Evaluations and Reflections
Student Evaluations
"I loved to sit and observe the plants, river and animals. It was like I was in my own world." -Grace, Ridgeline Middle School Student
Evaluating knowledge
At the end of each field trip students were given the opportunity to show us what they learned with a short questionnaire. Students were challenged to explain concepts taught to them from each station. These concepts included the three layers of the forest, three plant species found within H.J. Andrews, the three main layers of a tree, and the importance of building a relationship with nature. The results allowed our team to evaluate ourselves as educators and evaluate whether students reached the learning outcomes for each station. This evaluation form is based on one of our team objectives, which was to effectively teach students important facts and biological processes that occur within an old growth forest. Below is the statistical graph displaying this evaluation outcome.
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Evaluating Connections
Aside from our goal to provide the participants with useful information, our team also established the goal to influence each student to be inspired and create a lasting relationship with nature. This is difficult to measure, as we will not be able to observe the future environmental behaviors of these students, however, our team chose to include a series of personal questions on the evaluation form. These questions allowed the students to describe their personal relationship and feelings during the field trip. Through this evaluation method our team was able to determine how many students were impacted from their experience. Furthermore we asked the students to provide us with their most memorable moment of the trip, which gave us some very special words that resonated deeply with each of us, and gave us a feeling of deep accomplishment and appreciation for this opportunity to impact the lives of the youth. Below is the statistical graph displaying this evaluation outcome.
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"I was about three quarters of the way up the tree when I stopped for about two minutes and just hung there...that was totally amazing and it's something I probably wont forget in a hurry. I felt very free and accomplished. It was a great experience. " -Luke, Ridgeline Middle School Student
"I liked doing the sit-spot at the very end so I could sort of reflect on everything that we’d done and what I’d learned. It was calming and also fun. Everything was really great, even the weather although it was raining. It was beautiful, and inspiring.” -Emma, Ridgeline Middle School Student