Jaiden DeBoe

Author: jdeboe (Page 3 of 7)

Jigsaw Prep #2

September 30, 2025 /

What is the purpose/goal of this study?


The goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of human foraging on prey species and how to minimize those affects.


Why is this issue significant/why do we care?


This problem is important because the modern use of technology in hunting is only
accelerating the extinction of animals at the bottom of the food chain. Along with that, prey species already must face threats from animals in their natural habitat. Over time, these issues can cause an entire species to die out.


What words/vocab do you need to know to make this make sense?


Population ecology is the study of how populations change over time. Intrinsic rate of increase (r) is a measure of how quickly a species can grow in number. Carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population size that an environment can hold. Density compensation is when a species increases its reproductive rate because of low population density. Ecological extinction is when a species becomes so rare that it is not important to its ecosystem.


What approach are they taking in this study?

The authors built a dynamic simulation to mimic interactions between human foragers and multiple prey species. Each scenario varied the number and characteristics of prey species and tracked outcomes like human population size, prey persistence, and net energy gain.


What are the results of the study?


The models used showed that most forager-prey systems are able to stabilize without specific conservation efforts being made. It was found that the major factors in the survival of prey species are their intrinsic rate of increase and the diversity of resources available to them.


Does the data make sense based on your experiences?


I am not certain, just because I have never really done research on animal habits.
However, I would expect that conservation actions would be the only answer to helping a prey species survive, which make the results rather surprising to me.


How is this pushing the field forward and helping society?


It integrates optimal foraging theory with population ecology, creating an effective model for simulating long-term human-prey dynamics. This articles also introduces the idea of factoring in both prey vulnerability and human behavior in order to ensure prey survival.

10 Article Citations

September 30, 2025 /

Research Question:


How does passive vs. active learning strategies effect student engagement on water conservation education?


a. Population/Focal Subject:


K-12 Students


b. Intervention/Treatment/Manipulation:


Type or learning strategy (Passive or active)


c. Comparison:


The effects of passive learning strategies vs the effects of active learning strategies


d. Outcome/Data Collected:


Student participation and feedback


e. Time/Analytics:


