Take Me Outside – Details, episodes & analysis

Dr. Kendrick is currently the Director of Field Experience at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She was a K-12 classroom teacher for nineteen years specializing in Physical Education, English and Language Arts. One of Dr. Kendrick’s main research areas focuses on compassion fatigue, burnout, and emotional labour in Alberta educational workers. 

Dr. Kendrick is the co-producer of the Ed Students in Conversation podcast series on voicEd Radio Canada and developer of the HEARTcare Educators website. She was the recipient of the 2020 Online Teaching Award from the Werklund School of Education as well as an Emerging Scholar Award from The Learner research network in 2019.

Colin Harris speaks with Dr. Jenellen Good about issues like climate change, technology, and eco-spirituality. They discuss how these issues are communicated, both societally and educationally, and the role these issues play within the education system.

Dr. Good is currently the Department Chair of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University in Ontario. She is also a professor at Brock University researching the role of communication in how people relate to the “natural environment.” More specifically, she explores intersections of screens and the climate crisis, materialism, eco-spirituality and media/digital literacy. She teaches classes about environmental communication, psychology of screens, audiences, environmental justice, and communication research methods. She has published widely on these topics including her book Television and the Earth: Not a Love Story as well as many journal articles and newspaper op-eds. She is currently working on her new book entitled Stories, Stuff & Spirituality.

Show notes:

- Dr. Good vaguely mentions one happiness alternative economic index and also mentions Bhutan’s alternative economic index. Bhutan’s index is actually a “Gross National Happiness Index” and other similar indices that she talks about are the Genuine Progress Indicator (GP), Human Development Index (HDI), Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) and the Happy Planet Index (HPI).

- Ronald Wright’s Massey Lecture book A Short History of Progress was published in 2004.

- COP 2024 was in Baku (there was a COP in Doha – in 2012)

With Jayne Black of Green Schools Rock, Project WET, and Project WILD

How can educators engage Pre-K learners in outdoor and environmental learning? What are some pitfalls to avoid when working with this age group? Why is student-led learning so impactful? Jayne has worked hard to foster her young learners’ environmental literacy while taking major steps to make her school healthier and more sustainable. This involves the use of outdoor learning spaces, including two school gardens where wonder and curiosity are allowed to flourish.

Guests:

Jayne Black is a Pre-K teacher, Founder of Green Schools Rock, a free inclusive program that is shaping kids to be green leaders in their schools and communities. Jayne is Mrs USA Earth Eco 2023 and serves as an ambassador for Beauties for a Cause, a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization, committed to environmental advocacy and education. Jayne serves as a commissioner of her city’s sustainability commission. She is a certified facilitator for Project WET and Project WILD, a certified green schools classroom professional, and a green schools mentor for Illinois Green Alliance. Jayne is actively working on clean air legislation for schools in Wisconsin.

Learn more about Green Schools Rock Awareness Day here!

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

With Zachary Fox-DeVol and Clare Marder of We The Children

What can educators do to spark young children’s interest in climate change? Why is it important to bring levity and lightness to discussions about environmental crises? How can we do this without giving learners false optimism? Student-podcaster Zach and teacher-mentor Clare discuss these questions, while sharing climate/waste solutions that inspire them as well as offering practical advice for young people and their educators. We also touch on the necessity of collective action and policy engagement on the road toward decarbonization.

Guests:

Zach Fox-Devol (in his own words): In 2020, my teacher suggested that we write a podcast script. I began writing and narrating the podcast called Rule of The Bark. Funny interviews and helpful tips are shared. In December 2021 I started We The Children, the podcast where kids talk climate change! In each episode, we meet climate warriors who are working to protect our planet. We have wacky weather reports, play fun trivia games, and feature an Action Step of the week. I have a dog named Ewok, a cat named Pax, and two moms. When I'm not working on podcasts, you can find me working on magic tricks, chess, and my Rubik's cube.

