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Natural interpretation at terms of schools
It is not easy in Denmark to run nature interpretation with the older grades – because it is too difficult for the teachers, with their tight schedules, to plan the day-trips, we normally build our work on.
It shouldn’t be a problem where the school is ”flexible”, which means that the teachers to a large extent plan the schedules in teams for the form levels. But the flexible school is demanding of the teachers, so if we ease logistics, resources are freed to incorporate the visit to the nature school in the courses back at the school.
In Finland, Estonia and Sweden we saw examples of nature interpreters fitting themselves into the schools organisation, in stead of expecting the schools to fit into the nature schools concept of the day-trip.
At Hamnelina Naturskola in Finland, we saw an eight grade from the local school arrive for a bird watching trip for two lessons, on their bikes. It worked well, and apart from the length, it was a normal visit to the nature school. They were used to doing it like that. And it seemed like a nice part of everyday life, in stead of something exotic. At the same time, it forced the nature interpreter to hold a nicely short, and nicely angled presentation, to have time enough outside.
In Tartu in Estonia, we followed a nature interpreter who had moved the visit out to the school, and all the way up to the classroom. The lesson was organised as an indoor workshop lesson, and incorporated materials from the ocean, which was far away from the school. The students were very interested in the workshops and seemed to enjoy a break from ordinary school. This method forced the nature interpreter to make the outside present without actually being there, to think in various workshops to keep the children’s concentration high, and to have a high degree of competency so as not just to be a stand-in for the teacher.
Finally in Sollentuna in Sweden, we saw a teacher who dressed like Linné and travelled around the classes and acted for half an hour, keeping the subject factual. Out or in according to weather. This concept made it necessary for the nature interpreter to enter into a dialog with the students, and be guided by their knowledge and questions.
All of the methods obviously have their weaknesses. It is difficult to just use two lessons if the nature school is any distance from the school. It is difficult to be apart from the ordinary classes when you go to a school with your workshops. And you are very dependant on the teacher preparing and reviewing, when you are an actor for half an hour – and apart from that, it is hard work to be on stage six times for half an hour.
On the other hand, the teachers are happy, because it isn’t as complicated, and perhaps it is easier to get through with your own professional agenda.
Trying, in this way to get closer to the schools’ reality, it is important to hold on to our own demands to continue doing our work with quality, to continue to work as nature interpreters, just doing it within a framework that we set with our users.
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