xxxx environmental education at everglades …• in-park programs for local students since 1971 •...
TRANSCRIPT
Serving diverse audiences and
supporting national STEM standards
through interpretive curriculum-based
programs at Everglades National Park
Allyson Gantt, National Park Service
Bob Powell, Clemson University
Acknowledgements
• Greg Ramshaw and Laurie Jodice, Clemson Univ.
• Marc Stern, Virginia Tech
• Everglades NP Management and Staff
• South Florida National Parks Trust
• Toyota
• In-park programs for local students since 1971
• Long-standing partnerships with teachers, schools,
and school districts
• Offered free of charge to schools
• 200+ programs and 12,000 participants per year
Everglades National Park
Environmental Education
• Curriculum-based, meet state standards
• Place-based
• Interpretive
• Hands-on connection to nature
• Reinforce concepts learned in the classroom
Everglades Education Programs
• Introduce students to their local environment
• Build awareness of National Parks and nature
• Motivate students to participate in community
decision-making about the environment
• Foster stewardship
Program Goals
E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
Day Programs
Shark Valley - 4th grade, 2 classes
Focus on Everglades watershed
Tram ride and short hike to observation tower
3.5 - 4 hours
E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
Day Programs
Royal Palm - 5th & 6th grades, 2 classes
Hiking on 2 trails
Focus on Everglades habitats and wildlife
observation
3.5 - 4 hours
E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A
Camping Programs
2 Campsites - Hidden Lake and
Loop Road
5th & 6th grades, maximum 26 students
Camping in tents
3 days, 2 nights
Camp activities include:
Wet walk for habitat exploration
Night hike and campfire
Reflective sunrise activity
Mock debate on water issues
Canoeing or tram tour
Staff • 3 permanents, 8-9 seasonals, 4 VIPs
• Hire people who like working with children
• Spanish speakers for local population
• Many have an interpretation background
Everglades Education Program
Funding • Agency funding for approximately 50% of
program costs including 3 permanent
employees
• Donation and grant funding through friends
group for 50% since 2003
• Donations and grants to assist 60% of
schools with transportation
Everglades Education Program
Evaluation of Everglades Curriculum-Based Education
Programs
Everglades EE Evaluation Goals
• Measure immediate student outcomes
• Measure teacher outcomes/opinions
• Assess long-term impacts
• Provide information to facilitate learning
and improvement
Design and Methods
• 4 Programs:
– Shark Valley Day Programs
– Royal Palm Day Programs
– Hidden Lake Camping
Program
– Loop Road Camping
Program
• Grades 4-6
• Assess Outcomes
– Student surveys (pre-post)
– Teacher surveys (post only)
Student Outcomes
• Objective Learning (15 Items)
• Subjective Learning (9 Items)
• Interest in Learning (6 Items)
• Comfort with Experiencing Nature (5 Items)
• Environmental Stewardship (8 Items)
• Park Stewardship (5 Items)
• Home Stewardship Behaviors (9 Items)
• Appreciation for Everglades National Park
(6 Items)
Activities
• Stratified systematic sampling of schools
• Census of all students in selected programs
• 929** 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students from 33* schools
• Surveys completed 3-5 days prior and then again 2 days after attending the program.
• 47 Teachers completed surveys 10 days after
*Schools that participated by returning both pre and post student surveys.
**Students that completed pre and post surveys.
Race/Ethnicity of Participants
Results: Student Outcomes
Outcome DAY CAMP ROYAL
PALM
SHARK
VALLEY
LOOP
ROAD HIDDEN LAKE
Self Assessed
Learning 4.35 4.45 4.30 4.40 4.49 4.42
Response categories: 5= a great deal; 4= a moderate amount; 3=a little; 2= almost none; and 1=none.
>80% of students reported learning a great deal or
moderate amount across the 9 outcomes
Results: Student Outcomes
Outcome DAY CAMP ROYAL
PALM
SHARK
VALLEY
LOOP
ROAD
HIDDEN
LAKE
OBJECTIVE
LEARNING 26% 14% 26% 26% 18% 11%
INTEREST IN
LEARNING 1.7% 5.1% 1.7% 1.4% 7.6% 3.2%
COMFORT EXP.
