More than Just a Field Trip: The Importance of Environmental Education

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More than Just a Field TripThe Importance of
Environmental Education

• Jen Martin and Josh Davis
• Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

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• Environmental Education is the learning process
  that increases peoples knowledge and awareness
  about the environment and associated challenges,
  develops the necessary skills and expertise to
  address the challenges, and fosters attitudes,
  motivations, and commitments to make informed
  decisions and take responsible action.
• (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
  Cultural Organizations, 1977)

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Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

• Our Mission Great Smoky Mountains Institute
  provides in-depth experiences through educational
  programs designed to nurture appreciation of
  Great Smoky Mountains National Park, celebrate
  diversity, and foster stewardship.

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What Tremont does
Citizen Science!
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Learn about Cultural History!
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Hike in a National Park!
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Experience nature up close!
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• In 2006 5,572 students from 95 different schools
  located in 12 states attended a Tremont program.

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Essential Questions

• What knowledge does the student take home from a
  Tremont program?
• What will students remember after an
  environmental education (EE) experience?
• How do we evaluate an EE experience?
• What proof do we have that EE programs are
  working?

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Previous Studies Report Card on the Status of
Environmental Education in Washington State

• Research in Washington and other states show that
  students in schools using environmental education
  consistently score higher on standardized tests
  than students in schools without EE.

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• You learn so much by actually being there,
  experiencing first hand what youve only read
  about in books.
• -Gabe Herrera
• (Oak Park River Forest High School Senior,
  Illinois)

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Previous Studies Report Card on the Status of
Environmental Education in Washington State

• Young people exposed to EE tend to improve their
  overall grade-point average, stay in school
  longer, receive higher- than- average scholarship
  awards, and display more responsible behavior in
  school and in the community. They also are
  generally better prepared for the job market.

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Training Students to Be Scientists!
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• I wish every teacher could see their students
  in learning situations as unique as Tremont. The
  labels of troublemaker, unmotivated, and
  underachiever melt away in your outdoor
  classroom.
• - Peggy Steffan
• (Immaculate Conception High School, Memphis,
  Tennessee)

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Previous StudiesAmerican Institutes of Research
- California

• Study released in June of 2005 on 6th grade
  students attending three, week-long residential
  EE programs
• Children who attended raised their science scores
  by 27
• The increase in science knowledge was maintained
  6 to 10 weeks following the program

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Previous StudiesAmerican Institutes of Research
- California

• Students showed gains in cooperation and conflict
  resolution that were significantly higher than
  those students not attending

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• Our kids learn so much about nature and working
  together, but the most important thing I see is
  growth in self-confidence and esteem. Their
  confidence grows because they have to make
  decisions without a parents influence and they
  almost always make the right choice! They also
  come to see that they are important- the kids
  take care of each other. If someone is sick,
  everyone wants to help. Tremont does so much for
  everyone- but most importantly our kids image of
  themselves is changed forever.
• -Keith Buff,
• Assistant Principal
• (Valley Springs Middle School, Asheville, NC)

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What do students take away from an environmental
education experience at Tremont?

• To help us answer this question we developed an
  evaluation system . . .
• An evaluating team was chosen in April 2004,
  consisting of Yale PhD candidates Marc Stern,
  Bob Powell, and Nicole Ardoin.
• Grant money from Alcoa Foundation helped fund the
  project.
• Tremont Staff worked together to develop
  questions based on our mission.
• We developed pre surveys, post surveys, and 3
  month post surveys that Tremont staff would
  administer to all attending schools beginning
  Spring 2005.
• Tremont staff entered evaluation data into SPSS
  and calculated results.

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How we did it

• Tremont staff administered surveys to ten random
  students from each school beginning Spring 2005.
  
• Questions allow us to determine if, after
  attending a Tremont residential program, students
  have an increase in
• Knowledge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  and Biodiversity
• Sense of Place and a Connection with Nature
• Stewardship
• Interest in Cultural History
• Interest in Learning
• Since Spring 2005, over 1,000 student surveys
  have been distributed.
• Our 2006/07 school year results 272 surveys (pre
  and post trip), 186 surveys (pre, post and 3
  month follow up).

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Student Indexes

• Knowledge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  and Biodiversity
• Goal Students develop an enhanced understanding
  of the ecological services provided by
  biodiversity and GSMNP.

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Student Indexes

• Sense of Place and a Connection with Nature
• Goal Students feel that GSMNP and the outdoors
  are their second home- a welcoming, comforting,
  friendly environment.

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Student Indexes

• Stewardship
• Goal Students attitudes and behaviors reflect
  an understanding of negative impacts on the
  environment.

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Student Indexes

• Interest in Cultural History
• Goal Students develop an appreciation for and
  cognitive understanding of cultural diversity.

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Student Indexes

• Interest in Learning
• Goal Students develop and interest and passion
  for learning.

