Program on the Environment

Environmental education is an important evolving field that holds the potential to shape future generations of environmentalists. When it comes to important Pacific Northwest issues like the protection of salmon, outdoor environmental education in particular has the power to connect students to nature in meaningful ways. Because it’s an emerging field, organizations have limited resources and funding to provide outdoor education to public schools. During my time as an education intern with Sound Salmon Solutions, I set out to study how environmental educators can best connect students with nature, even within the short amount of time these organizations are able to teach students. I also explored experimental methods of education, including childrens’ eco-theater. I collected and compiled data from in-classroom observations, pre- and post- lesson surveys from students, and opinion-based surveys from the teachers of those students. I also conducted a wide range of literature and article research to supplement the data I collected. Using thematic analysis and data visualization, I found that students gained a significant understanding of watershed stewardship through the lessons taught by SSS, and the multimodal lessons were especially effective at engaging and exciting the students. Additionally, teachers believe that eco-theater would be beneficial as another form of multimodal learning for students to learn about important environmental issues such as salmon. These findings suggest that environmental education organizations should invest in creating multimodal outdoor curriculum in order to maximize the connections students are able to make with the environment.