NATURE 2.8% 4.4% 1.1% 4.6% 7.0% 2.2%
ENVIRONMENTAL
STEWARDSHIP 3.5% 4.2% 3.8% 3.0% 4.7% 4.0%
PARK
STEWARDSHIP 11% 8.8% 11.5% 10.2% 8.6% 8.7%
HOME
STEWARDSHIP BEH. 2.9% 3.8% 0.8% 4.2% 5.5% 2.3%
APPRECIATION FOR
EVER 2.9% 5% 1.8% 4.0% 5.2% 4.5%
Darker Shaded Cells Indicate Significant Change
Teacher’s Opinions and Impacts
Teacher Outcomes
• Meeting State and National
Curriculum Standards
• General Academic Influence
• Impact on Students: appreciation,
stewardship, knowledge,
understanding, and interest
• Teaching Behaviors and Intentions
• Teacher Confidence in EE Skills
• Appreciation for Everglades
National Park
Results: Teacher’s Perceptions
of Student Outcomes
Program impact statements Mean*
% Agreeing or
Strongly
Agreeing
This program helped my class meet state curriculum standards. 4.8 100
My students learned a lot about important topics. 4.8 100
My students had fun. 4.9 100
The program content was relevant to my students’ lives. 4.8 100
Taking my students to EVER was worth the effort. 4.9 98
This EVER experience is valuable for the students I teach. 4.9 98
This program was age appropriate for my students. 4.9 98
My students became motivated to perform better academically. 4.6 96
Teacher’s Perceptions of
Student Outcomes Outcome Mean %Great Deal
Appreciation for the natural environment. 4.9 89
Understanding issues and threats facing EVER. 4.8 80
Interest in taking actions to conserve or improve the environment. 4.7 80
Understanding of ecological processes in the Everglades. 4.8 78
Interest in Environmental stewardship. 4.7 78
Interest in learning more about the environment. 4.7 73
Appreciation for science. 4.7 70
Interest in learning outdoors/playing outdoors. 4.6 65
Understanding the importance of biological diversity. 4.4 60
Understanding of the mission of the NPS. 4.6 58
Positive attitudes toward school. 4.4 53
Academic performance. 4.3 45
Scientific inquiry skills. 4.2 42
Response categories: 5= a great deal; 4= a moderate amount; 3=a little; 2= almost none; and 1=none.
NGSSS Benchmarks Outcome Mean %Great Deal
How human actions can impact the environment. (Social Studies) 4.9 85
Interdependence (Science) 4.7 75
The relationships between the Earth's ecosystems and the
populations that dwell within them. (Social Studies) 4.7 68
Environment and Society (Social Studies) 4.6 68
Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms (Science) 4.6 66
Organization and Development of Living Organisms (Science) 4.6 55
Physical and cultural characteristics of places. (Social Studies) 4.4 52
Civic and political participation (Social Studies) 4.2 49
Practice of science (Science) 4.2 45
Contemporary Florida into the 21st Century (Social Studies) 4.0 38
Earth Structures (Science) 4.1 34
Earth Systems and Patterns (Science) 4.0 32
The World in Spatial Terms (Social Studies) 3.9 32
National STEM Science Disciplinary Core Mean %Great Deal
What happens to ecosystems when the environment changes. 4.76 78
How humans change the planet. 4.69 75
How humans depend on Earth’s resources. 4.69 73
How organisms interact with the living and nonliving environment to obtain matter
and energy. 4.61 68
How the structures of organisms enable life’s functions. 4.48 63
How organisms obtain and use the matter and energy they need to live and grow. 4.50 61
How natural hazards affect individuals and societies. 4.46 59
How organisms interact in groups so as to benefit individuals. 4.46 54
How the properties and movements of water shape Earth’s surface and affect its
systems. 4.46 54
How the environment influences populations of organisms over multiple
generations. 4.4 61
How organisms grow and develop. 4.4 51
What biodiversity is, how humans affect it, and how it affects humans. 4.35 54
How matter and energy move through an ecosystem. 4.35 52
Why individuals of the same species vary in how they look, function, and behave. 4.3 50
How organisms detect, process, and use information about the environment. 4.28 50
Impacts on Teachers
• > 80% of teachers were
more likely to:
– Advocate for EVER
– Use environmental themes
– Use inquiry-based, hands-
on, and outdoor activities
– Encourage other teachers
to participate
– Use NPS materials
– Volunteer
Satisfaction
Teachers were very satisfied with their EVER programs (M=9.8)
Summary of Results
• Positive influence on all outcomes
• Positive attitudes and intentions to perform park,
home and community stewardship
• Teachers likely to support EVER and use EE
• Programs produce very satisfied teachers
Long-term Impact of Camping
Program
• What do past participants remember?
• What is the long-term influence (if any)?
Long-term Impact of Camping Program
Methods
• On-line survey tool
– Alumni identified by EVER staff
– Snowball sampling
• Open-ended questions
– Memories about program?
– How program influenced lives (education,
career, interests, behaviors)
• Qualitative Study
– Coding – initial and focused
Summary of Results
• 28 asked to participate
– 24 alumni, 4 from snowball sampling
– 16 returned surveys, 14 remembered
participating in program
– 18-24(2), 25-34(2), 35-44(8), 45-48(2)
• Two major themes
– Memories of camping program
– Impacts of camping program
Significant Memories
• Activities
• Skills acquisition
• Novelty
• Information
• Emotions
• People
Activities
• Art, hiking,
camping
“I remember the
slough slog clearly,
even 25 years later,
and it was a great
experience to walk
through the slough
and discover new
things.”
