AFA - Tips for Animal Welfare Educators

8/8/2019 AFA - Tips for Animal Welfare Educators

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TipsWorld Society for the Protection of Animals

for animal welfare educators

www.wspa-international.org www.animal-education.org

This top tips document is intended to aid all Animal Welare Educators in their work. Dierent parts o the

document will have greater or lesser relevance depending on the nature o your

education programme however many parts will be applicable to all.

Focus

Whenplanningyoureducationstrategydonttryanddoeverything.Thechancesareyouwillfail.Decide what you really want to achieve and stick to it. Ensure the objectives in the strategy are

SMART, see below.

Specifc- dontbetoogeneral.Forexample-getsupportforoureducationprogrammeis generalandcouldbereplacedbythebetterBytheendoftheyearreceiveatleastthreelettersof

supportforourINAWEprogrammefromrelevantteachingauthorities.

Measurable-thereneedstobeanindicatoryoucanmeasure,thereforeIncreasethenumberof schoolsvisitedisbetterthanextendtheeducationprogramme.

Achievable- can you achieve the goal with the resources you have (or most probably have)

available?Ifeverystepisrequiringyoutoacquirefundingorextravolunteersorequipmentitispossible your goal is not achievable.

Realisticdoesntneedmuchexplanation!Steerclearofgoalswhicharenotrealistic,theycan

create sense o ailure and cause a loss o enthusiasm.

Timed- there needs to be an end date. I you allow your organisation to aim to complete a goal onedayitislikelyitneverbeachieved.ForexamplebyaddingByendofJune2008to

thegoal-Createateachingpacksuitableforcommunitygroupsitgiveseveryoneinvolvedastronger impetus to get working on the project.

Thinkabouthowyoureducationprogrammetswithyourgroupsoverallvisionandmission.If

your vision is to create a country where no wild animals are kept as pets, then why are you makinga plan or lessons about actory arming??

Whenyouaredesigningalesson,posterorpresentationbeclearinyourownmindwhat

youwantittoachieve-anddontdeviatefromthataim.


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World Society for the Protection of Animals


Monitoring and Evaluating

This is a vital part o your education programme and it is linked to many o the other aspects highlighted inthis document.

Planinadvancewhatallyourindicatorswillbeandmakesureeveryoneinvolvedknowswhatthey

areandhowtocollectthem.Becarefultochooseindicatorsthatareunambiguous,linkedtothe

objectiveandeasytocollect.Forexample,peoplebeingkindtoanimalsisgoingtobedifcult-what will you actually measure?

Processindicatorsarethewho,whatandwhenindicators.Recordasmanyoftheseasyoucan- youneverknowwhentheextrainformationmayproveuseful.

Itcanbeusefultohaveanoutsidepersontakepartintheevaluation,toaskthetoughquestions

about why and where things went wrong.

Whenmonitoringawarenessremembertoaskhowpeopleheardaboutaparticularissue/schemeetc. Without doing this it will be impossible to know where to ocus your uture eorts.

Low cost methods

Oten insufcient unds are cited as a reason to not carry out an education programme and

evaluation. While money can make things easier it is not essential to have lots o it to carry out an eec-tive programme. Here are some low cost tips.

Inplaceofanexpensiveprojector,laptopandscreenwhynotprintoutyourslidesonA3paperand

laminate. Gather the students in closer or a more intimate presentation style.

Thereisverylittleneedtosupplyeverychildwithaposter.Aposterdisplayedintheclassroomis

likely to be seen just as oten, i not more so, than one sent home.

Itisnotalwaysnecessarytoproduceyourownmaterialsfromscratch;manylargeanimal

welare organisations have materials that they are happy to share. You can search or resources on

www.animal-education.org.

Ifdoingaquestionnaireforevaluationorresearch,youcanaskquestionsorally,orwritethemupon a board, and ask participants write answers on a slip o paper to save photocopying costs.

Classroom Management

Hopeully i you are conducting lessons in a school there will be teachers available to help with classroom

management, however it is a good idea to know a ew things about class control.

