Looking at the Environment is a one-year high school environmental science course that employs geographic visualization and data analysis tools in an inquiry-based approach to science education.

Authentic Activities
Looking at the Environment places students in the role of environmental scientists. It engages them in investigations of realistic environmental problems, in which they must make recommendations for sustainable uses of resources. In the course of these investigations, students employ a variety of scientific research techniques, including computer tools for the visualization and analysis of geographic data. These tools include WorldWatcher, a visualization and analysis tool for learners developed by the project members at Northwestern, and ArcView, the leading commercial geographic information system (GIS).

Geographic Case-Study Approach
Looking at the Environment takes a geographic perspective on environmental science, addressing environmental issues at local, regional, and global scales. The curriculum focuses on three critical resources for supporting human activities, land, energy and water. It does so through student investigations of three cases, land use in Florida, generation of electricity in the four different regions of the U.S. (Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West), and water resource management in the Central Valley of California. Throughout these investigations, students work with real-world geographic data. In addition to exploring these regional cases, students explore the same issues at local and global scales.

Environmental Decision-Making
Looking at the Environment presents environmental science in the context of authentic environmental decisions. Students learn how to use scientific evidence to support environmental decision-making. Looking at the Environment provides students with a framework that helps them to be explicit about the roles of science and values in environmental decisions.

Research-based Pedagogy
Looking at the Environment's approach to pedagogy is based on current research in technology-supported science education. It is being developed using a curriculum design framework called the Learning-for-Use Model that identifies a three-step learning process consisting of motivation, knowledge construction, and knowledge organization. The principle behind Learning-for-Use is that students must recognize the value of new knowledge and skills (motivation for learning objectives), have resources and opportunities to develop new understanding (knowledge construction) and must apply and reflect upon their new understanding (organization of knowledge) in order to build understanding that they will be able to use in the future. The curriculum is being developed by a collaborative team made up of educational researchers, scientists, teachers, and technologists. It is being developed by members of the Learning Sciences Program in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, a leader in research on science learning, educational technology, and curriculum design.

Standards-based
Looking at the Environment is designed to achieve national standards at the high school level in three critical areas: science, geography, and technology. The curriculum is designed for use in grades 9-12 and has been field tested in diverse high schools in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The core teaching and learning objectives for the curriculum are:

1. Provide students with the opportunity to learn about the scientific process by participating in meaningful scientific investigations.

2. Foster technology literacy and an understanding of the role of information technologies in modern scientific endeavors through the seamless integration of technology with other learning activities.

3. Help students to understand the complex relationships between the physical environment on Earth and the ecosystems that populate it.

4. Help students to understand the ways in which humans use land, energy, and water resources to support their activities and the impact of human activities on the physical environment and the biosphere.

5. Help students to understand the role that science and technology can play in enabling humans to make informed decisions about activities that impact the environment by providing them with the opportunity to play the role of decision makers.

6. Support the development of inquiry-based teaching and technology skills among teachers.

Project Context
The development of Looking at the Environment is an effort of the Geographic Date in Education (GEODE) Initiative. The GEODE Initiative is dedicated to the improvement of Earth and environmental science education through the use of data visualization and analysis tools to support inquiry-based pedagogy. Through an integrated program of research and development, the GEODE Initiative is advancing our understanding of learning in the Earth and environmental sciences, design of curriculum and educational software, and teacher professional development. The GEODE Initiative is led by Daniel Edelson, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science. Dr. Edelson is a nationally recognized researcher and innovator in educational technology and science curriculum design.