When 80 middle school students from Billy L. Lauffer Middle School, a Title I school in southeast Tucson, hopped off the bus at the University of Arizona, it was not for an ordinary field trip. Despite living just 10 miles away, for many students, this was their first time stepping foot on the university campus – connecting with professors and students and getting a glimpse of college life, effectively engaging in community-driven learning.

The visit was part of an innovative project designed to ignite curiosity, create access to real-world STEM community-driven learning experiences, and reveal higher education pathways for students in Sunnyside Unified School District. “I teach in a Title I district – 95% of my students are members of the BIPOC community. Many of my students’ families don’t have scientists, researchers, or engineers in them – yet. One of my goals has been to shift that picture,” shared Jackie Nichols, their middle school teacher.

Wanting to bring professionals with STEM experiences into her classroom, Nichols reached out to CommunityShare, a nonprofit organization working to weave thriving learning ecosystems by connecting students and educators with the knowledge, experience, and wisdom living in local communities. CommunityShare’s digital platform serves as a “human library,” connecting PreK-12 students and educators to community partners to co-create real-world, community-driven learning experiences.

Through CommunityShare, Nichols found and connected with Adriana Zuniga-Teran, assistant professor at the University of Arizona School of Geography, Development and Environment. Nichols also recruited her colleagues – fellow middle school teachers Keona Hunter and Emily Fimbres – to collaborate and engage their students in the community-driven learning project.

Throughout the year-long project, students were engaged in learning beyond the walls of the classroom by bringing their passion, talents, and knowledge to address inequities in their neighborhood. With mentorship from Zuninga-Teran, faculty colleagues, and their undergraduate and graduate students, these middle school students learned how to utilize geospatial technology to map and analyze green infrastructure at the University of Arizona campus.

They then applied the technology to their lived experience by surveying, mapping, and comparing access to green infrastructure and parks in their south Tucson neighborhood with neighborhoods in higher socioeconomic regions of Tucson. Through CommunityShare, Nichols also connected with Ernesto Somoza, a photographer with the Parks in the Focus program, who supported the students in using photography and GIS data software to document green infrastructure resources.

Read the full article about community-driven learning by Josh Schachter and Melinda Englert at Getting Smart.