Serving diverse audiences and supporting national STEM standards - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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

• bservation

 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

• f 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-

• n, 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

• f 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 – Allyson_Gantt@nps.gov Bob Powell, Associate Professor, Clemson University, rbp@clemson.edu

Questions?