Educational, drama, and citizen science theory applied to
experiential learning activities for pro-environmental actions.
Live animals are used as teaching tools to improve linguistic
skills through storytelling. Implement and evaluate an event
involving special needs youth to measure the impact of language
on students’ understanding of the human condition.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students will be asked to complete two additional assignments when compared to undergraduate students. First, graduate students will lead one activity in the classroom in collaboration with the professor (co-developing the lesson plan for the day and selecting a relevant reading for preparation). Second, graduate students will be asked to provide constructive feedback to classmates as a peer-coach following team visits to Extra Special People, Inc. where each team's teaching will be video recorded and watched for reflection. Graduate students will also watch each team's teaching performance and offer feedback during an in-class discussion.
Athena Title
Teaching with Animals
Undergraduate Prerequisite
Second year student standing or BIOL 1103 or BIOL 1103E or BIOL 1107 or BIOL 1107E or COMM 1110 or FANR(MARS) 1100 or FANR 1100E or FANR(ECOL)(GEOG) 1200
Graduate Prerequisite
AGED 4340/6340 or AGED 4340E/6340E or AGED 4360/6360
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to apply environmental education theories of experiential learning and drama theory to move an audience from environmental awareness to pro-environmental action.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to safely use live animals as teaching tools while applying linguistic skills such as sense engagement through storytelling in community outreach situations.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of educators using experiential learning and drama theory.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to reduce apprehension toward public speaking in formal (classroom) and non-formal (outdoor) settings.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to develop a Wildlife Exhibition Educational Plan suitable for submission to a state Department of Natural Resources to legally acquire animals to use in teaching.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to plan for, implement, and evaluate an outreach event involving special needs youth where live animals are used as teaching tools to discern the impact of the written and spoken word upon students’ understanding of the human condition.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to lead a campfire presentation for youth and adults in an outdoor camp environment using place-based education principles.
Upon successful completion of this course, undergraduate and graduate students should be able to develop a training video for volunteers interested in assisting an educator who is teaching with live animals.
Upon successful completion of this course, graduate students specifically should be able to lead at least one in-class activity with the lead instructor.
Upon successful completion of this course, graduate students specifically should be able to reflect on their teaching through one-on-one debriefing meetings with the lead instructor.
Upon successful completion of this course, graduate students specifically should be able to coach teams of undergraduate students on their teaching delivery.
Topical Outline
Theory of Environmental Education
a. History and objectives of environmental education
b. Teaching with reptiles and amphibians
Theory of Teaching Methods
a. A comparison of formal, non-formal, and informal educational methods
b. Methods for engaging an audience in different educational settings
c. Characteristics of effective educators and teaching techniques
d. Managing stress and anxiety before and during a presentation
e. Engaging learner senses during a presentation
f. Teaching with invertebrates
g. Developing measurable educational objectives
h. Evaluating great teaching—developing a guest speaker scoring rubric
i. Teaching learners with special needs
j. Training volunteers to teach with animals using an educational video
Leadership Skill Development
a. Understanding problem-solving styles as a teaching team member
Experiential Learning Activities
a. Developing a Wildlife Exhibition Educational Plan
b. Experiential learning methods before and after interacting with live animals
c. Outdoor teaching in a camp setting
d. Working with volunteers in zoo, aquarium, and nature center settings
e. Implementing a Wildlife Exhibition Educational Plan in class
f. Implementing a Wildlife Exhibition Educational Plan during an outreach visit with special needs youth
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