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What we found
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What we found

• An increase in students Knowledge about GSMNP
  and Biodiversity!
• Students scores show an increase in learning
  that GSMNP, and other natural places
• -preserves a part of our nations cultural
  history
• -helps keep the air clean
• -helps keep the water clean
• -helps protect trees and animals from harm
• Statistically significant increase in students
  who knew how many different plants and animals
  live in GSMNP
• Statistically significant increase in students
  who knew the best definition of an exotic
  species
• (Statistically significant increase if p
• Between pre/ post and pre/3 month surveys, p
  
• Between pre/ post surveys, p

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What we found
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What we found

• Statistically significant increase in students
  Sense of Place and Connection with Nature!
• Students comfort level in the outdoors increased
  right after their Tremont trip, and continued to
  remain high 3 months after the trip, compared to
  before their Tremont experience.
• Students have an increased interest in learning
  about plants, animals and the places they live.

Statistically significant increase if p For this index p and p .014 for pre to 3 month surveys
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What we found
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What we found

• Students showed an increase in Environmental
  Stewardship!
• Statistically significant increases in students
  who
• Turn out the lights when they leave a room
• Are careful to not waste food
• Are careful to not waste water
• Talk to their friends and family about the
  environment
• Increase in students who might someday want to
  volunteer in a National Park
• Results were just as statistically strong 3
  months later!

Between pre/ post surveys, p pre/ 3 month surveys p
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What we found
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What we found

• Students showed an increase in their Interest in
  Cultural History!
• Students showed a statistically significant
  increase in
• Feeling that places that teach us about our
  history are important.
• Interest in learning about different cultures or
  other ways of life.
• Interest in learning about the history of their
  hometown.

Between pre and post surveys, p
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What we found
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What we found

• Students showed an increase in their Interest in
  Learning!
• Statistically significant increase in students
  interest in learning about different cultures or
  ways of life
• Increased interest in wanting to visit other
  National Parks and natural areas.
• Increased interest in wanting to learn about the
  history of their hometown.

Between pre and post surveys, p
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What we found
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What does all this mean?

• Environmental education experiences provide
  students with a strong connection to the natural
  world.

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What does all this mean?

• Learning about the outdoors and appreciating its
  value produces students who are good stewards of
  the environment.

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What does all this mean?

• Environmental education experiences increase
  students sense of place, interest in learning,
  and overall knowledge about science and nature.

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What does all this mean?
Students exposed to a longer environmental
education experience (a 3-day Tremont program vs.
a 5-day program)

• show a stronger connection with the natural world
• become better stewards of the environment
• exhibit an increased interest in learning
• retain a greater knowledge of GSMNP

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What comes next?

• Evaluations continue into the 2007-2008 school
  year
• Each subsequent year of student evaluations will
  allow us to compare past successes with future
  results
• Continued data analysis allows Tremont teaching
  staff to evaluate our own performance, focus on
  areas we see that need improvement, and teach
  consistently
• The team responsible for helping us develop our
  evaluations has taken the data from the 06/07
  school year, and submitted a paper to the Journal
  of Environmental Education, currently undergoing
  peer-review

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Preventing Nature Deficit Disorder

• Most American children now spend most of their
  time in artificial environments, but their need
  for nature hasnt gone away.
• -Richard Louv
• Author, Last Child in the Woods

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Benefits of Environmental Education

• Studies show that prolonged exposure to the
  natural environment is beneficial to the
  physical, mental, and emotional development of
  children
• Children exhibiting Attention Deficit
  Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can concentrate
  better after being in nature (Taylor, et. Al.
  2001)

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Benefits of Environmental Education

• Playing and learning in natural environments
  improves childrens cognitive development through
  increasing their awareness, observation, and
  reasoning skills (Pyle 2002).

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Benefits of Environmental Education

• Exposure to nature buffers the impact of stress
  and helps children deal with adversity (Wells
  2002).
• Nature increases childrens creativity and
  imagination, and sense of wonder (Cobb 1977, Louv
  1991, Crain 2001).
• Nature stimulates social interaction among
  children (Moore 1986, Bixler et. al. 2002).

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Benefits of Environmental Education

• Nature gives children a sense of peace and
  oneness with the world (Crain 2001).

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References

• Cobb, E. (1977). The Ecology of Imagination in
  Childhood, New York,Columbia University Press.
• Crain, William (2001). How Nature Helps Children
  Develop. Montessori Life, Summer 2001.
• Louv, Richard (1991). Childhoods Future, New
  York, Doubleday.
• Moore, Robin C. (1986). The Power of Nature
  Orientation of Girls and Boys Toward Biotic and
  Abiotic Play Settings On A Reconstructed School
  Yard. Childrens Environment Quarterly, 3 (3).
• Pyle, Robert (2002). Eden in a Vacant Lot
  Special Places, Species and Kids in Community of
  Life. In Children and Nature Psychological,
  Sociocultural and Evolutionary Investigations.
  Kahn, P.H. and Kellert, S.R. (eds) Cambridge MIT
  Press.
• Taylor, A.F., Kuo, F.E. Sullivan, W.C. (2001).
  Coping with ADD The surprising connection to
  green play settings. Environment Behavior,
  33(1), 54-77.
• Wells, Nancy M. (2000). At Home with Nature,
  Effects of Greenness on Childrens Cognitive
  Functioning, Environment and Behavior, 32(6),
  775-795.

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