Facilitate participant’s investigation of the environment
Overview
This standard is about enabling people to collect, collate, analyse, present and interpret data about the biological and geographical environment. This will usually be completed by taking participants on limited journeys, often on foot, through a known and relatively non-hazardous area. Participants are likely to be children and young people undertaking field studies.
This standard covers three main outcomes. These are:
- prepare for environmental investigation
- prepare participants for environmental investigation and understanding
- develop participants' investigation skills and understanding of the environment
This standard is for experienced staff working in the outdoors who are capable of working without direct supervision. Typical contexts will involve working with children and young people on educational outcomes.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- identify the aims and learning objectives of the environmental investigation taking into account sustainability2. make sure the investigation makes the best use of the available options and meets the participants needs
- make sure the context and background for the investigation relate to the desired learning
- make sure there are safety parameters which follow organisational regulations and procedures
- check and agree all aspects of the environmental investigation with a responsible colleague
- clarify the focus and aims of the environmental exploration with the participants
- communicate the background and context for the investigation to the participants
- promote the value of environmental and sustainability awareness and understanding to the participants
- encourage the participants to take ownership of the environmental investigation for themselves, whilst making clear the safety parameters
- emphasise the importance of observing the environment during the investigation and of sharing these observations with others
- encourage the participants to ask questions and respond appropriately
- make the participants aware of the range of fieldwork techniques and how they are used in differing environments
- manage the collection and collation of data
- assist the participants to present, analyse and interpret findings
- intervene when this will support the learning objectives for the exploration
- make use of the prevailing conditions, unplanned events, the site and the participants’ abilities
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
1. the current legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols which are relevant to your work practice and to which you must adhere
2. the scope and limitations of your own competence, responsibilities and accountability as it applies to your job role
3. how to identify the aims and learning objectives of the environmental investigation and their relationship with specific curricula and syllabi
4. the value of environmental and sustainability awareness and understanding to participants and the types of investigations and activities which encourage this
5. why it is important to identify participants needs and how to do so
6. the available options in the local area for environmental investigation
7. how to choose an investigation that makes the best use of the available options and meets the participants needs and learning strengths
8. the importance of ensuring the context and background for the investigation relate to the desired learning
9. the safety parameters and health and safety requirements that ensure the participants’ safety and enable the agreed aims of the activity to be achieved
10. the benefits of checking and agreeing all aspects of the environmental investigation with a responsible colleague
11. why it is important to clarify the focus and aims of the environmental investigation with the participants
12. the importance of communicating the background and context of the investigation with the participants
13. the local environments and the context of the investigation
14. the importance of facilitating the participants understanding of environmental and sustainability awareness
15. why it is important that the participants take ownership of the environmental investigation for themselves
16. why having sufficient principles for the investigation is important to facilitating understanding through effective learning
17. the importance of participants observing for themselves and sharing these observations with others in the group
18. how to encourage the participants to ask questions and respond appropriately to others
19. other sources of information which the participants could use
20. the key environmental concepts which underpin the investigation
21. different field work techniques and how these can be applied to a range of environments
22. key features of the local environments, including flora and fauna, general geology, geomorphology, climate, soil types and land use
23. local sites and why they are interesting, why they are vulnerable and how to protect them
24. collection and collation of data techniques
25. how to assist the participants to present, analyse and interpret findings correctly
26. how to intervene when this will support the learning objectives for the investigation
27. how to make use of the prevailing conditions, unplanned events, the site and the participants’ abilities
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Safety parameters
1. physical boundaries 2. criteria for abandoning the experience 3. participants’ safety rules 4. relevant guidelines for activities of this kind
Scope Knowledge
Techniques
1. relating to working with plants
2. relating to working with animals
3. relating to working with human geography
4. relating to working with physical geography
Environments
1. urban
2. rural
3. upland
4. coastal
5. named habitats/ecosystem
Values
Behaviours
Skills
Glossary
Links To Other NOS
This standard links to SKAODP14