Missouri Environmental Education News
November 2018
Table of Contents: Feature: NAAEE Conference, MO Green Schools and EE Conference, Kudos!, Things to Look Out for in November, MEEA News, Grants, Contests and Awards, Conferences, Workshops, Jobs, Teaching and Learning: Visual Literacy and EE
North American Association
for Environmental Education Conference
As part of my work for MEEA, I attended the 2018 NAAEE meeting in Spokane Washington. My goal is to bring back information and resources that educators in Missouri can use.
Posters
I check out the posters and photograph the ones I think are useful. This year's crop included a citizen science project (caterpillars), a causality framework (chain reaction, chicken and egg, reciprocal patterns), protocols for involving special education students in EE, learning modules based on iNaturalist, the importance of role models, a module to engage students in the topic of urban environments and examples of multisensory activities for exploring the environment. The NAAEE Posters page has high resolution photos of 28 posters. Select one you are interested in, drag it to your desktop and enlarge to read the details.
Talks
One of the hot tickets was "What Leads to Better Outcomes in Interpretation". Researchers Mark Stern and Robert B. Powell reported on a pilot study of the effect of Instructor and Program Characteristics on Behavioral Intentions of students attending a day-long interpretive program. |
 Even arriving early, the only place left to sit was on the floor. |
Stern and Powell have been researching this topic for a long time and expectations were high. Below is a summary from my notes.
Characteristics that have a positive impact on behavioral change
- Instructor Characteristics - emotional support (passion, sincerity, checking in with students); instructional connection (clarity, comfort in speaking, apparent knowledge, responsiveness to non-verbal cues), verbal engagement (how many questions asked of students), question quality (questions made students think), class management (expectations clear), attentiveness to students, and equity in treatment of students
- Program Characteristics - uses story telling instead of being fact focused, transitions between sections of program (very important), introduction and conclusion (wrap up very important), physical activity (but not just play), significant use of the place, relevance (connecting with student issues or experiences), some kind of service project.
Friends
Last but not least, a conference is a chance to catch up with folks in the field. In this case it was Kate Delehunt and Lara Isch from KC Water (small world!) I also met up with my counterparts from Kansas and Iowa. In the past we have worked together on EPA Region 7 grants, something we hope to do again.
Kate Delehunt (KC Water), Jan Weaver (MEEA), Lara Isch (KC Water).
MEEA Board Member Dr. Christine (Jie) Li also presented at the NAAEE Conference.
MO Green Schools and EE Conference
November 2 & 3
|
Join us for your own chance to learn something new, connect with place, catch up with old friends and make some new ones!
Register for the Conference
Kudos to MEEA and MELAB Members!
St. Louis Zoo wins "Best Zoo" in USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards
Did you get a promotion? Take on a new job? Win an award? Receive a Grant? Let us know so we can share the news with your peers!
Things to Look for (or Look Out for) in November
- World Vegan Month - http://www.vegansociety.com - The Vegan Society
- Third Thursday - Use Less Stuff Day - http://www.use-less-stuff.com - the ULS Report
- Day After Thanksgiving - Buy Nothing Day - https://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd
- 1 World Vegan Day (annually)- http://www.vegansociety.com - The Vegan Society
- 15 America Recycles Day (annually) – http://americarecyclesday.org - Keep America Beautiful
- 19 World Toilet Day (annually) - http://www.unwater.org/worldtoiletday
What to Look for Right Now - MDC's list of What's Out There in November!
MEEA News
- People Team
- Memberships - Welcome to new members Erin Nash, Leslie Moylan, and Principia School.
- Networking - Jan attended the NAAEE Affiliate Network Workshop (on networking) at the annual NAAEE conference. She also presented on how to create visual materials (see Teaching and Learning below).
- Purpose
- Conference - Registration is still open! Learn more and sign up at www.meea.org/conferences/conference-2018.html
- Missouri Green Schools - Over 30 people attended the October 24-25 tour of 9 Missouri US ED GReen Ribbon Schools. Attendees included Roger Dorson, Michael Harris, Blaine Henningson, and Stacey Preis from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Check out coverage of the tour by the St. Louis Post Dispatch
- Grants - MEEA is now accepting proposals for its Environmental Education Grants. Deadline November 5.
- Resources
- Accounting - Jan is still preparing the Q3 statements for review
- Fund Development - We'd like to thank these sponsors for the 2018 MOGSEE Conference - Columbia Public Schools, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, City of Columbia Office of Sustainability, Larry P. O'Reilly and Family Foundation, MU School of Natural Resources, and Debby Barker
- Governance Team
- Board of Directors - No Updates
- Administration - No Updates
Coming Up in the Next Two Months
- Grants, Contests and Awards Deadlines details here
- MEEA Environmental Education Grants (11/5); International Compost Awareness Poster Contest (11/5); Metro Photo Challenge (11/20); Toshiba America Foundation (12/1); Social Media in the Classroom Grant (12/3); National Wetlands Awards (12?4); NSTA/Seaworld Environmental Educator of the Year (12/17)
Unsure about how to go after or write a grant proposal? There's a hands-on workshop for that at the MOGSEE Conference!
- Conferences and Meetings details here
- November 2-3 - MO Green Schools and Environmental Education Conference - www.meea.org/conferences/conference-2018.html
- Workshops and Events around Missouri details here
- Nature Unhooked (11/17) Blue Springs
- Black Bear Friday (11/23) Jefferson City
- Nature Unhooked (11/27) Eureka
- Project WET Workshop (11/17) Springfield
- Geocaching (11/3) Cape Girardeau
(These count for Environmental Educator Certification categories 1, 2 or 3. Visit the EE Certification page here)
- Outdoor, Nature, Environmental and Sustainability Event Calendars- visit our page of organization and agency calendars - if you would like to have your organization's regularly updated calendar added, email Executive Director Jan Weaver
EE Jobs details here
- State Park Job openings - Interpretive Resource Coordinator, Park/Historic Site Specialist III, Park/Historic Site Specialists I and II
Teaching and Learning: Visual Literacy and EE
Presentation at the 2018 NAAEE Conference
While learning about nature directly from nature is critically important to developing attachment, particular understandings, and the skills and willingness to act, some things can't be learned if all students do is go outside for an hour or two.
For example, in the image below, the color photos are all things students might see exploring a patch of goldenrod - butterflies, wasps, bees, even a spider eating a bee. However, they can't learn about the fly that forms the galls on goldenrod stems, the life cycle of the golden rod, its range in North America, how it dominates prairies, or the extent of its root system just from going outside.
High quality visuals add scale, time, relationships, and context to an outdoor experience. They are important tools for getting the most out of an outdoor experience before and after it happens.
Below is a simple model of things that should be considered when choosing or creating a visual for exploring nature in detail. (I used emojis in order to keep the focus on the model and not the art - design engages, but content rules).
- Intention - the feeling, understanding, or willingness to act that you want to inspire
- Content - the data, facts, and images used to inspire a change
- Audience - the specific age, developmental stage, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. of the people you are trying to influence
- Channel - the way your visual will be provided to your audience (as part of a lecture, in print, online, social media, etc.)
- Design - the style (realistic, abstract, fanciful), color palette, font, and organization of your content
Check out the powerpoint of the presentation for more details, to see how it aligns with NAAEE standards for learning materials, and to practice analyzing some examples of visual materials.