Peatlands, sense of self & the natural world

Description

In this session, we’ll introduce peatlands and their importance, allowing people to gain a greater appreciation of these ecosystems and others. We’ll use peatands as the basis for a workshop aimed at educators of all kinds - including various disciplines and formal and informal education - who wish to better engage their own students across assorted subjects. Our workshop will act as a case study, demonstrating multi-sensory means of engaging students, and will challenge participants to think up exercises befitting of their needs as an educator. It will also demonstrate engaging ways to teach in a virtual setting.

Structure

The workshop will be approximately 2.5 hours, and will include practical and theoretical elements. We’ll begin by discussing the benefits of multi-sensory learning, especially in a citizen science context. Following this, we’ll give an introduction to peatlands and their importance - including readings, virtual fieldtrip and photography. We’ll move through the senses one-by-one, incorporating the different interactive elements with each segment building on and relating to last in order to mimic our sense interact and work together. We will discuss at various intervals how the exercise went and how people believe it may be beneficial in their teaching practise.