Dontstartteachinguntilyouhavetheattentionofallthestudents.Ifatallpossibledonotattempt totalkoverstudentschattering-itgivestheimpressionyoudontmindthemnotgivingyoutheir

ull attention.

Withyoungerstudentsabequietcuecanbebenecial;itsmorepleasantthanrepeating pleasebequiet.Itcanbeassimpleasholdingyourngertoyourlipsbutwhynotbemorefun

and use a puppet or play an animal noise. Remember to introduce the cue at the beginning o thelesson.


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Itisworthhavingafewenergisingactivitiesandcalmdownactivitiesonhandifthemoodofthe

class becomes unsuitable or teaching. A ew minutes o animal impressions or quick song canenliven a sleepy class.

Rememberthataclasswillbeinuencedbyyourbehaviour.Ifyouwanttokeeptheclasscalmand

quietkeepyourownvoicelevelandsoft(thoughmakesureyoucanstillbeheard!).

Structuring a lesson

Thebestlessonshaveastarteractivity,amiddle(brokenintoepisodes)andthenaplenary(a review activity).

Whendevisingactivitiesforthelessonbearinmindthatstudentsaverageconcentrationspanin

minutes equates to their age in years plus one or two.

Remembertosetlearningobjectivesforanytypeofeducationactivity,notjustthosewithinaormal education setting. They are good to ocus both yoursel and your participants.

Displaythematthebeginningofthesession/lesson/presentation.

Tohelpyouwritelearningobjectivesusevariationsofthissentencestem-Bytheendofthe lessonstudentsshould..plusknowthat,understand.,beableto.,developor

beawareof...

RatherthanaskingparticipantsDoyouunderstandtheobjectives?Askaparticipanttoexplain

them back to you. This will usually highlight any common misunderstandings.

Attheendofthesessionreviewtheobjectives.Allparticipantsshouldfeelasiftheyhave

accomplished them.

Learning styles

It is important to recognise that students, o all ages, have dierent preerred learning styles.

Wherepossibleincludeamixtureofactivitiessuitedtodifferentstylestomaximizelearning.

See below or a brie description o nine dierent styles along with their associated activities.

InterpersonalActivities involve dialogue and working with others.

IntrapersonalActivities involve working independently, devising own strategies or ormulating questions, applying the

conceptorissuetopersonalexperienceandpriorknowledge.

Kinaesthetic/practicalActivities such as cutting, pasting, improvising and role play.

Linguistic/Literary

Activities such as writing, reading, discussing.

Logical/mathematicalActivities such as calculating, using data, looking or patterns,

applying inormal logic.


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Musical/auditory

Activitiesusingmusic,soundsandwordstostimulateideas;makinguprhymes,raps,songs;singingandusingmusictoaffectonesmood.

Visual/spatial

Activities involving diagrams and maps, designing posters and plans, painting, sketching and drawing.

Naturalistic/environmentalActivities involve ecological thinking, care or animals, plants and the environment (both the built and

natural)

Affective/emotional/intuitiveActivitiesinvolverespondingwithfeelings,respondingintuitively,aestheticappreciation,experiencingawe

and wonder.

Teaching styles

Itisimportanttomatchtheteachingstylewiththetypeoflearningactivity.Intheboxbeloware3

common styles with a note on what type o learning they each target. Although the descriptionsusethewordstudentthesemethodsapplytoallteachingsituationswhetheritisteachingprimary school children or arm owners.

Direct interactive

Talk or demonstration ollowed by student activity. Good or learning new knowledge. It is less eective orexploringfeelings.

Inductive

Students generate own rules and hypothesis by collecting and sorting inormation. Good or ormingconceptsandexploringfeelingsbutlessgoodforlearningnewskills.

EnquiryStudents test a prediction by collecting and analysing data. This method is good or orming concepts andpracticingskills.Itislessusefulforexploringfeelings.

Child-friendly teaching methods

Whenpossibleuseactivity-basedteaching,allowingstudentstolearnbydoingandexperiencing.

