BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The City University of New York

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Background:  In 1999 & 2000 NYC experienced outbreaks of West Nile encephalitis, with scores of confirmed cases of the disease and a smaller number of related deaths. Mosquitoes spread the virus to humans, animals, and birds.  In response, the city sprayed pesticides by helicopter in all five boroughs, using an EPA-approved insecticide called Malathion.  Some neighborhood and environmental groups voiced concerns about health effects of the pesticides. 

Scenario:  It is now late June 2001.  After a rainy spring, there are reports of a new outbreak of West Nile virus. NYC officials discuss emergency plans for dealing with the problem, including the resumption of pesticide spraying.  Public concern grows-- about the disease and about the pesticides.  You are the assistant director of a neighborhood community center that operates educational programs, a summer camp for children, and senior citizen activities. Your director asks you to conduct research and develop an informative flyer on this situation. 

Objectives:

• To develop critical thinking skills.
• To develop skills in web-based research, writing, and presenting information to a public audience.
• To gather, analyze and evaluate information about the West Nile virus and pesticide spraying, and to assess appropriate response by public health officials.

Resources

• NYC Health Dept West Nile Virus page http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/wnv/wnvhome.html
• Pesticide Spraying is Greater Threat than W. Nile Virus.  Newton MA newspaper article. http://www.orgsites.com/ma/npac/BRESLER.htm
• Environmental News Network report on West Nile Virus and related Pesticide Spraying http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/2000/08/08172000/westnile_30596.asp
• NY League of Conservation Voters: http://www.nylcv.org/ecopolitics/ep_winter00b.htm
• Centers for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
• Canadian Agriculture Dept.site http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/epb/factsheets/pesticides/malat.html

Activity. (50 Minutes Total)

Step 1. Researching the Situation. (30 min)  Choose a partner. After reviewing these instructions, work with your partner to examine some of the sites listed as Resources (above) to gather information about West Nile encephalitis and related public health issues.  Use the attached note-taking form--or create your own.  You may want to start with the NYC Dept. of Health sites and then move to other sites on the disease and the pesticide issue.   

Step 2.  Sorting, evaluating, and analyzing information.  (10 min).  Stop gathering and start analyzing.  With your partner, reflect on the data you gathered.  What sites were most helpful to you?  What kinds of information did you find on different sites?  How would you describe their biases?  How would you rate their reliability? (NOTE: If you want help thinking about evaluating web site reliability, go to: http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8001/research/education/net.html.) Overall, what do you think are the key pieces of information for your community to know?   

Step 3. Outlining key points of a presentation. (10 min)  Sketch the key points of your flyer.  Consider these questions as you prepare the outline.  What information does your audience need to know?  How should that information be best presented (order, emphasis, illustration, layout)?  What would you include?  Exclude? How would you make these decisions? 

Step 4. Questions for further inquiry. (10 min)  What else would you want or need to know to create your flyer?  Brainstorm a list of questions and possible sources for additional information. 

Small Group Discussion (45 minutes):

Gather with others who did this activity. Take turns briefly sharing your outlines for a one-page flyer and your list of questions for further inquiry.  Then reflect on and discuss this activity with your small group, using the following sequence of questions as prompts. At the end of this time, prepare one member of the group to share key points of your discussion with the larger group.

What did you learn from this activity?  What could students learn from a classroom version of it (including the sharing and exchange of presentations)?  What other kinds of writing or presentation outcomes could this activity support?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this activity? Is it a good vehicle for developing student skills in inquiry, critical thinking, and writing?  How could it be improved?

How would you describe the pedagogy that informs this activity? What skills and modes of thinking does this activity support? Do the electronic materials being engaged suit the assignment's pedagogy and methodological goals? What can we learn from this activity about the kinds of inquiry assignments that work best when using new media resources?

How does the inquiry approach used in this activity compare with inquiry approaches you have used in your classes? What is similar? Different? What are the advantages and disadvantages of inquiry learning, in your experience? Where does it fit in the repertoire of teaching in your field?  

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