Our Education Philosophy

The Center Supports Interdisciplinary Educational Programs

Children are naturally fascinated with the ocean. Using this content focus in the classroom can improve student acquisition of basic skills including language arts and math. By using the Environment as an Integrating Context for learning (EIC), schools are improving their ability to provide interdisciplinary, collaborative, student-centered, hands-on, and engaging learning environments for their students (Lieberman and Hoody 1998). Programs offered through the Center are designed with the EIC philosophy. Our goal is to provide New Jersey educators with the scientific content, pedagogy, and curriculum resources to integrate marine/environmental concepts and themes into existing science curricula in accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards.

Rutgers Marine and Coastal Sciences (RMCS), along with the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JCNERR), is proud to be the lead institution involved in the Mid-Atlantic Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE). Established in the fall of 2002, the Mid-Atlantic COSEE is one of eight collaborative centers established on the East, West and Gulf coasts to produce and disseminate educational materials and programs to promote lifelong learning about the ocean sciences. The centers will attempt to reach a broad audience including K-12 teachers, K-16 students, coastal managers, families, and diverse groups that normally receive little exposure to marine science.

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