The Desert Botanical Garden - American Public Gardens Association

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Concurrent Session IV (2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.)
Education I: Building Dynamic
Intergenerational Volunteer Educator
Communities
Engaging visitors with nature.
Educators and visionary administrators will receive
hard data on the benefits of intergenerational volunteer
teaching structures. US Census data indicate that in
the coming decades our country will see great increases
in the youngest (under eighteen) and the oldest (over
sixty-five) citizens to nearly fifty percent of our total
population. These populations represent the future of
our institutions, offering unique skill sets as educators.
Do a teen and a retired textbook editor who trained
together have a special advantage when helping first
graders test how plants disperse seeds? This presentation
will ask participants to take a revolutionary look at
the structure of their programs and examine the benefits
of engaging volunteers of many ages and backgrounds
in becoming exceptional educators within a shared
learning environment. Participants will learn behind
the scenes training methods while sharing in a dialogue
about best practices.
Presenters: Jeffrey Downing, Executive Director, Mt. Cuba Center; Susan L. Wagner,
Vice President of Education and Information, The Morton Arboretum; Sarah Paulson,
Assistant Manager of The Everett Children’s Adventure Garden at The New York
Botanical Garden
Education II: Preparing Elementary
Teachers in Science: A Garden-
Zoo-University Model
This project provides a demonstration of one way
in which a partnership between ISIs and higher
education institution(s) can be formed.
Informal science institutions (ISIs) represent a
tremendous resource for teacher education. However,
few ISIs provide programs for pre-service teachers,
and the effectiveness of these programs has not been
extensively documented or broadly disseminated.
Funded by the US Department of Education Fund
for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
(FIPSE), The New York Botanical Garden, in partnership
with the Wildlife Conservation Society, and The
City University of New York’s Lehman College School
of Education, created Outside-the-Box to study the
efficacy of collaborations between ISIs and universities
in the preparation of pre-service elementary
teachers. This three-year program introduces the
pre-service participants to science, science education
practices, and the use of outdoor settings for inquiry
science investigation across disciplines.
Participants will learn how the Outside-the-Box
Program works to help prepare pre-service elementary
teachers in collaboration with their formal graduate
studies. Participants will also learn how to replicate
elements of the Outside-the-Box Program through
partnerships involving other science institutions and
universities.
Presenters: Judith Hutton, Manager of Teacher Professional Development, The New
York Botanical Garden; Amanda Lindell, Coordinator of Professional Development,
Wildlife Conservation Society
Back to the Future: Engaging
Emerging Professionals in Your Garden
Many organizations wish to engage emerging
professionals as a means to both broaden their
visitor demographic and cultivate future leaders
and supporters.
Developing a program or initiative to engage and retain
emerging professionals can present a multitude of
challenges related to leadership, staffing, program
development, and recruitment.
In addition, too many organizations fall victim to
reducing emerging professional engagement to social
media and event-based interactions. While this can
be a beneficial introduction to the organization, the
further development of these relationships is what can
lead to retained and increased engagement.
The presentation will address the following vital
components of developing a successful emerging
professionals program: identifying the interests of the
emerging professionals in your community; developing
program leadership and support; and translating
identified interests into a well-developed engagement
program. Additionally, the presentation will speak
to pitfalls and related challenges experienced when
developing or restructuring a current program.
Presenters: Lauren Svorinic, Individual Giving Associate, Desert Botanical Garden;
Teniqua Broughton, Director, Act One Foundation and Board of Trustees, Desert
Botanical Garden; Andrea Nickrent, Graphic Designer and Donor Communications
Coordinator, Missouri Botanical Garden
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