Note taking, response to questions, and participation in class discussions

  1. Title:
    Alternatives to ‘Chalk and Talk’: Active Vs. Passive Learning – A Literature Review of the Debate
    a. Article Type
    Review article
    b. URL:
    https://ssrn.com/abstract=977283
    c. Citation Siripoulos, Costas and Pomonis, Gerasimos. “Alternatives to ‘Chalk and Talk’:
    Active Vs. Passive Learning – A Literature Review of the Debate”. SSRN, 3
    April 2007. https://ssrn.com/abstract=977283
  2. Title:
    Impact of Active Learning Strategy on the Student Engagement
    a. Article Type
    Primary Research
    b. URL:
    https://gnosijournal.com/index.php/gnosi/article/view/96
    c. Citation
    Munna, A. S., and M. A. Kalam. “Impact of Active Learning Strategy on the Student Engagement”. GNOSI: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Theory and Praxis, vol. 4, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 96-114,
    https://gnosijournal.com/index.php/gnosi/article/view/96.
  3. Title:
    The Impact of Passive and Active Teaching Methods on Students’ Learning
    Among Secondary School Students in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
    a. Article Type
    Primary Research
    b. URL:
    The Impact of Passive and Active Teaching Methods on Students’ Learning Among Secondary School Students in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State – IOPscience
    c. Citation
    Diepreye, Fapohunda and Odukoya, Jonathan. “The Impact of Passive and Active Teaching Methods on Students’ Learning Among Secondary School Students in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State”. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2019, vol. 1378, issue 2. The Impact of Passive and Active Teaching Methods on Students’ Learning Among Secondary School Students in Yenagoa, Bayelsa
    State – IOPscience
  4. Title:
    The effects of passive and active learning on student preference and performance in an undergraduate basic science course
    a. Article Type
    Primary Research
    b. URL: The effects of passive and active learning on student preference and performance in an undergraduate basic science course – Minhas – 2012 – Anatomical Sciences Education – Wiley Online Library c. Citation Singh Minhas, Paras et al. “The effects of passive and active learning on student preference and performance in an undergraduate basic science course”. American Association for Anatomy, 20 March 2012, vol. 5, issue 4. The effects of passive and active learning on student preference and performance in an undergraduate basic science course – Minhas – 2012 – Anatomical Sciences Education – Wiley Online Library
  5. Title:
    Effective Instructional Strategies in Sixth Grade Inclusion Mathematics Classrooms: The Effect of Active and Passive Engagement on Concept Learning and Opportunity to Learn
    a. Article Type
    Primary Research
    b. URL:
    Effective Instructional Strategies in Sixth Grade Inclusion Mathematics Classrooms: The Effect of Active and Passive Engagement on Concept Learning and Opportunity to Learn – ProQuest
    c. Citation
    Mikolaj, Christy. “Effective Instructional Strategies in Sixth Grade Inclusion
    Mathematics Classrooms: The Effect of Active and Passive Engagement on
    Concept Learning and Opportunity to Learn”. ProQuest, December 2019.
    Effective Instructional Strategies in Sixth Grade Inclusion Mathematics
    Classrooms: The Effect of Active and Passive Engagement on Concept
    Learning and Opportunity to Learn – ProQuest
  6. Title:
    A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting
    a. Article Type
    Primary Research
    b. URL:
    A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting | Advances in Health Sciences Education
    c. Citation
    Haidet, Paul et al. “A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting”. Springer Nature, March 2004, vol. 9, pages 15-27. A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting | Advances in Health Sciences Education
  7. Title:
    Anatomy Education-Paradigm Shift from Passive to Active Learning-Effects on Student Engagement, Comprehension and Retention A Review of Literature from 2012 to 2022
    a. Article Type
    Review Article
    b. URL:
    Anatomy Education‐Paradigm Shift from Passive to Active Learning‐Effects on Student Engagement, Comprehension and Retention A Review of Literature from 2012 to 2022 – Gamo – 2022 – The FASEB Journal – Wiley Online Library
    c. Citation
    Gamo, Joel. “Anatomy Education-Paradigm Shift from Passive to Active Learning-Effects on Student Engagement, Comprehension and Retention A Review of Literature from 2012 to 2022”. The FASEB Journal, 13 May 2022, vol. 36, issue S1. Anatomy Education‐Paradigm Shift from Passive to Active
    Learning‐Effects on Student Engagement, Comprehension and Retention A
    Review of Literature from 2012 to 2022 – Gamo – 2022 – The FASEB Journal –
    Wiley Online Library
  8. Title:
    Measuring cognitive engagement through interactive, constructive, active and passive learning activities
    a. Article Type
    Review Article
    b. URL:
    Measuring cognitive engagement through interactive, constructive, active and passive learning activities | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore
    c. Citation
    Pitterson, Nicole et al. “Measuring cognitive engagement through interactive,
    constructive, active and passive learning activities”. IEEE Xplore, 1
    December 2016. Measuring cognitive engagement through interactive,
    constructive, active and passive learning activities | IEEE Conference
    Publication | IEEE Xplore
  9. Title:
    STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE LEARNING: AN ALTERNATIVE TO PASSIVE LEARNING
    a. Article Type Primary Research b. URL: Microsoft Word – 2011_1.3-20_ c. Citation Mahmood, Muhammad et al. “STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE LEARNING: AN ALTERNATIVE TO PASSIVE LEARNING”. SAVAP International, November 2011, vol. 1, issue 3. Microsoft Word – 2011_1.3-20_
  10. Title:
    Comparing Active and Passive Learning: What Does the Evidence Really Say?
    a. Article Type
    Review Article
    b. URL:
    Academic Medicine
    c. Citation
    Willett, Laura Rees. “Comparing Active and Passive Learning: What Does the
    Evidence Really Say?”. Academic Medicine, May 2017, page 573. Academic
    Medicine

Scientist Spotlight (Dr. Nina Jablonski)

September 30, 2025 /

1) What was most interesting to you in reviewing these resources?


The first thing that caught my attention was how early scientists on human and animal evolution did not see a relationship between UV exposure and skin pigmentation. In Dr. Jablonski’s TED Talk, she mentions how Darwin had initially argued that the local climate did not have an impact on the skin color of the people of that region. This is a concept that, especially after seeing the spread of UV exposure across the entire planet, seems like common sense. It feels only natural that a person’s skin pigmentation would be drastically impacted by their exposure to sunlight.


2) What did you learn from these resources about the evolution of skin color?


One thing I learned is that, even now, skin color can darken or lighten based on the part of the world in which you live in. I would have thought that our skin color is mostly constant nowadays, but now it seems clear that skin color is constantly changing as humans relocate across the globe. For example, if you are naturally pale, but you decide to move to a country closer to the equator, your skin will darken over time, darkening the skin color of your future children as a result.


3) What do these resources tell you about the types of people that do science?


I have learned that many scientists in our society are molded by early childhood
experiences. Dr. Nina Jablonski had originally shown a fascination for fossils and animal history, but this changed after she started watching documentaries on human biology on National Geographics. This formed an even greater interest in human evolution that ended up shaping her entire career.

