Outing Club For Kids
| BACKGROUND |
Although a few local programs oriented towards youth offer lessons on various aspects of natural history, prior to this program, there was nothing available to students and their teachers in the way of a comprehensive outdoor environmental education program using nationally recognized methods to develop appreciation, understanding, and a sense of stewardship towards our local environment. There was also nothing available for practicing and aspiring educators to gain experience in this non-traditional, yet important facet of education. Faced with ever-tightening budgets resulting in school closings and program cutbacks, it was with little hesitation in the fall of 1997 that teachers in the district became involved with the initial offering of an outdoor environmental education program coordinated by Porter Hammitt, Environmental Education Coordinator at the Missoula YMCA, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and funded by seed-money form the EPA. Teachers recognized an excellent opportunity to broaden the educational horizons of students through a community-based partnership endeavoring to supplement the formal curriculum.
The initial goal of the project was to establish a pilot program offering quality outdoor environmental education learning experiences for sixth-graders in the Missoula area, and in its inaugural year, the program touched the lives of nearly 300 students, their teachers, and numerous college student volunteers in our community. Having successfully met that goal, additional funding from the U.S. Forest Service, the Montana Community Foundation, and the EPA was secured in subsequent years to keep the program running and growing. Now in its fifth year, the program includes nearly 500 students, 20 teachers, 15 college student volunteers, several interns, and one student teacher.
| PROGRAM DESCRIPTION |
In the context of this program, each of the 24 sixth-grade classes and their teachers from the four public middle-schools are able to travel to Pattee Canyon, a recreation area on the Lolo National Forest just outside of Missoula, one day each in fall, winter, and spring. Students participate from 9am to 3pm in structured lessons and activities including wildlife ecology, a forest discovery hike, and team-building (fall), winter ecology and cross-country skiing (winter), and a simulated public land-use hearing (spring). The specific objectives of the content of the program are to (1) develop an awareness in students of the unique ecosystems and environmental issues of western Montana; (2) introduce them to ecological concepts and environmental principles; (3) provide insight into the implications of personal and societal decisions concerning the utilization of natural resources; and (4) foster in them a sense of stewardship concerning the local environment.
Lessons are presented by lead instructor Porter Hammitt, a student teacher or intern, and members of an enthusiastic group of trained college-student volunteers. Activities utilize experiential, inquiry-based, and group-learning educational methods. There is a consistent emphasis on building important cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making, while avoiding advocacy of any particular viewpoint or course of action. Students also journal extensively and make presentations to their class, helping to develop still other important skills. Lessons and activities from this program have been demonstrated and disseminated extensively to others.
| LOOKING AHEAD |
Always looking to the future, the program has seen some recent, exciting developments. First, in a new partnership with the University of Montana (UM), the program has been approved, after thorough review, as a placement for education majors as part of their student-teaching preservice requirements, an unprecedented honor. Second, the program's curriculum has now begun to be integrated by 6th grade science teachers into the official public school curriculum. Finally, a new partnership has also been formed with Missoula Outdoor Learning Adventures (MOLA), for services and use of equipment.
Reflecting the growing involvement of members of the local educational community, the goals of the program are to establish this opportunity for all 600 public school sixth-graders in Missoula as a yearly tradition, to fully integrate the program into the public school curriculum, and to offer preservice student-teaching placements for each of the three seasonal segments. The program has always adhered to its core objectives of offering outdoor environmental education learning experiences that develop awareness, understanding, appreciation for our natural resources.
| PROJECT EVALUATION |
The project has been and will continue to be evaluated through several methods. First, an evaluation form previously developed was adapted for this program and has been used to solicit input from adult attendees, including teachers, on the content and instructor techniques. Volunteer instructors, as well, are traditionally invited to a debriefing brunch after each seasonal segment to offer helpful insights and suggestions. Additionally, the numerous thank-you letters received from participating youth have been looked at objectively, with a view towards discerning those experiences with the greatest impact and value. And finally, an effort has begun to gather data for a research project focusing on this program, utilizing participating teachers and students as subjects for dissertation research examining the value of such programs to their communities and society as a whole.
Results thus far strongly suggest that the program is meeting its goals and objectives. Participating youth have shown an increased appreciation, understanding, and sense of stewardship towards their local environment and will therefore be better equipped as adults to act as responsible members of their communities. Practicing and prospective educators who attend have shown a strong grasp of new methods and techniques in outdoor environmental education, while clearly gaining substantive content for transfer to and integration into the classroom. Feedback from teachers and university administrators has been categorical in indicating that the program fills a pronounced need in the public school system. If the program can be implemented again next year with the new goals in mind, it is certain to grow in its value to youth, educators, and our community.
| FUNDING |
This program has been run with $5000 or less of outside support from granting organizations each and every year. This amount provides $3200 in personnel funds for the program coordinator/lead instructor (average 8 hrs./week for 32 weeks @ $12.50/hr.) and $1800 for half of the busing costs (24 classrooms 3 times per year @ $50 per classroom). Individual schools pay the other half of transportation costs from their general funds or by collecting $1 or $2 from each student. A supporting partnership with the Lolo National Forest allows use of Pattee Canyon for free, and Missoula Outdoor Learning Adventures donates the use of its XC ski equipment.
This program and the partnership between MCPS, UM, MOLA, and USFS has resulted in unique opportunities for the students and educators of our community. Given the salience of issues concerning natural resources and the environment in Western Montana, and given the close ties of area residents to the land, this project is distinctly applicable to our community and Western Montana as a whole. The commitment of all involved to our youth and our community ensures that students will be educated objectively about environmental issues and will be imbued with the appreciation, understanding, and skills to act in the future as responsible members of their communities, thus helping build bridges to a brighter tomorrow.
By funding this program and thereby continuing to offer a quality outdoor environmental education learning experience to our public middle-schools, MCPS will be better educate its students about environmental issues in the community. Thus in the future, they will be better able to make informed decisions and take responsible action regarding personal and environmental issues. Educators, as well, will be able to implement new approaches to educating students about these concerns, and in this way can all members of the community join together to work towards a sustainable economy and high quality of life for present and future generations.