Clare Marder is an educator in Los Angeles, California, USA. Originally from the Boston area, she has always had a deep appreciation for nature. Clare went to Sarah Lawrence College (New York) and Pepperdine University (California). She lives with her husband and two-year-old son, Jack.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila 

With Jesse Hildebrand (and friends) of Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants and Nature For All

Why do personal nature stories move us so much? In what ways does meaningful nature storytelling connect to conservation of wildlife and wild places? Is it enough to focus on the wonder of nature or do we have to communicate its benefits to humans explicit? In the midst of Nature For All’s Storytelling Festival Love Fest, we share nature stories and get to the heart of engaging people’s hearts and minds during a time where inspiring actions to preserve nature are giving us very real reasons for hope. There’s also some talk of rewilding, biophilia, public wolf howls, and the majesty of Gros Morne National Park.

Guests:

Jesse Hildebrand is the VP of Education at non-profit Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants, where he coordinates 40+ monthly broadcasts featuring scientists and explorers worldwide. He's the founder of Canada's Science Literacy Week, the former producer of Toronto's Story Collider show, and he coordinates the global BackyardBio nature campaign!

Storytellers:

Alysa McCall is a staff scientist and director of conservation outreach at Polar Bears International. She supports educational initiatives and scientific research across the Arctic, with a focus on Canadian projects. Alysa is working to further wild Polar Bear coexistence and conservation from her home in (Polar Bear–free) Whitehorse, Yukon.

Jai Sharma is a National Geographic-certified Nature and wildlife educator and member of IUCN, CEC, and Nature For All. He is a passionate Naturalist cum trainer guiding students and community to develop passion for nature conservation and a better and healthy planet for our future.

More people have walked on the moon than visited many of the places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves to swimming through giant Antarctic icebergs, Heinerth’s curiosity and passion for our watery planet is the driving force in her life. 

Learn more about Nature’s For All’s Storytelling Festival Love Fest here!

With Chad Carpenter and Lori York of the Vancouver School Board

In which learning settings is two-eyed seeing most impactful? What are the core components of the LEAF Framework? How is it informed by the First People’s Principles of Learning? Chad and Lori are actively engaged in two-eyed seeing through their implementation of the LEAF framework with students from K to 12 across all subject areas. They share their insights and learning stories, which include botanical explorations in bogs, creating gifts for residential school survivors, and watching students take ever-greater leadership roles.     

Guests:

Chad Carpenter (Lheidli T’enneh), resides on the traditional unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓ íl̓ witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Chad is an Indigenous Education Enhancement Worker in both elementary and secondary school settings. He supports Indigenous students and classroom communities to continue our learning journeys toward Truth & Reconciliation and to and learn, acknowledge, and honour our beautiful and diverse Indigenous cultures.

Lori York, Med., resides on the traditional unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓ íl̓ witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations where she researches the intersections between environmental education and Indigenous pedagogy. She works as a District Curriculum & Assessment Mentor for the Vancouver School Board. She specializes in environmental and fine arts education. Her work is focused on training non-Indigenous educators to explore ecological and Indigenous frameworks. She offers professional development workshops on LEAF Pedagogy, Place-Based Learning, and weaving environmental and Indigenous pedagogies together. To learn more about LEAF programming, contact her at lyork@vsb.bc.ca.

See Lori’s article The LEAF Project from Green Teacher 131 (Spring 2022) here.

With Kerry Crofton of Less Screen More Green and the Global Health Alliance

Why is it so challenging to find a healthy balance between digital time and outdoor time? How can educators address digital overload and excessive screen time? What role does mindfulness play in this discussion? Dr. Kerry Crofton walks us through research — including some from her team at the Global Health Alliance — and shares her experiences supporting educators in this timely exploration of the upsides and downsides of digital technology in learning settings. Digital tools have an important place in education, but knowing when and how to use them are key considerations for educators in the 21st century. (If you listen to the end, you’ll hear a reading of an original song written by Kerry!)  

Guest:

Kerry Crofton, PhD, is founder and director of the Canadian charity, Global Alliance for Brain & Heart Health (Global Health Alliance). Her international team of environmental health experts are dedicated to nurturing the physical and mental wellbeing of children, youth, and families in this digital age. Her 45 years of professional work includes developing and delivering wellness programs for teachers, parents, nurses, physicians, cardiac patients, air traffic controllers, commercial and fighter pilots, and others in high-stress occupations. She is the author of The Wellness Guide for the Digital Age as well as Less Screen More Green: The Mindful Tech Plan on the powers of nature, mindfulness, and being truly connected. Kerry is a nature-loving mother and grandmother, and once worked as a teacher. These days she offers Pro D Less Screen, More Green programs for other teachers, as well as The Mindful Tech Plan™, The Family Tech Plan™, and The School Tech Plan™.

