Natural History & Environmental Cultural Heritage in
European Digital Libraries for Education
Natural Europe Educational Pathway Handbook
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Project co-funded by the European Commission within the ICT Policy Support Programme
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Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 4
1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 7
2
WHAT IS AN EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY? .......................................................................................................... 9
2.1
3
THE NATURAL EUROPE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY ......................................................................................................... 10
THE EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................................13
3.1
3.2
3.3
CONTEXTUAL MODEL OF LEARNING (CML) ................................................................................................................ 13
KOLB’S 4-STAGE LEARNING CYCLE .............................................................................................................................. 15
INQUIRY AND RESOURCE-BASED LEARNING ................................................................................................................. 16
4
THE NATURAL EUROPE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY TEMPLATE .........................................................................18
5
EXPLORE A NATURAL EUROPE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY ................................................................................21
6
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................................31
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Table of figures
Figure 2.1: Steps of Natural Europe Educational Pathway ...............................................................................................10
Figure 3.1: Kolb's learning cycle ........................................................................................................................................15
Figure 5.1: Pathway starting point ....................................................................................................................................21
Figure 5.2: Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................22
Figure 5.3: Pre-visit Phase –Provoke curiosity ..................................................................................................................23
Figure 5.4: Pre-visit Phase– Define questions ...................................................................................................................24
Figure 5.5: Pre-visit Phase– Propose explanations ...........................................................................................................25
Figure 5.6: Pre-visit Phase - Plan investigation .................................................................................................................26
Figure 5.7: Visit Phase – Gather evidence .........................................................................................................................27
Figure 5.8: Visit Phase – Explanation based on evidence .................................................................................................28
Figure 5.9: Visit Phase - Other explanation .......................................................................................................................28
Figure 5.10: Post-visit Phase - Communicate explanation ...............................................................................................29
Figure 5.11: Post-visit Phase - Follow-up ..........................................................................................................................30
List of tables
Table 2.1: NE Educational Pathway steps .........................................................................................................................11
Table 3.1: Key factors of museum learning .......................................................................................................................14
Table 3.2: Educational Pathway & Kolb's cycle .................................................................................................................16
Table 4.1: The Educational Pathway template .................................................................................................................19
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1 Introduction
‘Place museum visitors in the centre of an exhibition that is both physical & virtual using technology,
services and learning content to provide personalized, appealing educational experiences; changing
the way museum education is perceived and conducted, worldwide.’
Natural Europe project vision
Curiosity, discovery, interaction ...
Is what usually attracts visitors to museums. But besides entertaining the visitor, such cultural institutions have great
educational potential by creating the ideal setting for experimentation, explanation and exchange of social, cultural and scientific
information. Engaging in educational activities outside the classroom helps students understand and familiarize themselves with
the concepts introduced in the classroom, thus consolidating their knowledge. In order to respond to the educational needs of the
learners, collaboration between school teachers and museum educators is necessary. To make the most of a museum visit, either
physical “or virtual with the use of digital exhibits, importance needs to be given to the careful planning of the visit, as well as to the
activities preceding and following the visit.
The Natural Europe Educational Pathways Handbook aims to guide teachers and museum educators in making the leap between
the classroom and the museum, by clarifying issues such as:
Can museums foster learning?
How can teachers design a learning activity that takes includes a visit to the museum?
What is an Educational Pathway?
Which are the learning theories that influence the Natural Europe Educational Pathway framework?
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The present Handbook was created in the context of the Natural Europe1 project (NE), a European funded project with the aim to:
a) facilitate the search and retrieval of digital library objects related to Natural History, Environmental Education, and Biological
Sciences; b) provide educators with the necessary software tools to design innovative online pathways using digital collections of
Natural History Museums; c) encourage visitors to follow educational pathways and exploit high quality digital content available in
Natural
History
Museums.
The
online
version
of
the
present
Handbook
is
available
online
at
http://wiki.agroknow.gr/agroknow/index.php/Resources.
