WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2022 61 ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 6 2 ) et al. 2013). Through aquaponics, students could conduct interdisciplinary activities involving chemistry, physics, biology and sustainability. The present study explored the effectiveness of using aquaculture and aquaponics systems to bridge students’ understanding of ecosystem processes and their attitudes toward and interests in STEM. Thus, the underlying rationale of this study was to examine how the curriculum contributes to and helps refine students’ understanding of ecological concepts and mediate directly in the development of more favorable attitudes toward and interest in STEM fields of study and career pathways such as aquaculture. Major Objectives of the Learning Unit The major objective of the learning unit was to build student understanding of standards-based concepts regarding carrying capacity through investigating an aquaponics system in the classroom. Students worked through tank carrying capacity investigation (i.e., classroommodel project) and were encouraged to think about the importance of identifying patterns and trends, how their aquaponics recirculating system can be used as a model to study natural phenomena, how living things or ecosystems go through periods of stability and change, and the different types of investigations that can be designed and carried out by scientists as relates to aquaculture and aquaponics, which led to their miniecosystem small group investigations. A second major objective of the learning unit was to develop students’ scientific and mathematics practices and reasoning skills in the classroom. An example of the scientific practices involved measuring important water quality parameters, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity and ammonia, nitrite and nitrate nitrogen. Students used mathematical representations to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in the aquaponics ecosystem (NGSS 2013). The unit also provided students with opportunities to practice engineering design. They developed and used models, defined problems and designed solutions for engineering their recirculating aquaponics system. They collaboratively designed and set up their aquaponics system (Fig. 1). The teachers had students work in small groups and create a written and/or physical model of their proposed aquaponics system early in the unit. Students in the classroom were responsible for maintaining their aquaponics system and using problem solving to come up with solutions in STEM-related jobs (PCAST 2010). Continued underrepresentation of certain groups from STEM fields suggests that the full range of talent is not being utilized (Steinberg and Diekman 2017). Incorporating real-world aquaculture activities in the science classroommay be a unique approach for teachers to enhance science engagement and capture students’ interest in STEM disciplines and/or career pathways. Applying PBI in a science classroom that integrates aquaculture may foster students’ appreciation for STEM and promote longterm desires to make it into a career. Overall, it may promote a more successful STEM learning experience and, most importantly, students gain a foundational understanding of target concepts during the inquiry process. Aquaculture and Aquaponics in the Classroom Aquaponics is a blend of aquaculture and hydroponics. Aquaculture is the culture of aquatic organisms and hydroponics is the production of plants using soilless growing systems to produce plants. In an aquaponic system, aquatic organisms (usually fish) excrete waste, bacteria convert the waste into dissolved nutrients and plants remove the nutrients and improve water quality for the fish. It is a sustainable method of growing plants and fish together in a closed recirculating loop system. Students participating in the project were engaged in various hands-on activities associated with managing an aquaponics system in the classroom. These were unique experiential learning environments that got students in touch with basic STEM concepts and skills as they connected with aquaculture and aquaponics. These efficient systems provide students opportunities to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they created and managed an ecosystem while studying the interactions of fish, plants and bacteria. Students working in small groups were assigned a realworld STEM job that made connections to their daily lives and community with weekly rotations. Participating students were engaged in agriculture STEM in the classroom. Students took ownership of their learning while investigating, exploring, analyzing, interpreting and reflecting amongst their peers the tasks at hand, which may foster positive learning outcomes. Aquaculture is an effective teaching tool because it easily integrates many disciplines including biology, chemistry, economics, math and physics (Conroy and Peaslely 1997, ElGhamrini 1996, Wingenbach 2000). Aquaponics education provides a practical, hands-on way to get students in touch with basic STEM concepts due to its interdisciplinary nature (Hart FIGURE 2. Measuring water quality in a mini-aquaponics system.
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