4) What new questions do you have after learning about Dr. Jablonski’s research and how human skin color evolved?


I am curious how UV exposure affects future generations. Children with parents of two different ethnicities often display a skin pigmentation that is a mix of both parents. However, if skin color is a result of our skin producing more or less melanin, how does that affect our DNA to the point where our kids end up displaying a mixed skin color?

Jigsaw Prep #1

September 30, 2025 /

What is the purpose/goal of this study?


The goal of this study is to shift society away from a human-centered focus and towards a worldview that favors all life.


Why is this issue significant/why do we care?


Many of the issues that we deal with in our modern society, like pollution, is because of the policies put in place. The policies that exist within the majority of the world are all based on allowing humankind to prosper, while nature suffers. The authors of this article argue that prioritizing all life will be a key factor in healing the world that we have damaged for so long.


What words/vocab do you need to know to make this make sense?


Anthropocentrism is the idea that humankind is superior to other animals and nature itself. Egocentrism is the idea that all life has inherent value despite what the species may or may not be able to provide to others. Biophilia is a deep connection between humans and nature. Intrinsic value is the worth a person or thing has despite any service they may provide.


What approach are they taking in this study?


The authors mainly examine the ethics of policies that exist in society. They explore how anthropocentric policies have caused the natural world to decay over time, while egocentric ideas have taken a backseat in the modern day. This also leads them to go into depth about the history of human-centered views in nature policies to build a case for policies that prioritize all life.


What are the results of the study?


The authors come to the conclusion that recognizing the intrinsic value of nature and its creatures is the only way to yield actual results in the fight for biodiversity conservation. They realize how human-centered values, which currently dominate many of the conservation policies, have only hurt the planet and many of its natural ecosystems. However, they understand how there are proposals for nature rights, with a study confirming over half of conservationists agreeing with these views. These new findings only further fuel the authors’ idea that the implementation of egocentric views in the place of anthropocentric views is the best plan for preserving natural ecosystems.


Does the data make sense based on your experiences?


While I did expect anthropocentric worldviews to be the driving force for issues such as pollution, I did not expect egocentrism to be as popular as the authors state it is. One survey the authors provide is that 79% of conservationists argue that nature should be conserved for its own sake. I would have thought that the idea of nature having intrinsic value would have been less popular in our society.


How is this pushing the field forward and helping society?

This article is a perfect explanation on why nature needs to be preserved. It also gives a great solution that starts with a mindset and not a full-on plan of action. The only problem is that these new policies must be implemented carefully in order to avoid completely losing focus on human needs.

Reflection #2

September 30, 2025 /

Throughout this first semester, my project ideas have gone through a decent amount of change. In the beginning, I had hoped that my research would revolve around visiting sites that are displaying an area of water equity issues that I could encourage young adults to get engaged in. However, finding sites that both relate to my topic and match my goals has proven to be rather challenging. I am currently in the process of restructuring my project in order to match the sites that are available. The sites that I did find originated from different sources and were vastly different from one another. 

Originally, I found several organizations that promoted their contributions to fixing water equity and agriculture issues. The first organization I came across was Open Space STL, which advertises themselves as the first conservation group in the St. Louis region. What stood out to me about this organization was that its environmental programs had led to the creation of several green spaces, including Queeny Park, Bee Tree County Park, and Castlewood State Park. My goal is to promote their volunteer opportunities with watershed planning and river restoration to young adults. Fortunately, even if young adults in the St. Louis Region are not influenced enough to participate in these events, Open Space STL also hosts fundraisers in the form of auctions and boating events. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District was another organization I found that often hosts events related to stormwater and wastewater through Project Clear. On top of that, I found Tower Grove Park, which acts as a site for both public activities and conservation efforts. 

I decided to also look into sites that Heartlands Conservancy had a direct connection to, so my community partner could help me spread the word to young adults. The difficulty I ran into on this portion of my research is being able to connect these places back to my main goal. I found several public sites, which mainly consisted of parks or attractions for people who lived in the same area. While these sites are good for people who are looking for natural spaces in their region, they do not give the young adult population anything to participate or engage in. Eventually, the Heartlands website took me to newer sites that were bought by or given to Heartlands Conservancy. I originally thought these sites would be better, since there is still lots of work that needs to be put into them. However, they were not made open to the general public, and attempting to set up a tour date is an extra step that the average adult my age is not going to take to get involved. 