Skills
Acquisition
• Cooking, camping
“We worked as a class to come up
with the menu we would be
feeding our classmates.”
Novelty
• New/different environment and location, independence
from parents/family
“This field trip was the first time I was exploring nature with
my friends and without my mom.”
Information
• Environmental/species
information
“I recall all the animals,
the several species
of birds that habited
the park as well as
the reptiles and
whatnot. I still
remember the
names of the birds
actually.”
Emotions
• Enjoyment, awe, fear,
appreciation
“The thing I
remember most
was the night
hike. It was a little
scary and we had
red cellophane
covering our
flashlights.”
People
• Friends, parents,
teachers,
students
“I remember
sleeping in the
tents with my
friends and
chaperones.”
Impacts of Camping Program
• Appreciation/love for nature
• Attachment to Everglades
• Career
• Education
• Recreation
• Transference
• Action
Appreciation/love for nature
• Beauty of nature,
uniqueness of
nature
“I do think that the
exposure to
nature at that age
shaped me into
the adult that I am
today.”
Attachment to
Everglades
• Knowledge about
Everglades,
visitation to
Everglades
“I don’t believe I’d
appreciate the
Everglades or the
South Florida
landscape as
much as I do
were it not for this
trip to the park.”
Career
• Direct influence,
indirect influence,
no influence
“Yes, I always
wanted to return
and teach about
the Everglades.”
Education
• Direct influence,
indirect influence,
no influence
“The experience
influenced my
interests as a
human.”
Recreation
• Location,
activities
“I have camped
many times over
the last twenty
years at Loop
Road.”
Transference
• Friends, family,
students, children,
intended
“My teenaged
daughter enjoyed
the same trip, and
we were able to
compare all the
fun we had.”
Action
• Environmental
action, political
action, no action
“I donate ever year
when I renew my
auto tag.”
Summary of Results
• In some percentage of alumni the program :
• Instilled strong memories
•Influenced appreciation, stewardship,
recreational interests, caring for Everglades,
and even education and career choice.
• Not generalizable – small response group
• Different program eras, materials,
personnel
• Participant awareness of research process
• Self reported behaviors
Limitations
Everglades National Park offers: • interpretive,
• curriculum-based,
• place-based,
• environmental
education
programs
Best Practices
Staff training includes: • Principles of Interpretation
• Principles of Environmental Education
• Florida State Standards
• Shadowing programs and discussion
• Guides for developing own programs
• Understanding our audience
• Cultural competency
• Learning styles
• Classroom management
Best Practices
Interpretive Principles • Link tangible resources to intangibles and
universal concepts
• Cognitive engagement
• Relevance to audience
• Affective messaging
• Provocation
Best Practices
Environmental Education Principles – Active participation (learning)
– Hands-on observation and discovery
– Place-based learning
– Cooperative/group learning
– Reflection (guided and unguided)
– Guided inquiry
– Immersive
– Issue-based learning
– Multimodal delivery of content
– Novelty (new experiences outside usual experience)
– Programs personalized by passions of staff
– Focuses on more than knowledge gain
– Mentors: Diverse staff hired from community to
facilitate connections and relevance
Best Practices
Curriculum-based • Addresses state
standards
• Meaningful for
teachers
• Relevant for
students
• Vital for
administrators
Best Practices
Curriculum-based • Staff develop own programs
Follow logistics framework
Review standards and apply to their own
programs
Ownership and
accountability
Best Practices
Place-based • Focus on the resource
• Enable participants to
connect to their national
park
• Connect resource to
students’ lives in the city
• Rangers incorporate own
interests and passion for
the resource
• Overcome fears
Best Practices
Co-Teaching • Pre-site classroom work
– Set expectations, address safety
– Students are prepared
• Post-site follow up
• Onsite group
leader
Best Practices
Teacher Workshops • Required teacher workshops
• 1 workshop-certified teacher per class, usually 2
per program
• Re-certification required if don’t attend for 2 years
• Overnight for
camping program
• Credit hours for
professional
development
Best Practices
Evaluations • Rangers evaluate teachers
• Teachers evaluate rangers
• Essential for continuous improvement
• Share results with staff
Best Practices
“Hiking” and Walking in the Woods
Program Highlights
Observing Wildlife
Program Highlights
Sensory Experiences
Program Highlights
Camping in the Tents
Program Highlights
Wet Hike / Slough Slog
Program Highlights
Canoeing – Skill Building
Program Highlights
Reflective Activities
Program Highlights
Night Hike and Trust Walk
Program Highlights
..
..
..
. .
Campfire
Program Highlights
O
Teachers and chaperones who participated as
students now bring their own students and children.
Many visit the park or are active on environmental
issues in the community.
A few former students are even park rangers.
The Next Generation
O
Allyson Gantt, Education & Outreach Coordinator,
Everglades National Park – [email protected]
Bob Powell, Associate Professor,
Clemson University, [email protected]
Questions?