Engaging children in learning plant based science

1. Junqing Zhai Department of Education & Professional Studies King’s College London [email_address] Engaging Children in Learning Plant-Based Science: The Pedagogical Practices of Botanic Garden Educators

2. Conclusions and Implications Discussion Research Methodology Botanic Gardens as Teaching Environment Research Background Engaging Children in Learning Plant-Based Science: The Pedagogical Practices of Botanic Garden Educators

7. Research Participants 6,350 1,470 Annual visiting children Primary school groups All age groups Teaching target group 15 years teaching in urban primary schools and 10 years teaching in outdoor education centres 15 years teaching experience in botanic gardens Teaching experience Bsc in chemistry PGCE in primary education Bsc in ecology Teacher qualification Chris (BH) David (SW)

9. 95 min 97 min 94 min 95 min Length of lesson audio & note audio & note audio & video audio & video Data type 3 3 3 6 No. of adults 19 20 19 40 No. of children Y3 Y3 Y5 Y5 Year group plant adaptation plant adaptation plant and habitat plant and habitat Topic BH-S-15/6 BH-S-07/5 SW-D-29/6 SW-D-26/6 Lesson code BH Garden (Chris) SW Garden (David)

13. Using questions to support intellectual development

14. Using questions to support intellectual development (educator) F eedback Good, they absorb the water. Chris: 9 (student) R esponse They suck the water. Student 7: 8 (Educator) I nitiate What else do the roots do? (educator) F eedback When the wind blows it keeps the flower in. Good girl. It’s quite like that because it anchors its down to the ground. If it grows in the soil then the roots anchor that plant down to the ground. So it’s very important. This afternoon you may see some roots that do not grow under the ground: some grow in the water maybe and some grow and climb up the walls. So that’s one of their important jobs. To hold that plant, to anchor it. Chris: 7 (student) R esponse When there’s the wind it keeps the flower in. Student 6: 6 (educator) F eedback What are they doing when they are growing? They must be doing something. Every part has a job. Chris: 5 (Student) R esponse They grow. Student 1: 4 (Educator) I nitiate What do the roots actually do? (educator) F eedback They do. I think at the end of Year 3 we need should know exactly what they do to make it grow bigger. Chris: 3 (student) R esponse To make the plants growing bigger. Student 4: 2 (educator) I nitiate What do the roots do for the plants? What’s their job? What do they do? Chris: 1 move utterance speaker

18. Conclusions 1 Learning in a botanic garden is experience-based 2 Supporting botanic garden educator’s professional development 3 Enhancing pre- and post visit support to the visiting school groups

19. Why botanic garden educators teach differently? What factors may affect the effectiveness of a botanic garden educator’s teaching? Teaching practices in botanic gardens What’s next?

20. Junqing Zhai Department of Education & Professional Studies King’s College London [email_address] Engaging Children in Learning Plant-Based Science: The Pedagogical Practices of Botanic Garden Educators