Hard Questions and Biofact Collections: Educator’s Guide to Addressing Sensitive Topics that Arise with Biofact Education Programming

Authors:

• Makenzie Stewart, Master of Arts in Museology
• Chair: Meena Selvakumar
• Claire Naughton
• June Pen

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Abstract:

Biofacts are bones, pelts, shells, and other remains from extant species and are often used as an educational tool by zoo and aquarium educators. Interactions involving biofacts can be one of the earliest exposures to death and dying for young learners, and can lead to questions asked in innocent curiosity such as “How did the animal die?” and “Why did you kill the animal?” These situations can be uncomfortable for volunteer docents who would benefit from specific resources and training for these situations. The purpose of this thesis is to create a guide that supports biofact interpretation for Woodland Park Zoo's docent volunteers and that supports engaging conversations with young learners. This guide is informed by multiple inquiry-based learning strategies and frameworks with the objective of developing empathy for animals, and was designed to be accessible for docents with a varying level of familiarity and experience. The tools described in this guide can frame conversations that emerge from these questions to support docent’s confidence and ability to inspire empathy for animals in young learners.The application of inquiry-based learning strategies is new to zoo and aquarium education. These strategies have a history of enhancing interaction and building stronger connections with learners. Traditionally, scientific institutions have prioritized dissemination of fact, however this guide offers resources for training facilitators of interaction to support and guide learning in a more memorable and emotionally effective way. These best practices for interaction can be used to encourage empathy for animals and further conservation action.

Poster:

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Project Deliverable:

Hard Questions and Biofact Collections: Educator’s Guide to Addressing Sensitive Topics that Arise with Biofact Education Programming

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