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Best Practices in Environmental Education Fields Trips CURRICULAR INTEGRATION, PREPARATION, AND FOLLOW-UP Kathleen Floberg Colloquium Presenta5on November 25th, 2014 MEEd Candidate University of Minnesota, Duluth

Outline  Personal Background  Purpose  Research Ques5ons  Deﬁni5ons  Literature Review  Methodology  Discussion Google, 2014

Personal Background Family Camping Trips YMCA Camp Widjiwagan & Camp Manito-‐wish YMCA •  Camper •  Wilderness Trip Leader •  Instructor-‐Naturalist •  Assistant Director Carleton College •  BA in Biology UMD MEEd!

Floberg, 1994

Black, 2014

Purpose  The purpose of this study is to describe: ◦  The prepara5on and follow-‐up MN teachers conduct before and a[er an extended ﬁeld trip to a residen5al environmental learning center (RELC) ◦  How such trips are connected to formal curriculum ◦  What kind of support and/or resources RELCs provide teachers to help facilitate ﬁeld trip curricular integra5on, prepara5on, and follow-‐up

Significance  Research on this topic has been more focused on single-‐day ﬁeld trips to museums, zoos, aquarium, nature centers, etc., with few addressing extended ﬁeld trips to RELCs  Research shows that more comprehensive prepara5on and follow-‐up leads to a becer learning experience.

Research Questions ◦  How do teachers connect outdoor learning experiences at RELC’s with the formal classroom curriculum through prepara5on and follow-‐up ac5vi5es? ◦  How do RELC’s support the integra5on of the ﬁeld trip into formal educa5on? ◦  What do teachers perceive as being needed to becer support curricular integra5on and their prepara5on and follow-‐up eﬀorts for an extended ﬁeld trip to an environmental learning center?

Definitions FORMAL EDUCATION  Educa5on that takes place in a planned way at a recognized ins5tu5on. The learning environment is pre-‐arranged, acendance is compulsory, and assessment is included and/or expected.

NON-‐FORMAL EDUCATION  Educa5on that takes place in a planned but highly adaptable way at a non-‐ school ins5tu5on. The learning environment is pre-‐arranged, acendance is voluntary, and assessment is not expected. Tamir, 1991

Definitions FIELD TRIP  A type of experien5al learning undertaken for educa5onal purposes where a group of students leave the tradi5onal formal classroom sehng and go somewhere where the materials for instruc5on may be observed and studied directly in an authen5c sehng (Krepel & Duvall, 1981).

RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER  A residen5al environmental learning center has been deﬁned as being a professionally staﬀed, full-‐5me, year-‐round facility which oﬀers hands-‐ on, outdoor-‐based environmental educa5on (EE) over an extended visit (SEEK, 2014).

Literature Review  Go my children, burn your books. Buy yourself stout shoes; get away to the mountains, the deserts, and the deepest recesses of the earth. Mark well the dis5nc5on between animals, the diﬀerences among plants, the various kinds of mineral. In this way, and no other, will one gain knowledge of things, and of their proper5es (Severinus, 1571).

Benefits of field trips ◦  Experien5al learning and authen5c experiences ◦  Hands-‐on, ac5on-‐based ac5vi5es have posi5ve eﬀects on memory of an experience ◦  Increase students’ environmental literacy, ecological knowledge, and posi5vely aﬀects their ahtudes towards the environment

(Decmann-‐Easler & Pease, 1999; Dillon et al., 2006 ; Farmer, Knapp, & Benton, 2007; Gilbertson, 1990; Knapp & Poﬀ, 2001; Nadelson & Jordan, 2012 Rickinson et al., 2004)

Brain Based Learning People are holis5c learners ◦  Cogni've, aﬀec've, and kinesthe'c domains ◦  A5en'on, emo'on, and movement enhance memory and learning

12 Principles of BBL (Caine & Caine, 1990) ◦  Principle Three: The Search for Meaning is Innate ◦  Principle Five: Emo'ons Are Cri'cal to Pa5erning ◦  Principle Ten: The Brain Understands and Remembers Best When Facts and Skills Are Embedded in Natural Spa'al Memory (Caine & Caine, 1990; Davidson & Carber, 2009; Duman, 2010; Glisczinski, 2011)

Learning Theories CONSTRUCTIVISM

Jean Piaget, 1896-‐1980

◦  Knowledge is constructed through experience ◦  Prior knowledge and preconcep5ons inﬂuence future learning ◦  Experiences must have personal meaning to be educa5ve

Google, 2014

(Bodner, 1986; Dewey, 1938; Lisowski & Disinger, 1991)

Learning Theories SUBSUMPTION THEORY  David Ausubel’s equa5on for meaningful learning

 A + a = A’a’

“If I had to reduce all of educa'onal psychology to just one principle I would say this: The most important single factor inﬂuencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly” (Ausubel, 1968, p. vi)

