Larn is a program under the nonprofit Tscion that utilizes the Tscion Research Environmental Education, Enrichment, and Stewardship (TREEES) Framework that works to improve environmental literacy and emergency preparedness for youth participants. The application of TREEES (Tscion Research, Environmental Education, Enrichment, & Stewardship) for youth & young adult engagement with sustainability technology & cultural methods, as the purpose of Larn Lab.
With the Larn Lab module, it functions as action-based research participation that integrates PreK to 6 youth, Middle School, High School and young adult participants to engage in environmental education through observational data collection, enrichment, presentations, and preparedness training.
Larn Lab consists of a series of learning activities that align with sustainability innovation, technology and cultural needs of the participating student.
Sustainability Innovation & Technology
The implementation of technology invites Larn Lab to expand standard EE stewardship by allowing students to participate in forensic environmental research. Student contributions towards data collection advances stewardship by integrating environmentally specific technology that smartly reviews elemental samples, energy usage, and data-driven weather alerts. This technology-based stewardship requires engagement-aligned training that contributes to accurate narratives for youth participants, while presenting valid and reliable evidence for curricular design, needed to formally present technology-aligned EE activities.
With the expansion of Federal regulated AI-modules for academic learning, data collected from Smart Meters, Water Testing Kits and Weather Monitors enables Larn Lab to specify data driven curricula that supports students to become “mini” Action Researchers and Field Technicians.
Cultural Methodology
To ensure program participation meets general EE standards, students are classified based on cultural-alignment of environmental circumstances for the following:
- Rural
- Fully, Low City Infrastructure and High Environmental-Issue Engagement
- Partial, Moderate City Infrastructure and High Environmental-Issue Engagement
- Low, High City Infrastructure and Moderate Environmental-Issue Engagement
- City
- Fully, High City Infrastructure and High Environmental-Issue Engagement
- Partial, High City Infrastructure and Moderate Environmental-Issue Engagement
- Low, Moderate City Infrastructure and Moderate Environmental-Issue Engagement
City or Rural Environmental Engagement Classifications (CREEC) determines the type of Larn Lab curriculum presented for youth learning. CREEC outcomes can encompass different technology uses that require students to engage with various scopes of sustainability innovation such as smart-energy use, emergency response, water safety, and air quality. With the use of targeted equipment that measure data from these CREEC instances, Larn Lab youth assists with collecting data by utilizing observation awareness and field research used to build reports that improve energy expenses, environmental safety, emergency preparedness, and weather patterns.
City or Rural Environmental Engagement Classifications (CREEC)
CREEC Environmental-Issue Engagement is described as the following:
City or Rural Environmental Engagement Classifications (CREEC) requires EE curricular development to be fully aware of student environmental circumstances that directly affect personal surroundings. These defined classifications allow the educator to convert current environmental engagement into a functional learning lab.
Rural and City (High, Moderate, Low) circumstances can alter technology needs and data from students.
For example:
- CREEC-City participants would contribute increased water testing kit and air quality data
- CREEC-Rural participants would contribute increased energy data usage (ie. propane & solar) and extreme weather data.
These surroundings may vary based on the location of the student’s school, home, and social settings that influence environmental necessities and challenges based on day to day experiences. CREEC Environmental-Issue Engagement is subset data based on a measurable classification to determine how to effectively identify student environmental issues.
Environmental-Issue Engagement (High, Moderate, Low)
- Pollution exposures with air, water, and soil that can negatively impact a student’s health
- Aggression encounters with animals or human engagement that limit outdoor participation
- Weather-Related conditions that negatively impact outdoor participation (etc. wildfires, earthquakes, flooding or extreme temperatures)
Outcomes & Concerns
The Larn Lab program requires at least 16 months of youth participation for enrichment, observational research and equipment training. During this timeline, student stewardship is applied towards data collection and generating AI bands that are used for student presentations and research reports.
Successful Larn Lab implementation should significantly improve student engagement for the following:
- Technology operation for more than general common core computer use
- Simplified environmental awareness of elemental deficiencies found in community ecology
- Ability to communicate environmental concerns and identify unusual ecological patterns to adults and educators
- Safely engage and operate AI and tech-based apps for school assignments, presentations, and responsible communication
- Quantify State and Local environmental data by utilizing student action research
At the end of the 16 month timeline, participating student outcomes should result in improved knowledge and increased understanding of Larn Lab’s engagement with sustainability technology and cultural methods.
Program Concerns & Facilitation
As Larn Lab improves its technology use for EE curricula, Larn and Tscion Research continues to self test suggested technology to ensure data privacy, activity risk, and review responsible student participation. This requires selected educators and volunteer researchers to determine feasibility of specific equipment for school budgets, highlight technology safety gaps for students, and determine adequate equipment training for educators to implement within the current science curriculum.
Funding Opportunities
Larn Lab plans to pursue public and private funding to support its 16‑month, technology-based environmental education program. Primary opportunities include federal and state grant funding to assist with equipment expenses such as smart meters, water testing kits, and weather monitors. Funding would also contribute towards involving educators and research volunteers to assist with equipment testing, curricular development, and research training aligned with the TREEES framework and CREEC classifications.
Supplementary support would be sought from private organizations and corporate partnerships that prioritize youth STEM, environmental education, and climate awareness. This can include in-kind equipment donations, sponsorship of student enrichment and presentation materials.
To ensure community participation, Tscion plans to include individual donors, school leadership input, and community-based contributions to subsidize participation for rural and under-resourced schools. This participation would also expand to home-based research opportunities for students.
References
Connell, M.G & Tscion Research. (2022). Tscion Research Environmental Education, Enrichment, and Stewardship (TREEES): A framework designed to improve environmental education (EE) and EE literacy for student learning and teacher curricular development. The Sustainable Desk, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.58525/tsd.v1i1.9