Best Education Practice: Class or Group RSS Feed

See below for: research findings about a class or group.

For the Class or Group, the learning experience:

  • Presents accurate and balanced information, incorporating many different perspectives.
  • Incorporates methods for assessing the value of the experience, especially as it relates to desired outcomes.
  • Is based on and shaped by some form of needs assessment and use of a planning model (such as the logic model)
  • Content and delivery is determined in cooperation with the target audience and stakeholders
  • Is facilitated by quality instructors who have been trained in effective teaching methods and are supported by the program sponsor.
  • Is designed to focus on a targeted audience and is built on an understanding of audience skills and interests.
  • Is relevant to and accessible by people with diverse backgrounds and influences.
  • Uses creative approaches.
  • Values lifelong learning.
  • Builds from key principles underlying environmental education. • Systems and interdependence are characteristics of the biological and natural order. • Natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities disciplines contribute to understanding of the environment and environmental issues. • Learner connections to immediate surroundings provide a base for understanding larger systems, broader issues, causes and consequences.
  • Builds environmental literacy. • Questioning and analysis skills. • Knowledge of environmental processes and systems. • Skills for understanding and addressing environmental issues. • Personal and civic responsibility.

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Leach, W. D. (2006) Finding 1

Assess the democracy merits of collaborative public management by watershed partnerships in terms of: inclusiveness, representativeness, impartiality, transparency, deliberativeness, lawfulness, and empowerment. Continue reading →

Mahler, R., Simmons, R., & Sorensen, F. (2005) Finding 1

To craft a water outreach program, determine public interests in advance by gathering information about the following, and how those opinions might be influenced by age, sex, length of residence in the state, community size:

  • opinion of local groundwater quality;
  • personal efforts to enhance groundwater quality or quantity (by reducing chemical usage in yards, recycling used motor oil, correctly disposing of household chemicals, use of water-saving applicances, reduced household water use, reduced water use in yards, reduced water use in car washing);
  • who should be responsible for protecting water quality in communitites (federal government, state government, county/city/town, individual citizen);
  • how rural residents prefer to be informed about water;
  • where residents have gotten information; and
  • what sources of information might have changed their behavior.

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Maurel, P., Craps, M., Cemesson, F., Raymond, R., Valkering, P., & Ferrand, N. (2007) Finding 1

Social learning refers to the growing capacity of a social network to develop and perform collective actions. In promoting social learning in watershed management, it is important to frame information in such a way that a convergence of views becomes possible through interaction and collective learning processes, e.g. maps illustrating the impacts of water releases, as perceived by the users; graphs showing flow/time relationship and details of the hydrological regime; and field trips and video sessions to allow participants to see the impact of water releases on fish reproduction. Other useful tools include, for example, tools to communicate a vision about water management such as might be accomplished with a 3D model of a hydro-electric dam, a3D chart localizing all the dams on the river, video cassettes and measuring instruments, which testify that the water management authority cares about people’s safety, and stakeholder involvement in data gathering. Continue reading →

Maurel, P., Craps, M., Cemesson, F., Raymond, R., Valkering, P., & Ferrand, N. (2007) Finding 2

Social learning refers to the growing capacity of a social network to develop and perform collective actions. In promoting social learning in watershed management, use technical information in a way that supports local actors to explore and clarify their own understanding of the river basin. Beware of information or communication tools that are either poorly designed or used inadequately, for example with too much technical content. Those can act as a barrier by overwhelming actors with technical information which is not relevant or understandable for them. Continue reading →

Gearey, M., & Jeffrey, P. (2005) Finding 1

Use audience assessment strategies to identify which, if any, water and watershed governance strategies interest households and landowners. Build participatory opportunities around specific topics of interest. Consider household and landowner response to strategies such as: pollution control, lowering prices, protecting flood plains, improving storage facilities, improving repairs and maintenance and introducing enforced metering. Continue reading →

Hartley, T. W. (2006) Finding 1

To increase US public acceptance of water reuse, such as high awareness of treatment technology, trust in local government; and of the challenges and opportunities of water reuse in the US:

  • Manage diverse types of information in order to serve the interests of all stakeholders, and ensure equal access of information, in order to promote learning and communication, and to build mutual understanding among all stakeholders.
  • Nurture multiple motives for the public to engage, demonstrate genuine commitment to hear the public’s voice.
  • Promote communication and public dialog in multiple forms and venues in all stages of decision making.
  • Ensure decisions made are fair, sound, and reasonable.
  • Build and maintain trust among decision makers and the general public.

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