Training for facilitating outdoor science learning and environmental education in Katalapi according to the methodology developed by the BEETLES project

Students meet in a circle to learn and practice the concept of observation and share their observation of the same object with the others

A training session in facilitating outdoor science learning and environmental education was held at Katalapi Park on 14 September. The event involved 16 people, most of them from the Katalapi’s EE team along with 5 university students who are volunteering in the park. Training focused on activities created by the BEETLES project of the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley, with which Katalapi Park Foundation has been associated since August, when the Executive Director and an Instructor from the park attended the Leadership Institute of the university-based team in California.

A friendly environment facilitates learning experiences

The training session in Katalapi included 3 activities: “Walk & Talk” is an exercise used to introduce issues for further study and to create an atmosphere of open and respectful discussion. “I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of…” presents language prompts for scientific observation and, as with all BEETLES activities, is based on neuroscience findings on learning. “Field Journaling” works with techniques for recording observations.

“Our starting point for Environmental Education in Katalapi has always been the Experiential learning Cycle,” says Anita Vliegenthart, director of the program. “Direct contact with nature and the emotional connections this stimulate offer unlimited opportunities to learn content and develop cross-cutting abilities social-emotional learning — when activities are well-designed and based on the latest pedagogies.”

Thanks to its association with BEETLES, the Katalapi Park Foundation is adding methodologies designed specifically to strengthen the science component of its Environment Education program, such as critical thinking and observation skills and the importance of evidence.

More info at: www.beetlesproject.org.