The Handbook is complemented by the Natural Europe Pathway Authoring Tool Manual that offers step by step instructions on the
use of the Natural Europe online software for the design of educational pathways and use of digital resources. The Manual is freely
available online at http://wiki.agroknow.gr/agroknow/index.php/Resources.
1
http://www.natural-europe.eu/
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2 What is an Educational Pathway?
Educational Pathway:
A pre-defined pattern of exploring new meanings or spaces, through activities. It can
be highly structured (with every step thoroughly designed) or open (eligible for
changes through the navigation).
When designing teaching activities that intend to bridge classroom and museum learning, several challenges have to be addressed,
such as ensuring the maximum possible proximity between the curriculum and teaching methods on the one hand, and the learning
environment (schools and Natural History Museums) on the other. Learning objectives and outcomes need to be carefully selected
and accompanied by suitable learning activities that allow students to achieve learning while visiting the museum.
Technology and digital resources also play an important role in the learning process. In order to gain more diverse audiences and
open the doors to greater access to learning for the public, several museums make their collections available online. Schools, that
are becoming increasingly concerned with the efficient use of technology in education and ensuring that students are
technologically literate, are thus offered the possibility to educate and entertain the students without having to actually plan an onsite visit to the museum, when this is not desired.
With these in mind, we introduce the Natural Europe Educational Pathway (NE Educational Pathway) and software tool that allows
teachers and museum educators to make use of existing digital collections of museums around the world to design online and
offline educational activities that correspond to the learning needs of their students.
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2.1 The Natural Europe Educational Pathway
Although the museum plays a central role in the design of the NE Educational Pathway as the learning activities revolve around a
visit to the museum (either physical or virtual), the learning experience should be embedded in a context that allows the
preparation of the learner before the visit and follow-up activities for the exploitation of the learning outcomes. To facilitate the
entire teaching and learning process, we propose an Educational Pathway consisting of three (3) main steps: Pre-Visit, Visit and
Post-Visit.
PRE-VISIT
VISIT
POST-VISIT
Figure 2.1: Steps of Natural Europe Educational Pathway
It is important to underline that the Educational Pathway needs to be prepared by the teacher before the Pre-visit phase, having in
mind the educational needs of the students. Preceding the Pre-visit phase the teacher will choose the subject-matter to be
discussed with the students, gather information and research on the other pathways available for this subject. If applicable,
reservations at the museum should be consider at this stage.
As regards to the physical setting, although flexible, the pre-visit and post-visit phases usually takes place in a classroom setting,
while the visit involves a museum, or in the case of a virtual visit, the computer lab/classroom with Internet access can be used.
Computers can serve at any time throughout the pathway for making use of digital resources. Throughout the three steps of the
pathway, the students will be required to collaborate and interact with their colleagues under the teacher’s guidance, but also to
work on their own.
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Table 2.1 explains what each of the three steps consists of and the roles assigned for both teachers and students in order to
successfully complete a pathway.
Pathway
step
Definition
Teacher’s role
Preparatory activities
for the interaction with
the targeted resources
of the museum
- to intrigue students and gain their
attention
- to pose relevant questions to the
goal of the activity
- to unfold students’ prior knowledge
on the subject
- to address teacher’s inquiries and
propose possible explanations
- to conduct initial research on the
subject and discover evidence
(individually or in groups)
Visit
Activities involving
interaction with the
targeted resources in
the museum
- to divide students in groups
(optional)
- to listen to the students and give the
correct explanations
- to guide students to collect data
- to experiment with the pre-decided
museum exhibits (or online activities)
- to discuss and reflect on their
Museum or
findings, comparing them with the
online
assumptions from Pre-visit
- to collect and produce data to be
used for their Post-visit reports
Post-visit
Rounding up activities
concluding the learning
experience, after the
interaction with the
targeted resources
- to ask students to work in groups (or
individually) to create a report on
their findings addressing the initial
inquiry
- to create a report and include their
finding & data
- to present it to the class and the
teacher
Pre-visit
Student’s role
Setting
Classroom
Classroom
Table 2.1: NE Educational Pathway steps
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3
The Educational Framework
This section of the Handbook describes the theories that serve as base for the Natural Europe framework,
starting from the Contextual Model of Learning, enhanced by Kolb’s cycle of learning, explaining how inquiry and
resources-based learning conducted towards the creation of the NE Educational Pathway
and its five (5) teaching phases.
