OPAL Environmental Education Conference 2012

Friday 10 February 2012, East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham

Ideas and creative approaches for environmental education

Hosted by OPAL East Midlands, this free one-day conference gave everyone interested in environmental education the opportunity to share ideas and build partnerships.

The day included the following talks and workshops

Science in the National Curriculum - Karen Devine, British Ecological Society
Karen spoke about the proposal to introduce compulsory science fieldwork to the school curriculum, and its possible impact.
Creative education workshop - Jackie Adams, freelance environmental educator
Jackie discussed using theatre and role-play to engage young people.
Mammals workshop - Debbie Alston, freelance environmental educator
Debbie demonstrated a number of different mammal-related games and activities.
Running BioBlitzes - Lucy Carter, OPAL scientist
Lucy gave advice on how to run a BioBlitz and how the idea can be adapted for different spaces and activities.
Forest Schools - Kath Andrew, Kate Milman, Nick Robson - Wild Things Ecological Education Collective
The group explained the work of Forest School and the positive effect outdoor education can have on children.
GPS workshop - Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Open University
Elizabeth described how various GPS technologies can be used in outdoor teaching.
Minibeasts workshop - Roger Key, freelance entomologist
Roger showed how to make bug-hunting equipment, and shared his teaching experiences.