Novelty  The presence of new, unfamiliar, or rela5vely rare s5muli against a background of familiar events in the child’s perceptual history (Alber5 & Witryol, 1994, p. 130)

 Berlyne (1960)

◦  Novelty is one of the main s5muli that will elicit curiosity ◦  Novelty enhances mo5va5on to learn

 “In a novel or curious situa'on, a learner is desirous to minimize or reduce the amount of uncertainty thereby increasing mo'va'on to learn”  (Hurd, 1997, p. 30)

Novel Field Trip Phenomenon  “Most educators who work in outdoor educa'on seZngs are familiar with the disoriented, uneasy feelings displayed by some children visi'ng the site for the ﬁrst 'me; feelings that even a]er a reasonable lapse of 'me persist and are expressed by uncharacteris'cally ac've, excited, and explora've behaviors.”   (Falk et. at., 1978)

(Falk & Balling, 1982, p. 27) Model depicting learning and off-task behavior as a function of setting novelty

A= 5th grade at school B= 3rd grade at school C= 5th grade at nature center D= 3rd grade at nature center

Model for the Development and Implementation of Field Trips as an Integral Part of the Science Curriculum (Orion, 1993)

THREE PHASES OF A FIELD TRIP

 Preparatory Unit ◦  Decrease novelty

 Field Trip ◦  Process-‐oriented learning ◦  Direct experience

 Summary Unit ◦  Abstract concepts (Orion, 1993, p. 329)

Model for the Development and Implementation of Field Trips as an Integral Part of the Science Curriculum (Orion, 1993) DECREASE NOVELTY SPACE

 Cogni5ve

◦  Ac5vi5es and simula5ons

 Psychological ◦  Outline the experience

 Geographical

◦  Maps and pictures (Orion, 1993, p. 326)

Integrated Experience Model Storksdieck (2006)

FiNE Framework (Morag & Tal, 2012)

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 753

FiNE Framework: Preparation Phase (Morag & Tal, 2012)

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 753

FiNE Framework: Pedagogy Phase (Morag & Tal, 2012)

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 754

FiNE Framework: Activity Phase (Morag & Tal, 2012)

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 754

FiNE Framework: Outcomes Phase (Morag & Tal, 2012)

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 755

Morag & Tal, 2012, p. 758

Empirical Evidence for the Benefits of Preparation and Follow-up ◦  Learning performance aﬀected by the degree to which the novelty space had been reduced ◦  Follow-‐up ac5vi5es reinforced concepts presented during a ﬁeld trip ◦  Inﬂuence of post-‐visit ac5vi5es on subsequent learning and knowledge construc5on

(Anderson et al., 2000; Farmer & Woc, 1995; Orion & Hofstein, 1994)

Disparities Between Pedagogical Beliefs and Field Trip Practice ◦  Primary factor teachers considered when planning and implemen5ng a ﬁeld trip: how the experience relates to the formal curriculum ◦  90% of responding teachers considered connectedness to classroom curriculum as the primary mo5va5on for conducing ﬁeld trips, but only 23% of respondents from the same study iden5ﬁed connec5ons to classroom curriculum as an indicator of a successful ﬁeld trip

(Anderson & Zang, 2003; Anderson et al., 2006; Kisiel, 2005; DeWic & Osborne, 2007; DeWic & Storksdieck, 2008))

Barriers to Field Trip Curricular Integration, Preparation, and Follow-up ◦  Time ◦  Inherent disconnect exists between formal and non-‐ formal learning environments ◦  Lack of formal training in ﬁeld trip pedagogy ◦  Many interpreta5ons and degrees of curricular connec5on ◦  Universal (Anderson et al., 2006; Carrier, 2009; DeWic & Storksﬁeck, 2008; Eshach, 2007; Griﬃn, 2004; Kisiel, 2005; Leatherbury, 2011; Rebar, 2012; Rickinson et al., 2004; Tal et al., 2014)

Research Questions ◦  How do teachers connect outdoor learning experiences at RELC’s with the formal classroom curriculum through prepara5on and follow-‐up ac5vi5es? ◦  How do RELC’s support the integra5on of the ﬁeld trip into formal educa5on? ◦  What do teachers perceive as being needed to becer support curricular integra5on and their prepara5on and follow-‐up eﬀorts for an extended ﬁeld trip to an environmental learning center?

Methodology  Research Design

◦  Survey research – Quan5ta5ve data collected electronically

 Popula5on and sample ◦  MN teachers who bring students to RELCs ◦  RELC program/educa5on directors

 Instrument ◦  Electronic survey

 Data Analysis ◦  Frequencies & descrip5ve sta5s5cs ◦  Compara5ve? (private v. public; grade levels; subjects)

Thank you!

My advisor: Ken Gilbertson My commi5ee: Kevin Zak and Bruce Munson My colleagues

Discussion  Please share your thoughts and thank you for listening!

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