LENGTH: 1 HOUR, 32 MINUTES

Learn how to articulate what nature journaling is, how it integrates with other subjects and life experiences, and why we are doing it. This will help you clarify your own vision of what you are teaching and why, and it will help you be able to get greater support, buy-in, and participation from your students, whether they are adults, children, parents, or administrators.

Jack will cover basics such as the prompts “I notice, I wonder, and it reminds me of” (aka INIWIRMO), and the three nature data recording languages: words, pictures, and numbers.

LENGTH: 1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES

The theme of this class is how we think about questions as well as how we approach them in a teaching environment. Enhancing one’s curiosity is a wonderful part of being a naturalist, scientist, or explorer. You will learn how metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” can help students develop a deeper sense of curiosity. You will also learn humility in front of the unknown and being aware of evidence-based reasoning. Jack will then introduce the nature journal activity “Asking Questions” for learning how to ask richer questions and find the questions behind the questions, a skill you can share with your students.

Returning to the theme of asking questions, we will also explore the differences between the three categories of questions: Let’s see…Could it be? and Let it be. You will learn strategies your students can use to investigate observable phenomena using nature journals to explore patterns and come up with possible explanations for things we don’t understand.

LENGTH: 1 HOUR

Learn how to give supportive and encouraging feedback that cultivates a growth mindset in your students. Jack will cover specific examples of how to incorporate a growth mindset in your teaching and feedback: What is it? What are various tools for including it?

LENGTH: 30 MINUTES

Guiding others and creating opportunities for people to experience nature journaling is extremely important. A huge part of being an educator. This class will teach you how to help yourself while you help others: how not to get bogged down in the mechanics of the picture and your thinking overall, and build confidence in your work and in the power of journaling. Jack will also cover self-care; Rob Wade often talks about how he encourages teachers to make time for themselves to journal, which is self-replenishing. And there are times that you will doubt your own abilities and become overcome by “imposter syndrome.” You will learn strategies for dealing with these doubts.

LENGTH: 1 HOUR

Outdoor educator Billie Jo Reid will share important safety, engagement, and equity resources for both academic-school and community educators:

• Quality Engagement:

  • How do you prepare yourself for the experience (i.e. what are the objectives, desired outcomes, etc.)

  • Fundamental outdoor group management strategies

• Safety and Comfort:

  • How to prepare for the experience (children and adults)

  • How to deal with inclement weather and other environmental challenges

  • Emotional safety (children and adults)

• Equity:

  • How to identify and solve equity issues (regarding equipment, clothing, socio-economic backgrounds)

LENGTH: 25 MINUTES

In this class, restoration botanist Yvea Moore will teach how incorporating stewardship, service projects, and community science into nature journaling creates a unique portal for engagement and conservation action.

LENGTH: 1 HOUR 30 minutes

KEYNOTE WILL BE LIVE DURING EACH PRACTICUM

LENGTH: 1 HOUR

Jack will review the core teaching topics and show in the flow of journaling teaching how to put it all together. He will demonstrate that the key to successful teaching is less about WHAT you use, it’s HOW you use it.