3.1 Contextual Model of Learning (CML)
‘What we are proposing is not really a definition of learning but a model for thinking about learning that allows for the
systematic understanding and organization of complexity. The Contextual Model of Learning is an effort to simultaneously
provide a holistic picture of learning and accommodate the myriad specifics and details that give richness and authenticity
to the learning process. We have focused on the learning that occurs from museums, since this focus permitted us to to
make concrete and tangible that which is inherently abstract and intangible.’
(Falk and Dierking, 2004)
In their book ‘Reinventing the Museum” Falk and Dierking identify eight (8) key factors that contribute significantly to the quality of
a museum learning experience. The 8 key factors can be organised in three (3) main categories representing the contexts that
influence the Contextual Model of Learning: the Personal context, Sociocultural context and Physical context.
Table 3.1 lists the eight key factors particularly fundamental to museum experiences (Falk and Dierking, 2004).
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Contextual Model of Learning (CML)
Personal context
Motivation and
expectations
Prior knowledge,
interests, beliefs
Choice and control
Sociocultural context
Physical context
Within group sociocultural
mediation
Facilitated mediation by
others
Advance organizers and
orientation
Design
Reinforcing events and
experiences outside the
museum
Table 3.1: Key factors of museum learning
Next, we will discuss how the Personal, Sociocultural and Physical contexts relate to the three steps of the Natural Europe
Educational Scenario.
In the case of the first step, the Pre-visit, the Personal context of the CML concerns the learners’ prior knowledge and their attitude
towards the subject matter to be discussed. The Sociocultural context, on the other hand, concerns the in-class interaction between
students and between students and their teacher. The Physical context does not matter that much in this step, unless computers
are required for conducting this part of the activity.
At the Visit stage, the CML is very important as all of its three components are valued equally. Personal experimentation regards the
Personal context, while group discussion on the findings and alternative justifications falls in the sphere of Sociocultural context.
Also in the sphere of Sociocultural content we can include encounters and interactions with museum staff or other museum visitors.
As for the Physical context, it regards the actual space within which this stage takes place or, in case of a virtual visit, it concerns the
medium and the virtual space that hosts the activities.
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Finally, at the Post-visit stage, the Personal context concerns again the learners’ prior knowledge, attitudes and interest, while the
Sociocultural and Physical context are rather similar to the ones at the Pre-visit stage, namely an interaction between students and
students and teacher in the classroom.
3.2 Kolb’s 4-stage learning cycle
The design of the NE Educational Pathway is based on Kolb’s learning cycle that envisions learning as the result of four
interconnected steps: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Active Experimentation and Abstract Conceptualization.
According to these, in order to be effective in acquiring knowledge in the learning process the learner needs to go through all the
phases of the cycle: experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting. Figure 3.1 illustrates the four learning cycles.
Figure 3.1: Kolb's learning cycle2
2
Image source: http://www.ldpartners.co.za/our-services/learning
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Each step of Kolb’s learning cycle was considered in the development of the NE Educational Pathway and directly connected as
illustrated below.
Pathway step
Kolb’s learning step
Pre-visit
Abstract Conceptualization
Visit
Active Experimentation & Concrete experience
Post-visit
Reflective observation
Table 3.2: Educational Pathway & Kolb's cycle
3.3 Inquiry and Resource-based learning
The main pedagogical approach used in Natural Europe is the Inquiry-based learning, since this approach engages the students in
the investigation of nature by following a specific route closely related to Kolb’s learning cycle that includes:
Question eliciting activities
Active investigation by students
Formation of findings
Discussion of findings already at early stages of the process
Reflection about knowledge and the learning process
Inquiry-based learning:
A student-centered and teacher-guided instructional approach that engages students
in investigating real world questions within a broad thematic framework.
