Laura Bonneau posted an update in the group Interpretation and Education (Recommendations 19 and 20) Thanks to all who put this document together – great work! Here are a few thoughts and comments.
Page 2
- Executive summary says there are 7 strategic goals, but lists 5.
Page 3
- I am glad we are focusing on place-based education, as I feel this is really a strength of the National Wildlife Refuge System. With refuges in so many places, we can connect people to wildlife and conservation in their own “backyards,” which is where most of us began our connection to wildlife!
Page 4
- Yes, quality over quantity! I’m also glad we’ve included relevance to local communities and keeping pace with changing practices of learning...this is of vital importance.
Pages 5-6
- I agree that we need to focus on learner-centered (and constructivist) approaches, but we are going to have to provide training for refuge educators/volunteers…this is not the typical way that environmental education has been done (in the past, anyway).
- Why are we focusing on grades 3-6 (or 7)? Where is the research that supports this?? A connection to the natural world often starts much earlier, and I think we need to work with younger students as well.
- While I think Project Wild, PLT, and others are great resources (especially for classroom teachers), I think that we need to look outside these curricula for teaching at national wildlife refuges. Many of these activities focus on games and indoor work – great for doing at a school, even as a pre-visit activity, but when students come to refuges, we need to capitalize on their time outdoors, exploring and learning through hands-on experiences with nature! My motto is, “if it can be done in a school classroom, we don’t need to do it at the refuge.”
- Clarify what blended learning experiences are. (http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6722)
Page 7
- Is the goal to evaluate environmental education at individual stations, nationally, or both?
- We cannot use RAPP as an indicator of program quality – it is only a measure of quantity. If our goal is repeat visits, we can’t focus on the sheer number of students reached.
Page 8
- Can objectives be placed in chronological order? This would make more sense.
Pages 9-11
- I think we definitely need to meet people where they are, and digital communication is crucial. However, I want to make sure that we remain focused on the land, and getting people outside – using technology to inspire people to go outdoors, or to enhance their outdoor learning experience, but never in place of going outside.
- (Objective 3.5) I think that more specific requirements and/or a new job series is a great idea for those focused on EE in the refuge system, but is this a possibility? It seems that those of us who do EE are pulled in a million different directions, and that seems to be getting worse, not better.
- Hooray for a focus on sense of place and inquiry-based learning! This is perfect for refuge environmental education.
Overall, great job – thanks!
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