Much
is made our deficiencies in education, especially in the areas of
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But when it comes to
the science portion of STEM, our community is fortunate to have a unique
facility with 750 acres of natural ecosystems, abundant wildlife
populations, and an accredited zoo. Chehaw is so much more than just a
field trip destination. It is an outdoor lab for our local students.
Natural populations for potential study include gopher tortoise, Mexican
free-tailed bats, and white-tailed deer. In the zoo, students can work
with such exotic animals as cheetah, rhino, and meerkat.
Chehaw
education programs are carefully designed to meet Georgia’s Common Core
Curriculum standards for all grades from elementary through high
school. Park educators also work with college students from Albany State
University and Georgia Southwestern State on project-based programs
that meet their requirements for class assignments. And the park
recently renovated one of its unused residences into a home for visiting
zookeeper interns. The five-month program hosts college graduates from
as far away as Wisconsin and New York.
Education
professionals have broken learning down to three basic types, and
Chehaw excels at all three. Formal learning, which occurs in a
structured and organized environment, might include classes taught to
schools both at the park and in the school. Informal learning occurs
during daily activities. It is not organized or structured and it is not
intentional on the part of the learner. It is learning by accident and
it is, perhaps, what we do best. Simply walking through the zoo and
gazing at an exhibit or an animal results in learning, even if the
learner is just there to have fun.
Somewhere
in between is something called non-formal learning. This is learning
that is intentional on the part of the learner, but it is part of some
type of daily activity that is outside the formal learning environment.
Non-formal learning includes all types of education programs with no
specific curriculum, such as tours, informational signage,
exhibits/interactive displays, and demonstrations. It might also include
junior zookeeper programs, docent organizations and overnight
experiences.
One
of the park’s newest non-formal learning programs will begin this
summer, thanks to a generous, five-figure donation from the Darcey
foundation. If parents want to send their children to a unique,
week-long, overnight summer camp, they will need to travel no further
than Camp Chehaw
Those
Albany State students have discovered that quality learning can take
place outside the classroom, especially with a resource like Chehaw Park
– a place where nature comes alive, one student at a time.
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2015/jan/12/doug-porter-chehaw-park-in-albany-more-than-just/ (from my Guest Column in the Albany Herald - January 12th, 2015)
