Lecture 9: Educating the Public Flashcards

1
Q

Why is there a disconnect with nature?

A
  • busy schedules
  • technological advances and lures
  • Fear
  • Increased urbanization
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2
Q

Nature-deficit disorder

A
  • not an official diagnosis
  • diminished uses of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses
  • describes the human costs of alienation from nature
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3
Q

Ecophobia

A
  • feeling of powerless to prevent catacylsmic environmental change
  • occurs when children with knowledge that is too abstract for their age or those that they are powerless to correct
  • another way children disconnecting from nature
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4
Q

Benefits of Nature

A
  • enhances children’s cognitive flexibility, problem-solving ability, creativity, self-esteem, and self-discipline
  • decreases attention-deficit disorder and depression symptoms
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5
Q

Benefits to Earth from Children’s outdoor experiences

A

more likely to take action to benefit the environment as adults

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6
Q

Conservation education mission

A

Toronto zoo will engage communities by providing the tools and knowledge to connect to nature and protect our natural world

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7
Q

What are the two prevailing theories on how people learn

A

Behaviourism and constructivism

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8
Q

Behaviourism

A

teacher-centred, learning occurs through external influences and memorization (learners will repeat the behaviour)

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9
Q

main types of behaviourism

A
  • classical conditioning
  • operant conditioning
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10
Q

Classical conditioning

A

learning behaviours that are automatic based on the presence of a stimulus

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11
Q

Operant conditioning

A

Learning behaviours that are voluntary and strengthened based on repetition and reinforcement

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12
Q

Constructivism

A
  • student-centred
  • learning occurs through guided experience and exploration
  • through the process of accommodation and assimilation
  • everyone has prior knowledge whether it be right or wrong
  • you are constructing your own framework about a certain knowledge/topic
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13
Q

In constructivism, what happens when a student is faced with new knowledge

A
  1. Conflict buried: ignore the conflict because the knowledge is too abstract
  2. Conflict faced: build a better knowledge than the framework that is already in your mind
  3. Conflict deferred: it may take a while for that new knowledge to be gained/understood
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14
Q

What should the experiences be like for constructivism in action?

A
  • authentic
  • relate to the real world
  • allow the learner to find a solution to the problem
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15
Q

Constructivism in action: authentic science

A
  • Frogwatch and turtle tally
  • students identify frogs based on sound and morphology
  • skill based rather than fact based
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16
Q

Characteristics of learning in free-choice settings

A

guest-centric (guest can choose what they want to engage in)
episodic
fluid/continuous
affective (move you emotionally)
visual/physical/concrete (hook them)
distracted
influenced by reason for visiting

17
Q

Contextual model of learning (different factors that affect learning)

A

Personal context - what kind of values and beliefs do you already have
Socio-cultural context - usually visiting with people (going on a date, visiting friends)
physical context - what kind of interactive experiences

all this makes up the zoo experience

18
Q

Personal Context

A
  • prior knowledge
  • values
  • beliefs
  • attitudes
  • emotional state
    -reason for visiting

important to know for educators to tailor the program or education

19
Q

Identity-Related Visit Motivations

A

Explorer
Facilitator
Professional/Hobbyist
Experience Seeker
Recharger

Toronto zoo has mostly facilitators

20
Q

Explorer

A
  • personal curiosity
  • it interested me and i thought i would like it
21
Q

facilitator

A
  • desire to facilitate other people’s needs
  • others in my group would like it or benefit from the visit
22
Q

Experience seeker

A
  • desire to see and experience place
  • it was an attraction or thing to do in this community; its reputation
23
Q

Professional/Hobbyist

A

-specific knowledge-related goals
- it related to my work or something I actively pursue as a hobby

24
Q

Recharger

A
  • seeking contemplative or restorative experience
  • to feel refreshed or focused or appreciative
25
Interpretation
- different types of techniques to reach a variety of audience - emphasis on making connections between the visitors and the zoo's messages - constructivist in nature - ex. have a life size tiger sign to see how big it is
26
Streams for reaching the audience
- formal education - non-formal education - informal education
27
Formal Education
- instruction at a school or learning style - organized/lecture style - more school related and follows the curriculum
28
Non-formal education
- organized educational activity outside of the formal system - learning through a program - more public and theme related - no recognized qualification / certificate
29
Informal Education
- not organized/planned - learning that results from daily experiences - zoo visit, watching an animal
30
Outcome and indicators
Used to determine how much of an impact was made to the public
31
Types of outcomes
Awareness attitude knowledge skills behaviour
32
Awareness and its indicator
people recognize what they can do to help wildlife and wild spaces indicator - guest identify 2 personal actions they can take to help wildlife
33
Attitude
people feel connected to nature indicator - "my ideal vacation spot would be a remote, wilderness area"
34
Knowledge
people describe the connections between people, animals, and the environment indicator - program participants are able to re-create a food chain
35
Skills
People share the Zoo's conservation message with family and friends Indicators - posting on social media
36
Behaviour
people explore natural spaces Indicator - spending more time outside
37
Steps to stewardship
Curiousity (want to know more) awareness (on my mind) understanding (i think i care) caring about (want to help) caring for (i will help)