In the end, I want to find sites that Heartlands is involved with, because I know that will make it easier for future research. Unfortunately, I am not confident that the sites I found on their website will truly make adults my age want to take action. The organizations I found outside of Heartlands would match my goals for the project, but it would be a lot harder to promote them on my own. Through these next couple weeks, I will work on revising my topic and finding sites that best match my ideas in order to begin advertising these causes to adults my age. 

5 Project Ideas Worksheet

September 9, 2025 /

Q1: How does the complexity of real-world problems affect student engagement when integrated into middle school or elementary school lessons?


Q2: How does the type of classroom activity influence student engagement across grades K-12?


Q3: How do real world challenges, such as access to clean water, affect children’s mental health and school performance?


Q4: How does a parent’s reaction to water equity issues influence how their children react to the same issues?


Q5: How does the use of interactive learning strategies affect student engagement in children with different attention spans?

Week 2 Reading Reflection Worksheet

September 9, 2025 /

What is your favorite quote from this section and why is this so memorable to you?

One quote that stood out to me was from the chapter titled Learning the Grammar of Animacy: “Science polishes the gift of seeing; Indigenous traditions work with the gifts of listening and language”. This was memorable for me because it made me see science and tradition as two sides to the same coin. Scientific methods can allow us to better understand the natural world, but without certain traditions and customs, we will not be able to truly connect with the land that we are fighting so hard to learn more about. It is just like our senses of sight and hearing. We can still interpret the world around us with one of those senses missing, but we will never get full picture until we explore both paths.

What does reciprocity look like in your culture? Provide specific examples.

In my culture, unless there is a direct connection between the two people making the exchange, trade-offs are usually based on a system of currency. This is mostly
due to the fact that peoples’ ideas of the innate value of a product or service usually vary. Values of products or services are constantly changing, making currency the only item of consistency in society. I believe this difference truly shows how society is disconnected from one another. Outside of family and loved ones, people do not have much concern for one another. Exchanges are not a common thing in society nowadays. Many people simply prioritize gaining more from others than what they give. This is usually done by giving out a product or service with a lower value than the currency taken and using that currency to make an even exchange for themselves. In today’s society, it is not about mutuality, it is about tricking someone into thinking they are making an even exchange, just so you can end up with the higher value item in the end.

This section begins with the following quote, “Sweetgrass is best planted not by
seed, but by putting roots directly in the ground. Thus the plant is passed from hand to earth to hand across years and generations. Its favored habitat is sunny, well watered meadows. It thrives on disturbed edges.” What does this mean to you?

To me, I see planting sweetgrass by putting the roots in the ground as a
representation of the connection between man and nature. I am not an expert on
farming or planting, but I know that there are methods to plant multiple seeds at
once to yield more crops. Planting with the roots by hand seems like a more
intimate way to produce the sweetgrass. It’s not just about maximizing the amount of sweetgrass grown, it’s about forming that connection to the land and to the natural world. I feel like this idea of having a connection to nature has been lost in the modern era and replaced with a love for man-made products. We often take for granted the beautiful world that we live in since our lives are consumed by
technology. I like to compare this to light pollution in big cities. In cities with large
buildings and large populations, the bright lights used to illuminate the city at night often block out light from the stars. But if you find a place in suburban or rural areas to look at the night sky, you can see the stars clear as day, which is something a lot of us take for granted.

Specifically in “The Offering”, Kimmerer discusses how we focus our attention.
What are ways in which you choose to focus your attention and are you happy with these choices?

I tend to focus the majority of my attention on activities that make me happy in the moment, like spending money, instead of focusing on activities that will be
beneficial for the future. I am not happy with these choices, because I know I should have been preparing for my future months ago. Becoming an adult and starting college has taught me a lot about the real world. I realize now that I need to prepare myself for unfortunate circumstances that may occur in the future before they can happen. I have made mistakes in the past because of not prioritizing my future and I hope to correct that soon.

Reflection #1

September 9, 2025 /

When trying to figure out why young adults are not fully on board with community engagement in the modern day, many people do not factor in the idea that location is everything. Our modern society is littered with external stimuli and stressors for people to encounter, so much to the point where many people are not concerned with issues that do not directly impact their day-to-day lives. Going into my research on young adult engagement, I want to focus on issues that directly impact people based on the specific region where the problem is occurring. For this, I plan on visiting and researching local sites that work towards fixing community problems in certain regions. However, there are several variables that I will need to factor in before I work towards implementing my plan with Heartlands. 

