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Transcript

Interpretation Training for Zoo Educators

Contents:

- Icebreaker

- What does interpretation mean to you?

- Tildens 6 Principles of Interpretation

- Audience Evaluation

- Try your hand at interpretation

Overview

Icebreaker

Choose an item on your person and share its significance with us.

Icebreaker

What does interpretation mean to you?

Take a minute to jot down the words that come to mind when you think of interpretation.

What is

interpreation?

Interpretation is the revelation of a larger truth that lies behind any statement of fact. - Tilden (1957)

Interpretation is a mission-based communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the meanings inherent in the resource. - NAI (2007)

Poetry

Purpose - program should support the organizations mission statement

Organized - program should be easy to follow

Enjoyable - program should be fun

Thematic - program should allow guests to think and draw meaning

Relevant - program should provide information that guests care about

You make the difference - program material should be passionate to you

Penguin

Guide

What did he do right? What did he do wrong?

6 Principles of Interpretation

Tilden

Freeman Tilden was the first person to record principles of effective interpretation. Others have since tried to expand on these principles but Tilden's continue to serve as the benchmark for interpretation.

Keep it Relatable

Any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor will be sterile. - Tilden (1977)

Principle

#1

To spark an interest, interpreters must relate the subject to the lives of the visitors. - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

How to make topics more relateable

  • Name a favorite childhood activity
  • Name a favorite smell
  • Name something you are fearful of

Universals

Make Learning Fun

Principle

#2

Information, as such, is not Interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon information. But they are entirely different things. However all interpretation includes information. - Tilden (1977)

The purpose of interpreation goes beyond providing information to reveal deeper meaning and truth. - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

This or That

Hawks can see at least 1.6 km, or 1 mile, away.

If you placed a hawk at one end of a football field and a book at the other, the hawk would be able to read the words.

Scientists state that if we do simple things, we can help make positive changes to help protect the planet for ourselves and the wildlife.

This or That

While recycling and reducing waste is important, you can help local wildlife by collecting scientific information for scientists near you! Here's how...

Scientists state that if we don't change our behavior now, there will be no coming back from this climate crisis.

Reduce your use of single use plastics. Reuse plastic items as you can. Recyle your plastics.

Hot vs. Not

What's Hot

  • Good stories
  • What visitor finds important
  • Success stories
  • Inspirational thoughts and quotes
  • Fun Facts or Gee-whiz information
  • Things that evoke emotional responses (scary, sad, happy things, etc.)

What's Hot

What's Not

  • Ordinary scientific data
  • Doom and gloom
  • The same information they have heard over and over again

Interpret by Design

Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials presented are scientific, historical or architectural. Any art is in some degree teachable.

Principle

#3

The interpretive presentation- as a work of art- should be designed as a story that informs, enterains, and enlightens. - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

Storytelling Activity

How many of you have seen have seen a wild snake before? (Wait for guest response.) There are 44 different species of snakes living in Florida. Can any of you guess how many of those 44 species are venemous (Allow guests opportunity to respond.) There are only six venemous species of snakes in Florida. Although venemous snakes can be scary, they typically don't pose much of threat and they are really important for Florida ecosystems. Snakes help keep pests, like rats and mice, out of our home and away from the farmlands where a lot of our food comes from. You can help keep Florida healthy by watching out for snakes crossing the road, especially on humid nights. If you see a snake, leave it alone and allow it to do its job in keeping the environment and our homes clean.

The Art of

Storytelling

The Hook

"How many of you have seen have seen a wild snake before? (Wait for guest response.) There are 44 different species of snakes living in Florida. Can any of you guess how many of those 44 species are venemous (Allow guests opportunity to respond.)"

Hook

  • Make it personable
  • Make it interesting
  • Let audience know what you will be talking about

The Body

"There are only six venemous species of snakes in Florida. Although venemous snakes can be scary, they typically don't pose much of threat and they are really important for Florida ecosystems. Snakes help keep pests, like rats and mice, out of our home and away from the farmlands where a lot of our food comes from."

Body

  • Include relevant facts and information
  • Keep statistics at a minimum
  • Keep relateable to topic/theme

The Conclusion

"You can help keep Florida healthy by watching out for snakes crossing the road, especially on humid nights. If you see a snake, leave it alone and allow it to do its job in keeping the environment and our homes clean."

Conclusion

  • Reinforce topic/theme
  • Provide closure
  • Provide guests with a take home/action item

Learning

Preferences

The Teachables

of Storytelling

Inspire through Interpreation

The chief aim of Interpretation is not instruction, but provocation. - Tilden (1977)

Principle

#4

The purpose of the interpretive story is to inspire and to provoke people to broaden their horizons. - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

In your opinion, what qualities does an educator need to have?

  • Use verbal and non-verbal ques to read audience
  • Make theme/topic inspirational to audience
  • Make theme/topic inspirational to you

Share the Whole Picture

Interpretation should aim to present a whole rather than a part, and must address itself to the whole man rather than any phase.

Principle

#5

"Interpretation should present a complete theme or thesis and address the whole person." - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

Topics tend to be more broad and general.

Themes should:

- be a complete sentence

- answer the "so what"

- connects tangibles to intangibles (ex: connects animals to our feelings about those animals)

-provokes thought

How might you turn these

topics into themes?

Topics

- Sea Turtles

- Florida Ecosystems

- History of the Everglades

Activity

Themes:

- The survival of sea turtles in Southwest Florida depends on you.

- We depend on healthy Florida ecocsytems to live our own healthy lives.

- Settlers influenced the Florida Everglades as we know it today.

Know Your Audience

Interpretation addressed to children (say up to the age of twelve) should not be a dilution of the presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different approach. To be at its best it will require a separate program. - Tilden (1977)

Principle

#6

Interpretation for children, teenagers, and seniors - when these comprise uniform groups - should follow fundamentally different approaches. - Beck, Larry, Cable (2012)

  • Word choice matters
  • Enthusiasm is a must
  • Age appropriate take home messaging
  • Incorporate different learning techniques

Early Education Activty

For Instructor:

Part 1: Pass around photo of an object

Part 2: Pass around a fake replica of object in photo

Part 3: Pass around a real object

Activity

For attendee:

As items get passed around, jot down all of the words that come to mind when handling/manipulating object.

Was the picture, replica, or real object easier to describe?

Maslow's Theory

"Interpreters can help people spend less time concerned over their basic needs so that there is a better chance to achieve higher-level thinking."

Evaluate Your Audience

Basic Needs:

-Physiological

-Safety

-Security

Intermediate Needs:

-Love and belonging

-Esteem

-Knowledge

How could you ensure these basic needs are met on one of our programs?

Try to remember a presentation or program you attended. Were these basic needs met? If so, how?

Growth Needs:

-Understanding

-Aesthetic

-Self-actualization

How could these be met in educational programming?

How to do on-the-spot evaluation

  • Arrive early to visually evaluate the group
  • Say hello to visitors with a smile
  • Ask questions about why they are there and what they might be most interested in learning about
  • Listen and observe the group as they speak with one another
  • Engage with feedback throughout program that helps you get feedback
  • Take informal polls on previous attendance or previous knowledge
  • Introduce yourself with confidence
  • Be aware that potential pauses in responses to questions can help gauge comfort level of audience

On Spot

Evaluation

Now it's your turn!

1) Choose a biofact from the shelf

2) Take ~5 minutes to research biofact

3) Present biofact to the group

Give

it a Try!

Remember to apply Tilden's Principles and Maslows Theory to your presentation!

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