Being a member of the Canopy Connections team of University of Oregon's Environmental Studies program this year has really pushed me to become more flexible and open-minded. There were many situations where we decided to try new systems when we noticed our current methods weren’t working. For example, during our post-trip facilitator reflection time, we recognized that one of our stations was difficult for every group. As a team, we quickly came to action by discussing exactly how each facilitator runs the lesson. By doing this we were able to pinpoint exact moments in the lesson that were causing us trouble and were able to work together to rewrite those sections. The original lesson was workable, but our team showed a lot of drive by putting in the extra time to make the lesson even better. Handling constructive criticism, being self reflective, and being willing to change has been a strong suit of every member of this team.
Over the course of our 5 field trips at H.J. Andrews, there have been a lot of things I did that worked well. Even though our team has to leave early and are sometimes tired in the morning, as soon as the bus arrives we pump up our energy and show the students how excited we are. This sets the tone for the day and seems to make the students more eager to learn. At the beginning of each station, especially my first activity and the activity after lunch, I have my group take a deep breath. This grounds the students and re-centers their focus on our following activity. I started this the second week of trips and noticed what a difference it makes.
I also am really aware of the dynamics in the group I am leading. If there is a student who hasn’t said much, I make sure to ask his or her opinion. I want each student to feel included and by asking them some initial questions, the quieter students usually open up by the end of the trip. Likewise, if there are students who are answering all the questions, I establish that we will raise our hands before talking so that I have the opportunity to call on other students. When students ask questions, I turn it around by asking them what they think and seeing if we can use logic to figure it out rather than just giving away the answer.
After a few times leading the field trip, I have become more comfortable with the material and feel like I am able to have a lot more fun with the activities. Now that I don’t have to refer back to my lesson plan, it feels a lot more natural and the kids are more interested. I can really allow my personality to come through in the lessons, which helps me relate better to the students. I have also been able to make better connections between the stations and it flows very nicely now.
One thing I am still working on is the timing at my last station. At this station, we are trying to learn to use a compass, do a compass-reading activity, and make maps. I seem to always be rushing through at the end. I plan to use my last field trip to really work on leaving enough time for the final mapping activity. I think if I practice my introduction to the compass the students will learn faster and we will be able to move on to the rest of the activity quicker.
Over the course of our 5 field trips at H.J. Andrews, there have been a lot of things I did that worked well. Even though our team has to leave early and are sometimes tired in the morning, as soon as the bus arrives we pump up our energy and show the students how excited we are. This sets the tone for the day and seems to make the students more eager to learn. At the beginning of each station, especially my first activity and the activity after lunch, I have my group take a deep breath. This grounds the students and re-centers their focus on our following activity. I started this the second week of trips and noticed what a difference it makes.
I also am really aware of the dynamics in the group I am leading. If there is a student who hasn’t said much, I make sure to ask his or her opinion. I want each student to feel included and by asking them some initial questions, the quieter students usually open up by the end of the trip. Likewise, if there are students who are answering all the questions, I establish that we will raise our hands before talking so that I have the opportunity to call on other students. When students ask questions, I turn it around by asking them what they think and seeing if we can use logic to figure it out rather than just giving away the answer.
After a few times leading the field trip, I have become more comfortable with the material and feel like I am able to have a lot more fun with the activities. Now that I don’t have to refer back to my lesson plan, it feels a lot more natural and the kids are more interested. I can really allow my personality to come through in the lessons, which helps me relate better to the students. I have also been able to make better connections between the stations and it flows very nicely now.
One thing I am still working on is the timing at my last station. At this station, we are trying to learn to use a compass, do a compass-reading activity, and make maps. I seem to always be rushing through at the end. I plan to use my last field trip to really work on leaving enough time for the final mapping activity. I think if I practice my introduction to the compass the students will learn faster and we will be able to move on to the rest of the activity quicker.