As with any research project, there are a few data points that I will need to gather during the implementation process. First off, I need to assess what specific problem each site is working to mitigate. Since I plan on using region specific causes to convince young adults to be more active in their communities, having a clear idea of the main issue at hand will be crucial for my plans going forward. After that, I will need to find out what communities are primarily affected by this problem. Promoting an organization that is attempting to solve an issue in one or more specified regions is the best plan for engaging people in those communities. Also, I must find out what the average adult can do to contribute to the cause. This last piece of information will be the key to convincing young adults to support these organizations. If young people are given a task to complete that is both transparent and beneficial to their community, they will be more likely to follow through with it. Unfortunately, there are multiple obstacles that could hinder me from findings these exact data points. For instance, many of the problems being worked on at these local sites may not be specific to a certain region. Some of these issues may be shared between multiple cities, with their severity varying between each region. This could make it difficult to give people a problem that directly impacts their lives. Along with that, many of these sites may not offer an exact mission statement besides donating to local causes, which not every young adult is in the best position to do. Another issue in the implementation process is coordinating these plans with the community organization I am working with. 

During the course of my research, I will be partnering with Heartlands Conservancy to carry out my plans. The majority of Heartland’s role in my research project will be giving me advice on local sites to visit and what to look out for. While I do not believe there will be any conflicts on ideas for research, I will still need to ensure that my plans align with theirs. The sites that I will visit and the causes that I will support will have to relate to agriculture and the use of water behind it. The agriculture aspect could be a limiting factor, but I believe I will still find enough sites that also fight for those same causes. In the end, my community partners seem excited for my plans, so I know that I will have their support throughout this research process whenever I need it. 

Scientist Reflection

August 24, 2025 /

Conducting experiments as a scientist often requires certain traits. Scientific research, which can be described as studying natural occurrences for a pattern, is not for everyone. The people who do pursue this field of work often have one thing in common: curiosity. Prominent figures throughout history, such as Albert Einstein, do not just decide to become scientists one day. Their journeys often start with a child-like curiosity of the world around them. They question everything that happens around them, which can develop a passion to discover the reasons for certain occurrences in nature. As a result, not every scientist’s passions are limited to biological or chemical sciences. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is one scientist that I can personally relate to, is a great example of a scientist who is truly passionate about making new discoveries. Tyson is an astrophysicist who often makes posts on Twitter about scientific inaccuracies in pop culture. For example, Tyson had once attempted to find the mass of the mythical weapon Mjolnir. Mjolnir is a hammer that is wielded by the Norse god Thor in both legend and in Marvel movies. In the Marvel movies, it is stated that Thor’s hammer was “forged in the heart of a dying star”. As a person who deals with the physics of celestial bodies, such as stars, Tyson used formulas that he knew to discover the theoretical weight of the hammer. While I may not have as much knowledge as Tyson on scientific topics, I can relate to Tyson’s curiosity of fictional characters as a man who has often pondered these same questions. 

Just like scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, my interests in science do not just stop at one field. I have often found subjects such as physics, chemistry, and even biology, to be rather fascinating, which is mostly why I recently decided to change my major to Biology. I am interested in learning as much about these different fields of science as possible while I am at SIUE, not only to reach my goal of becoming a doctor, but also to finally find the answers to questions that I have had since middle school. I have always been curious about the way the world works, and I know that the science classes I will be taking these next few years, along with CODES, will allow me to test my theories and get a greater understanding on the universe. 

Article Annotation #4

May 7, 2025 /

Payton’s article, titled “City of Water: Port-au-Prince, Inequality, and the Social Meaning of Rain”, perfectly displays the connection between a person’s ability to access clean water and their place in the social hierarchy. Based around Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Payton’s study analyzes the environmental and political histories of the city in order to prove that the Haitian government used water resources as a form of power and control over their citizens. The Duvalier regime, which controlled Haiti in the 1970’s, noticed how valuable water resources were, due to the shortages and floods that the country was constantly dealing with, and decided to use them as a weapon to divide the different social classes. Decisions like these only split the country apart politically, leading to the eventual overthrow of the dictatorship in the 1980’s. 

The findings of this article prove a lot to be true about society. If the government in Haiti managed to use water access as a weapon against the people, what is to stop any other national government from doing the same thing? There are several countries worldwide that struggle with the same issues that Haiti faced in the 1970’s. All it takes is a corrupt politician to take control and people could completely lose access to one of their most basic needs. Beyond water though, governments could base class divisions off anything that suits their agenda, whether that’s education, food, or even money. 

It is also important to note that this study shows a different trend than most studies I have seen. More often than not, social hierarchy is used as a way to determine access to resources. Even in America, a person’s position in society can often factor into how easily they can get clean water. The interesting part about this article is that it shows the reverse happening, water access determining social status. Just like with corrupt governments, this trend could occur anywhere. That is why it is important to notice events like these so they can be prevented in the future. 

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