Keepageinmind-forexamplewithintheprimaryschoolagerangetherearedifferencesthatwill inuencelearningandteaching;herearesomeexamplesforactivitiesforeachagegroup.

4-7 YEAR OLDS

Storytelling

Singingsongs

Puppetplays

Drama

Languagegames

Drawing,colouringandpainting

Simpleconversationsanddiscussions

8-11YEAROLDS

Storytelling

Carryingoutsimplesurveys

Quizzes

Drama,roleplaying

Creativewriting

Drawing,painting,claymodelingetc

Brainstorming


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Studentsovereightcangetembarrassedaboutexpressingfeelingsandcanbesensitivetogender

stereotypes. Take care to consider this and create a cooperative atmosphere which does notreinorce stereotypes.

Usechild-friendlywordsbutdonotpatronise.

Youngchildrennditdifculttositstillandquietforlong(youmayhavealreadynoticedthis!),

makesureyoubuildinopportunitiesfortalking/noisemakingandmovementintoyourlessons.

Teaching adults

Educationisntjustaboutschool;youmayoftenbeeducatingadults.Herearesometipsforteachingthose over eighteen.

Adultsarenotsounlikechildren-youshouldstillaimforagoodmixofstylesandchangesofpace

to maintain interest.

Adultlearnerswillnormallyappreciateamoreindependentformoflearning-guidethemtodiscover things or themselves rather than you telling them. (Although this applies to younger

learnerstoo!)

Dontpresumebecauseyouareworkingwithadultsthatyoursessions/workshopsetc.Needany lessplanning,thinkingthatasyouareallgrownupsyoucangetawaywithhavingagoodtalk

abouttheissuesorsomethingsimilar.Lessonsshouldstillbefocused,andpre-planningwillhelpyou stick to the topic at hand.

Oftenmoresothanschoolagestudents,itisimportantforadultlearnerstoseethelearning

process as a means to an end, rather than an end in itsel. Emphasise the practical and positiveoutcomes o their learning.

Adultsneedtobeabletointegratenewideaswithwhattheyalreadyknowinorderforthemtobe

readilyacquiredandused.Makesureyoumakelinkstoyouradultlearnerscurrentexperienceandknowledge.

Bearinmindthatadultsmaybelesslikelythanyoungerlearnerstorisktryingoutnewideasor

actionsinalearningenvironmentforworryoflookingstupid.Icebreakeractivitiescanhelp people eel more comortable.

Facilitating

In many adult learning situations acilitation is oten preerable to teaching or lecturing. Inacilitation your role is to help the participants discover new ideas or solve a problem through

active learning. Some things to remember when in a acilitator role are:

Asafacilitatoryouneedtoclearlyoutlinetheobjectiveofthediscussion,andensureeveryoneunderstands and agrees on this objective.

Youneedtocreateanenvironmentwhereeveryonefeelstheycanexpresstheirownviewpoint.

This can be achieved by setting ground rules regarding acceptable behaviour.

Itisimportanttokeepthediscussionfocusedonthetopicinhand,evenifthismeansinterruptingpeople, politely o course.

Youshouldbuildintimeforreectionandself-assessmentplusopportunitiesfor

participants top share their learning.


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Making presentations

PowerPointcanbeausefultoolformakingpresentations.Itisimportanthowevertouseit

sparinglyanddontconfusemakingasetofslideswithpreparingforapresentation!Seebelowformoretips.

Alwaystimeyourpresentationwhenyoupractice,yourestimatewilloftenbewrong!

Usesinglesentencesandkeywordsonslidesratherthanparagraphsandkeepanimationtoa

minimum.Trynottoreadwhatsontheslidetheaudienceiscapableofdoingthisthemselves. Trytousebulletpointphrasesandexpandonthemverbally.

Makesureyouknowyourpresentationinsideout.Nothingshouldsurpriseyouandyoushouldbeable to link smoothly between slides.

Standup!Sittingcanbeappropriatefordiscussionbutyoullpresentmuchbetterstandingup.