Waterfall sound effect by SoundsForYou from Pixabay

With Chenoa Egawa and Keith Egawa of North Atlantic Books

What is the role of storytelling in today’s fast-paced, digital-heavy world? Why is tone so important when exploring ecological threats with young people? How can stories by adapted for older and younger audiences? Siblings Chenoa Egawa and Keith Egawa wrote and illustrated the book The Whale Child, which combines Pacific Northwest Indigenous teachings with hope, humour, and clear-eyed honesty about various ecological challenges facing the planet. They joined us to share their insights about storytelling as an educational tool as well how traditional knowledge has informed their work.

Guests (from www.northatlanticbooks.com):

Chenoa Egawa is the owner of Swan Clan Productions. Egawa is a traditional Native singer, storyteller, ceremonial leader, and medicine carrier. She has served as a Lummi delegate and an interpreter in Central and South America and for the UN. She has also served as Indian Education liaison in public and tribal schools, promoting racial equity through art and education.

Keith Egawa is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Creative Writing program and author of the novel Madchild Running (Red Crane Books Inc. 1999). Egawa’s extensive work experience in the fields of Children and Family Services and Indian Education Reform has provided him with both inspiration and insight into his subject matter. Egawa has been awarded several artists grants, including the ARTs Up grant through the Seattle Arts Commission, which was used to conduct a series of writing workshops for Native youth in the Seattle area.

With Allan J. Hesse of AJH Comics & Cartoons

How can comics and cartoons be used in climate change education? In what ways can humour be used to lighten otherwise heavy subject matter? Why is it so important to be honest with young learners about difficult truths? Conservationist and cartoonist Alan Hesse has embarked on a quest to engage students with climate change through visual storytelling centred on his original creation Captain Polo — an intrepid Polar Bear who travels the world hearing stories from those most affected by climate change. A tremendous amount of research and thought has gone into this ever-expanding series of comics, and we were delighted that Alan joined us to share his insights about his journey so far.

Guest (adapted from https://alanhesse.com/about/):

Born in Pakistan from Anglo-French parents, Alan J. Hesse practically grew up in a suitcase; his father's international soil scientist career led him to all sorts of unusual places, some of them to live for a couple of years at a time. Alan can safely say he is a seasoned traveler. This has shaped his identity and has increased his understanding and respect for different cultures around the world. Alan loves to reflect this appreciation in his cartoons and comics. Since age 12 Alan knew he wanted to somehow be surrounded by wildlife and nature. He was able to fulfill this objective after helping to set up and join a university expedition to the Bolivian Amazon. What started out as a 3-month adventure turned into a 20-year residence. Alan currently lives in Ecuador, where he continues to develop the Captain Polo book series while deepening a newfound vocation for climate education.

With Ian Allan of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah

What are some common misconceptions about trees? How can we foster meaningful experiences with them? In which situations does anthropomorphizing work and not work? Arborist Ian Allan spends most of his time among trees in the 200 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Wilderness Area that he manages in New South Wales, Australia. He has amassed a treasure trove of stories and insights about the woody giants that surround us and provide so many ecosystems services. Ian joined us to discuss how to connect trees with people — both the initiated and the uninitiated. He also shared some details about a new project being conducted in partnership with a local First Nation.

Guest:

Ian Allan achieved his dream in 2016 by becoming the Supervisor of Natural Areas, Arboriculture, and Open Space at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. With over 20 years of experience, he now looks after one of the best cool climate tree collections in Australia, manages hundreds of hectares of World Heritage quality wilderness, helps present incredible lawns and gardens whilst conserving vulnerable species like the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and Dwarf Mountain Pine (Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii). He still remembers planting his first tree on Arbor Day as part of Australia’s bicentennial celebrations. The joy he felt at watching the tree grow, and his curious pondering over its blue-grey compound leaves, would lead him into a lifelong love of the natural world and plants.