KWL Results

This data was gathered from the workshop during a KWL activity. KWL stands for, (K) what participants already know, (W) what participants want to know, and (L) what participants have learned from an activity. Answers are used as a tool to stimulate discussion at the start of the workshop, and to provide a review at the end.

What Participants already KNOW:
By far the most common participant response to the question, "What do you already know about EE?" was for participants to mention knowledge about a particular CONTENT area. Examples include: recycling and composting, non-point source pollution, birds, mammals, forestry, and water quality, biodiversity, web of life, etc.

The second most common response was related to environmental education METHODS. Participants listed curriculum, hands-on learning, demonstrations, program design, taking an interdisciplinary approach, etc.

What Participants WANT TO KNOW:
Participants were most interested in finding out more about environmental education METHODS. Examples included: ideas, techniques, new ways of presenting materials, how to keep children interested, effective methods for working with special needs students, technical training, how to integrate standards, facilitation techniques, etc.

Other areas of interest for participants were content-specific requests, EE resources, how to teach about values, the administrative aspects of EE, (marketing, volunteer recruitment), and networking.

What Participants LEARNED:
The top area that participants felt they learned was about environmental education RESOURCES available in Pennsylvania. The second area was EE methods. The third area was EE principles & standards. The fourth and fifth areas were networking and EE background.

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What Participants Want to Know About Teaching EE to Pre-Service Teachers:
Participants of the higher education workshop were asked what would they like to learn about teaching EE to pre-service teachers, the highest response to this question was STANDARDS. Examples included: techniques/methods to address standards and integration of standards into existing curriculum. The second highest responses were: field studies, integration, and learning what others are currently doing.

What EE Issues and Concerns Would You Like To Address During the Workshop:
EE issues and concerns participants were most interested in learning about during the workshop were SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES. Examples included: Biodiversity, environmental ethics and conservation practices, strip mining, and program implementation. The second most common responses included integration and standards.