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Focusing on this approach allows the students to better understand the topic investigated and consolidate knowledge by collecting
and interpreting information, discussing, reflecting and presenting their findings.
Complementary to Inquiry-based learning and with high relevance for the NE Educational Pathways, is Resource-based learning, a
student-centered approach that encourages the interaction and use of resources. Learners are directed to adopt a hands-on
attitude and to take responsibility for selecting the resources that appeal to their learning preferences and interests. The role of the
teacher is to guide and assist the learner.
Resource-based learning:
An instructional approach where students construct meaning through interaction
with a wide range of print, non-print and human resources.
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4 The Natural Europe Educational Pathway Template
The Inquiry-based model presented in Chapter 3.3 Inquiry and Resource-based learning presented above
applied to science education leads to an approach most often referred to as Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE),
mostly applied to science of nature and technology. Due to its nature, the IBSE pedagogy encourages relationships
between the actors of formal and informal education, represented in our case, by the connection between the
classroom and the physical or virtual visit to Natural History Museums.
In order to facilitate the integration of NE Educational Pathways in the classroom and to encourage teaching practices built around
the observation of objects or phenomena in the natural world, in our case, in Natural History Museums, we propose a Template
with five (5) stages that correspond to the three steps of the NE Educational Pathway (Pre-visit, Visit and Post-visit). The proposed
template is also based on the highly successful model used in Open Science Resources European project 3.
The five Teaching phases of the NE Educational Pathways are:
Question Eliciting Activities: the teacher will provoke curiosity and try to attract students’ attention by presenting or showing
them appropriate material. The teacher will try to engage the students with the help of scientifically oriented questions.
Active Investigation: Students propose some possible explanations to questions that emerged from the previous activity. The
teacher identifies possible misconceptions. Students give priority to evidence, which allows them to develop explanations to
address scientifically oriented questions. The teacher acts as a facilitator.
Creation: Teacher divides students in groups. Each group of students formulates and evaluates explanations from evidence to
address scientifically oriented questions.
3
http://www.openscienceresources.eu/
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Discussion: The teacher gives the correct explanation for the specific research topic. Each group of students evaluates its
explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding.
Reflection: Each group of students produces a report with its findings, presents and justifies its proposed explanations to
other groups and the teacher.
Table 2.1 presents the NE Educational Pathway Template illustrating the connection between the three Pathways steps and the
Teaching phases.
Pathway step
Teaching phase
1. Question Eliciting Activities
Pre-visit
2. Active Investigation
3. Creation
Visit
Post-visit
4. Discussion
5. Reflection
Steps
Provoke curiosity
Define questions from current knowledge
Propose preliminary explanations or hypotheses
Plan/ conduct simple investigation
Gather evidence from observation
Explanation based on evidence
Consider other explanations
Communicate explanation
Table 4.1: The Educational Pathway template
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In order to help educators design innovative Educational Pathways, the Natural Europe project has created an online software tool,
the Natural Europe Pathway Authoring Tool (education.natural-europe.eu/natural_europe) that guides you through each step of
the pathway design. The Natural Europe Authoring tool is your database of educational pathways, where you can create your own
pathway and share it with the community, but also make use of a large collection of pathways, digital resources and collections of
Natural History Museums.
Moreover, the software allows learners to follow educational pathways and play with digital resources belonging to various
museums while completing educational pathways.
For step by step instructions on how to create your own pathways online, please use the Natural Europe Pathway Authoring Tool
Manual, available at: http://wiki.agroknow.gr/agroknow/index.php/Resources.
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5 Explore a Natural Europe Educational Pathway
Figure 5.1: Pathway starting point
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‘Renewable, Green, Clean? Wind Energy and
Solar Energy’ is an educational pathway that
aims to provoke students’ curiosity on renewable
energy resources and urge them to examine their
advantages and disadvantages. Students engage
in hands-on and minds-on activities to collect the
information requested and fully comprehend the
operation of wind turbines and photovoltaics.
