Interview with Cory Logan
Science Coordinator, the Brookwood School in Manchester MA
What does your job entail?
I am the Science Coordinator at an independent school, Brookwood School, in Manchester, Massachusetts, on [metro Boston's] North Shore. It’s a K-8 private school with over 400 students. I’m in charge of the science curriculum for all grades. I’m also a full-time 7th grade science teacher, so I have many roles.
How would you describe your role as Science Coordinator?
Basically I oversee the science curriculum, work with the science department team members, and run two department meetings a week. One the most important parts of my job is to be supportive of the members in my department and of their teaching.
Does that vary from grade to grade?
The conversations may vary but I see my role as being similar across the grade levels – to do whatever necessary to make it easier for the teachers to do their job and do it well. We’re always tweaking the curriculum and looking at the sequence. We map our curriculum, not only for content but for science skills and study skills.
How does that translate in a smaller school?
I have a smaller constituency, so we can really dive into thoughtful discussions. It feels intimate – familiar. We’re all on one campus.
What kinds of things have you done to get marine themes into the curriculum?
One of my first tasks was to re-vamp our Science Gym - to make it a versatile space with a unifying theme. It has over 1,000 square-feet, and is a kind of gym of the mind dedicated to all aspects of the science experience. Right now we’re in the process of designing it to support the various aquatic themes in each of the grade levels. The carpet is in the shape of ocean waves and we are creating this huge interactive ocean mural, over 50 feet long, representing different water habitats. We have a local artist, Jeph Ellis, who is doing all of the art work. When Jeph has finished the mural, we will be installing a sliding piece of high quality Plexiglas that will allow us to write on the mural and use it as a teaching tool.
What was the inspiration for the Science Gym?
Our surroundings - what we saw outside our classroom doors - was the inspiration. The school is surrounded by water habitats – we have a pond, a stream, marshlands, and it’s a quarter mile from the ocean. Choosing an aquatic theme was an easy decision to make. In our curriculum, each grade level studies a different water habitat. Water is one of the main connecting themes through our PK – 8 curriculums. Teaching kids about their surroundings hopefully will instill a sense of appreciation and respect what they see around them every day. The tougher part of the project has been coming up with a design. Before, the Science Gym felt like a basement - exposed pipes, cement walls, and poor lighting. With some additions like our beautiful mural, the Gym is turning into a wonderful place for students to learn.
Sounds like water as been a real inspiration for you, too. Is marine science part of your background?
I received a BS in biology, and during college I did the Sea Education Association program and also spent time studying marine biology in Bermuda, Woods Hole and the Isle of Shoals, doing research on fishing communities. Growing up on Cape Cod, I have always loved marine environments. After I graduated college, I went into teaching, and started a marine biology program at a New Jersey independent school. Then I taught in California, then back to Cambridge. This job at Brookwood came about serendipitously. The person heading the search came across my resume and contacted me – I hadn’t even applied for the job. I went for an interview and fell in love with the school. I’m now in my fourth year.
How did you get involved with COSEE-NE?
One of our former teachers, Kim Frashure, is a COSEE-NE program manager. She told me about COSEE-NE and I really liked the idea of working directly with a researcher. She connected me with Charlie Mazel, a researcher who works with fluorescence. Charlie and I collaborated and presented at [COSEE-NE's] POSE [Partners in Ocean Science Education] conference last spring and also at last summer’s NMEA conference. Our collaboration basically illustrates how a teacher and a scientist can team up to develop curriculum that they can bring into the classroom. From there I got involved with OSEI [Ocean Sciences Education Institutes, another COSEE-NE program].
Which OSEI project are you working on?
I got hooked up with Bob Chen in the water quality group. We’re working with two scientists, Francesco Peri and Mike Shiaris. Francesco, an engineer, is designing the data sensor package and will come in to the school to talk to the 7th graders about the engineering process. Mike is a biologist, and he’s also coming to the school to talk to the students. With the scientists help, the data sensor package, camouflaged in a swan decoy, will be launch into the school pond. I’ve been doing background work with the students to get them ready to tackle the research that we will be conducting. We’re framing the research around water quality in our pond. Lots of things come together in this project – scientists sharing their research with students, students having access to scientists, students using real-time data to study the pond on their own campus, to name a few.
What’s the time-frame for the project?
We’re putting the swan in the water soon – the scientists are coming to school in mid-October [2007]. I am hoping that we can launch the Swan in early November. I’m eager to see how this works out. Then OSEI meets in December and we’ll report to the rest of the OSEI groups. I hope by that point I will have some preliminary student work to share.
Do you plan on continuing the OSEI project after that point?
I’m really excited about the prospect of sustaining the project for years to come. Teaching and reinforcing the scientific method through a primary research project on our campus is a great way to expose students to meaningful science. It fits into what we think is important. I’m also working to get some more engineering into the curriculum – so many pieces are coming together. I can’t thank Bob Chen and the scientists from UMass enough. What an amazing opportunity they have created for us! I hope that it’s just the beginning of lots of wonderful things to come.
