Dominican students begin term of Marine Life Studies

A student peers at Plankton during the program

This week fifth grade students from across Dominica begin a semester-long exploration of local marine life through the educational programme known as Floating Classrooms.

A special live broadcast of the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports radio program Youth Vibes will take place from beneath the sea at the Soufriere-Scotts Head Marine Reserve kicks off this years Floating Classroom programme.

Floating Classrooms — a collaboration between the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Caribbean Whale Watch Operators Association (CARIBwhale Inc), the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Dominica’s Sea Turtle Conservation Organization (DomSetCo) and the Youth Development Division of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports — teaches students about the importance of protecting marine life near Dominica and around the world, ultimately inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards.

Students are introduced to Dominica’s whales, sea turtles and more, through classroom activities and face-to-face encounters as marine scientists for a day. Already, Floating Classrooms has reached thousands of Dominican students over the past ten years.

“I can think of no better way to highlight studying the amazing ocean realm in our own backyard than announcing the start from beneath the sea” Honorable Minister Kenneth Darroux, Minister of the Environment said earlier today. “A solid education in Dominica’s marine life better prepares our students for future careers in ecotourism and to raise the next generation of responsible caretakers of marine life.”

The Floating Classrooms curriculum includes topics on a variety of marine issues and species, but particular focus is on local whales and sea turtles of Dominica. According to Whale Watching World Wide, a 2009 IFAW report on the international whale watching industry, whale watching brought almost two million dollars into the Dominican economy in 2008. The industry shows all the signs of continued growth.

Already, it is clear that Dominica recognizes the value of a healthy whale population. “Many admire Dominica’s decision not to support commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission,” says Jacob Levenson, a Marine Biologist with IFAW. “It shows how much Dominica values living whales and the ecotourism revenue they provide.” Floating Classrooms extends this sense of value into the classroom.

However, Floating Classrooms is about more than whales, explains Levenson. “Floating Classrooms prepares and inspires students for future careers in science or ecotourism by integrating ocean literacy principles with Dominica curriculum requirements.”

In November teachers received copies of the newly developed Floating Classrooms educational handbook, from which they choose a variety of lesson plans that integrate the Floating Classrooms programme and goals into existing curriculum standards.

Teachers at the Jones Beaupierre, Grand Fond, Morone Jean Primary Schools and Roseau, Soufriere, Primary School were the first to receive these handbooks and implement the lesson plans in their classrooms. The programme concludes with the students boarding a CARIBwhale member vessel to take part in a research cruise that allows them to put their classroom lessons to work at sea.

Levenson hopes that Floating Classroom students will complete the programme with a greater appreciation for marine life, and an understanding of how our oceans connect us all. “We’re taught in Geography class that there are seven oceans, but they are divided by lines that we humans drew on a map. The truth is there is only one ocean. This is the ocean through which our sea turtles and great whales migrate. They pay no attention to the lines we’ve drawn. If we are to protect our fisheries, preserve our coral reefs, and responsibly grow a successful ecotourism industry, we must recognize that each of us — young and old alike — has an important role to play.”

Levenson believes that this collaborative approach to Floating Classrooms will serve as a model; allowing the programme to be replicated elsewhere in Dominica and throughout the Caribbean.

Listeners from as far away as the United States, Canada, and East Africa tuned into the special underwater broadcast using the live online stream at http://www.dbcradio.net

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10 Comments

  1. STEPHEN PAUL DELSOL
    February 10, 2012

    Floating Classrooms curriculum is exciting and relevant. We are educating a new generation of Dominicans to learn about one of their most important resource – the sea – and the different animal species that live there.

  2. Island_Pride
    January 20, 2012

    This is really great to see happen. We stood up for what was right for whales by not being bought out and now the whales are paying back 100-fold. Great news and thank you IFAW and others!

  3. Jane Messam
    January 19, 2012

    Well done Minister of Educastion and all those who took part in this initiative. Top marks to Dominica

  4. GSS school leaver-19
    January 18, 2012

    Wish I had this in my time. But I’m not fretting, what I missed out on, my children will take the advantage of.

  5. Justice and Truth
    January 18, 2012

    I wish Dominican students success in their Marine Life Studies. This is also what I mean when I state that Dominica is moving on and progressive. Look to the future. Additional good things will happen to DA in time.

  6. January 18, 2012

    that’s a great initiative… children will be interested in pursuing such careers… in marine life.. marine scientist etc… now we have to put things in place to have available jobs…. we could surely use a forestry professional to deal with the situation in pointe michel

  7. Educator
    January 18, 2012

    Yippee finally we are moving into active and practical teaching. Love it. Kudos to those involved and I will be glued. Congrats to the educators and I’m sure the students will have a great time.

  8. legal aid
    January 18, 2012

    My daughter has just started High School, how do I get her enrolled in such a programme? She is an avid animal lover and loves the underwater world.

    • Hiker
      January 18, 2012

      Check with the Principal. If the Principal does not know it is time to change schools.

      Here is an interesting statistic for DNO readers:
      Did you know that 80% of the Secondary School Principals in Dominica are female?

      Please don’t respond. This is just a fact!

    • Justice and Truth
      January 18, 2012

      @ legal aid

      Generally our thought would go directly to school boys. I did not give it a thought that girls were enrolled. It would be a good idea for them to be enrolled and that your daughter will be one of them. Contact the School Principal of the school as soon as possible. I wish her success.

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