The educational pathway involves visit to and
activities in a Centre for Environmental
Education. All the information required for the
pathway’s completion is offered to the teachers
in the form of resources and documents. The
educational pathway is linked to the module of
science (primary school, 6th grade, Greece).
Figure 5.2: Introduction
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The teacher aims to provoke
students’ curiosity on the two
examined renewable energy
sources by showing them a
web-based video on traditional
energy plants and their impact
on the environment. A relevant
photo from Europeana helps
them get an even clearer
image on the subject.
Figure 5.3: Pre-visit Phase –Provoke curiosity
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Next, the students are asked to
answer certain questions on
electrical energy and renewable
energy resources. For the teacher’s
guidance, documents and links
with information and guidance
related to the questions asked are
provided in this section.
Figure 5.4: Pre-visit Phase– Define questions
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Following that, the teacher is
urged to ask students some
questions, in order to clarify
whether they have mixed their
knowledge on photovoltaics
and wind turbines with
conceptual misunderstandings.
Again, documents on the
respective myths and truths
are provided in this section for
the teacher’s guidance.
This and the previous activity
help the teacher comprehend
the knowledgability of students
on the examined matter .
Figure 5.5: Pre-visit Phase– Propose explanations
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Just before the visit phase, the
teacher organizes the students in
work groups, each of which is
assigned to answer specific
questions. Students are offered
some resources, while they are
also informed on the way they
will be expected to present their
findings; more specifically, each
group will form a card board and
complete it with arguments in
favor and against each form of
renewable resource.
Figure 5.6: Pre-visit Phase - Plan investigation
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The school group visits
the museum chosen.
Here, the students will
experiment with the
exhibits and play an
online interactive game.
Then they will be
separated in the work
groups indicated in the
previous stage and start
looking for information
on
the
questions
assigned to them.
Figure 5.7: Visit Phase – Gather evidence
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When the work groups have
collected the information
needed, they work together
to format their card board
and complete it with the
information discovered.
Figure 5.8: Visit Phase – Explanation based on evidence
Having finished that, students are expected
to examine the alternative energy
resources exhibited in the same wing and
compare them to the renewable source
form they were asked to examine, also
discussing them with the museum
educator.
Figure 5.9: Visit Phase - Other explanation
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Upon return to school,
the
different
work
groups will present their
card boards with their
findings to each other.
When this discussion is
completed, the teacher
focuses on the subject of
alternative
energy
sources and especially
nuclear energy.
Figure 5.10: Post-visit Phase - Communicate explanation
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The educational activity is
almost completed now; in the
final stage students will engage
in hands-on activities that will
help them better understand the
operation of solar energy and
wind energy constructions. To
complete them, they will work in
the same groups they have been
cooperating with since the
beginning of the activity.
Figure 5.11: Post-visit Phase - Follow-up
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6 References
Falk, J.H. and Dierking, L.D. (2000). Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning.
New York: AltaMira Press
Falk, J.H. and Dierking, L.D. (2004). Reinventing the Museum.: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on
the Paradign Shift. New York: AltaMira Press
Falk, J. and Storksdieck, M. (2005). Using the contextual model of learning to understand visitor learning from a
science center exhibition. Science Education, 89: 744–778. Retrieved June, 2011, from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.20078/abstract
Guidelines for the Design of Technology-Enhanced Educational Pathways, Educational Pathway Authoring Tool User Manual.
Open Science Resources project. Retrieved June, 2011, from
http://www.ea.gr/ep/osrsummerschool/files/Educational_Pathway_Authoring_Tool_Manual.pdf
Markaki, V. and Sotiriou, S. (2011). Deliverable 3.1 Pedagogical Requirements, Natural Europe project
Natural Europe project. (2011). Retrieved June, 2011, from http://www.natural-europe.eu/
Open Science Resources project. (2011). Retrieved June, 2011, from http://www.openscienceresources.eu/
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