Who to contact?

Thissectionappliestotakinganimalwelfareintoschools;howevertheideaofgettingtheappropriatepersonspermissionandagreementisapplicabletoallprogrammes.Precise

requirements will vary rom country to country.

Writeanintroductorylettertotheheadteacheroftheschool.Althoughtheymaynotmakethedecision as to whether your programme is suitable or the school it is a polite gesture. Ask them

topasstheletterontointerestedteachers.Forsecondaryschoolsyoucanalsowritetothesubject head, outlining how your programme links to their subject.

Forsecondaryschoolsyoucanalsowritetothesubjecthead,outlininghowyourprogrammelinks

to their subject.

Writetothelocaleducationauthoritytoletthemknowyourplans,usuallyyouwillnotneed their permission to go into schools but it is good practice to keep them inormed. It is also

a good opportunity to ask or their support.

Ifyouofferteachertrainingbesuretocontacttherelevanttrainingbody(usuallypartofthe Ministry o Education) they should be able to give you inormation on the current training system

and whether your training could count or training credits ( i this system is in place).

Getting teachers interest

Teachersarebusypeoplesowilloftentobelookingforresourcesthatcansavetime.Aready prepared lesson with all necessary materials and clear learning outcomes will be more enticing

than a single worksheet or poster.

Linktoexistingsyllabianddemonstratewhereittsspecically.Formanyteachersitcanbea struggletocoverallofasyllabusintheallottedtime,thereforeleavingnotimeforextraactivities.

I your resources ft in with what has to be taught they are much more likely to be used.

Learntheterminology.Ifyoucancommunicatewithteachersusingthecurrentkeywordsfromthecurriculum or teaching theory you are more likely to grab their attention. Oten local education

authoritiesortheMinistryofEducationwillhavewebsitesexplainingcurrentthemesorareasofocus.


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Subject matter

Animalwelfare,despiteourbestefforts,canhaveabadreputationbringingtosomemindsthewordsactivists,protestersandextremists.Forthisreasonitcanbeimportanttopresentyoursubjectmatter

careully.

Takecaretobalancenegativeinformationwithinformationabouthowyourparticipantscanhelp

(and do not limit this solely to undraising). You want the participants to leave motivated notdepressed.

Whendescribingyourprogrammetalkaboutthebenetstotheparticipantsaswellasthe eventual benefts or the animals.

Becarefultonotalienategroupsofpeoplebymakinggeneralisations,suchasFarmers

arecruel.Beclearyouaretalkingaboutprocedures,conditionsetc.notspecicpeople.

Rememberpeoplemakingsmallchangeswillalsobebenecial;forexampleyoumayhave a better success rate talking about the benefts o cutting down meat consumption rather

than not eating meat at all.

You

How you behave, whether in ront o a class o 6 year olds or talking with representatives o the education

authority, will have an impact on your education programme. Here are some ideas.

Bepositive.Withintheanimalwelfaremovementtherecanbeatendencytodwellonthe problemsbutyoureducationprogrammeispartofthesolution-sotalkaboutthat!

Inateachingsituationhumourisimportant.Bynottakingyourselftooseriouslyamorerelaxed

atmosphere can be created which is conducive to learning.

However,nottakingyourselftooseriouslyandusinghumourinyourteachingdoesnotmeanyou

shouldntbeprofessional.Lackofprofessionalismcanbetranslatedasyounotcaringaboutyour programme.Ifyoudontcareaboutyourprogramme,whyshouldanyoneelse?Showyour

passion, both or animal welare and education. Enthusiasm is inectious.

Bewellprepared.Knowingwhatyouaredoingwillgiveyoumorecondenceandeloquence.No excusesfornotdoingyourhomework!

Beclearontheuniquesellingpointofyoureducationprogrammeanddontbeafraidtopromoteit.

Youwilllikelybecompetingwithotherdemandsonpeoplestime.

www wspa international org www animal education org



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AFA - Tips for Animal Welfare Educators