ADVERTISEMENT Enjoying time
on the water. PHOTO: GREG SPENCER
Paddle Green partners. PHOTO: TAMARA STANLEY
Using Interpretation in On-Water Education
Reflecting on the various lessons I’ve received throughout my educational career, I can recall many different content-heavy sessions where I absorbed plenty of great information. For example, as an undergraduate student, I remember a professor walking us outside to a quiet place on a nice day where he spoke as the voice of John Muir, proclaiming his passion for the wilderness. I remember how transformative that lesson was. The content we covered leading up to that day suddenly felt much closer to me. In a few minutes he had gotten me to connect with the content in a new and personal way by using interpretation. The ACA is working on further developing
our Stream to Sea Marine Debris Initiative by offering Environmental Education (EE) lesson plans to schools. These lessons will include short class sessions followed by an on-water Environmental Interpretation (EI) program and shoreline cleanup where possible. As leaders in on-water safety and education, the ACA is ideally suited to offer unique hands-on learning experiences that supplement classroom learning. To effectively provide on-water EI, we as providers need to understand what Interpretation means. The National Park Service defines Interpretation as “a catalyst in creating
an opportunity for the audience to form their own intellectual and emotional connections with the meanings and significance inherent in the resources,” (U.S. National Park Service, 2012). Interpretation is a specific strategic communication method used in education that seeks to go beyond giving information. Interpretation seeks to elicit an emotional response that inspires a personal connection to the resource, like a personal “buy in.” A study published in the journal of Applied Leisure and Recreation Research concluded that first time or infrequent participants in recreational activities form a closer connection to the natural resource when environmental interpretation is a part of the activity than those who participated in recreation activities alone. With this in mind, new paddlers and school-age students are a good target audience for interpretation.
So how do you plan an interpretive
lesson? Start with a good lesson plan. A key component in an interpretive lesson plan is a strategic theme targeted at your audience. A theme is a single sentence that stitches together your whole presentation and links a tangible resource to an intangible meaning. This link between factual information about a resource and an intangible meaning is what interpretation is all about; it’s what makes the student care about the resource. An example of a tangible is a stream. A stream as a tangible alone could mean drinking water, hydroelectric potential, transportation, etc. Some intangibles you could associate with a stream are flow, beauty, life, tranquility, exploration and adventure. As providers of EE and EI, the ACA is constructing a curriculum that targets current issues in our Stream to Sea Initiative and blends a variety of education methods with the ACA’s strength as on-water safety and education leaders. Interpretation is not just for environmental educators. Skills instructors and trainers may find it useful when teaching topics such as SUP history, traditional skills for sea kayakers or LNT principles. The National
Association for Interpretation and the National Park Service are leaders in providing interpretation and have helpful online resources for learning more about providing interpretive education. I urge all stewardship educators to read up on using interpretation as a teaching tool and consider applying it in their practice. Here are some great resources to get started: Burbach, Mark. E. et. Al. (2012) The Impact of Environmental Interpretation
in Developing a Connection to Nature in Park Visitors. Journal of Applied Leisure and Recreation Research, vol15 is4, p13-30. Knapp, D. (2005), Environmental Education and Environmental Interpretation:
The Relationships.
http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/, Retrieved 10/7/15 U.S. National Park Service. (2012). About Interpretation. Interpretive development program, retrieved from
http://idp.eppley.org.
This article was written by Chris Raab, ACA Stewardship Director
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
