian conservation.