Education

In addition to the above, Prague ZOO regularly sends information about new animal arrivals to all Prague schools. We also provide teachers with information about the best teaching methods to use when teaching children about special animal groups in the

Once a year the Prague Zoo publishes a pictorial poster which is distributed to nearly all Czechoslovakian schools. Altogether, about IS,OOO copies are printed. The first poster depicted the movement of animals and the second, protected and endangered species. The poster not only provides publicity for the zoo but it also has an objective value as a teaching aid. The zoo also provides schools with coloured photographic slides of certain animal groups. The latest project is a series of slide-films with texts: subjects covered so far have been the role of the modern zoo, the adaptation of animals to life in the water and the adaptation of animals to life in the trees.

Pupils of the most advanced classes in the grammar schools who are preparing for the University of Natural Sciences are given the opportunity of working on simple scientific projects at the zoo, concerning the biology and morphology of zoo animals. These projects are started by a carefully planned course, led by a director-assistant.

During recent years we have also success- fully co-operated with the Zoological Insti- tute of the University. The director of the zoo gives lectures at the University during the winter term on animal ethology and on keep- ing animals in captivity. Under his and his assistants’ direction, the students work out theses on the material available at the zoo.

zoo.

E D U C A T I O N THROUGH SOCIETIES

The last part of our educational programme is the education of the public through clubs and societies. The largest of these is the ‘Club of Zoo Friends’, for which we arrange regular lecture series on zoology, excursions to the zoo (where they can get to know what goes on behind the scenes) and excursions to our nature reserves, organised by an expert from the zoo. The Club contains a special youth- group and special courses are held for young people who want to learn how to keep aninials and they are given instruction in

basic zoology. Field trips are also arranged. The zoo staff also help those clubs that are not based on the zoo, such as the Avicdtural Society, the Terrarians and various zoological clubs in schools. Help for these people consists chiefly in arranging talks and courses, excursions to the zoo and various conipeti- tions.

A further educational activity of the zoo is an active participation in television and radio programmes, mainly broadcasting to young people.

In the space of this short article I have only been able to mention briefly the main form our educational work takes. However, therc is still much to do: we have by no means exhausted all the possibilities and the educa- tion potential of the zoo is not yet fulfilled.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME AT CLEVELAND ZOO

by Ronnld T. Reuther Asst. Director,

Cleveland Zoological Park, US A

F O R several years the Cleveland Zoo has had a co-operative educational programme with the Cleveland Board ofEducation. A qualified science teacher is assigned to the zoo by the Board of Education to implement an educa- tional programme for the school-children of the City of Cleveland.

In July 1964 a new educational section at Cleveland Zoo was completed through thc generosity of the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr, Fund. The new education centre consists of a multi-purposc auditorium with a seating capacity of 250, a teacher’s ofice and labor- atory, a library, storage facilities, and excellent audio-visual projection systems. The Cleve- land Board of Education and National Defense Education Act funds have provided equipment for the education centre. This includes projectors for 35 mni photographic slides, 16 min moving pictures and opaque pictures, microscopes, animal cages, aquaria, books, chairs and biological material.

The teacher has erected educational dis- plays, using photographs, drawings and artifacts, an electrical animal quiz board, a

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diorama, models, charts and representative animal skeletal material.

School teachers contact the zoo teacher, who is on duty during the school year, to arrange for their classes to visit the zoo. This means planning the time of arrival of the class, the amount of time to be spent at the zoo, and the subjects to be emphasised. The subject is directly correlated to work being done in the classroom. The lessons are differ- ent for each grade level and the subjects are as follows: Grade I : Animal Care; Grade 2: Farm Animals; Grade 3 : Ohio Animals; Grade 4: Animal Classification; Grade 5 : Balance of Nature; Grade 6: Animal Adapta- tions.

When the time-table has been arranged, the school class makes a field trip to the zoo. On arrival the school-children are taken to the multi-purpose room and introduced to the zoo teacher. They are then given a brief talk to focus their attention on the goals to be achieved during their visit. Following this short lesson, the class visits the zoo itself with the zoo teacher. As the pupils look at each animal, they are guided to observe a variety of characteristics which will help them under- stand the point of the lesson. They are then given an opportunity of discussing the lesson and to ask questions. As the field trip ends, the pupils, guided by the zoo teacher, sum- inarise and review the general ideas they have acquired during their visit.

Since the pupils are interested in the subject and wish to learn more of their own accord, the optimum conditions needed for meaning- ful classroom experiences can be provided through a series of follow-up activities to the field trip. Included in these activities are the drawing of animal pictures, written and oral reports of the field trip, reading and making models of the animals.

The field trip to the zoo is also followed up by the zoo teacher visiting the pupils in their classroom to discover how much they have learnt, to answer their questions, and to review and summarise what they have learnt through the use of slides and film-strips.

During 1964, 21,896 students and their teachers made use of Cleveland Zoo's educational programme. During the winter months, when few classes visit the zoo, the

zoo teacher visits the schools, giving lectures and initiating projects about animals and natural history. In 1964, 10,107 chddren benefited from this programme. An addi- tional 31,769 children from outside the City of Cleveland itself visited the zoo during 1964 as organised school groups, but they were not able to use the zoo teacher as his time is committed to pupils within the City of Cleveland.

In addition to the formal educational programme, the multi-purpose room is available for science and other groups if it is reserved in advance. Each spring the Cleve- land Area Science Teachers Association visits the zoo. and is briefed on new develop- ments and new educational opportunities in the zoo.

A regular series of films on animals and natural history is shown on Sunday afternoons to the Friends of Cleveland Zoo and their guests.

Other educational fadities provided at Cleveland Zoo are labels and a system of 'talking story-books', both of whch are kept up-to-date and accurate. A guide book giving details about the zoo and its animals is published annually.

E D U C A T I O N PROGRAMME AT BRIDGEPORT ZOO

by Herbert L. Kafia Director, Beardsley Park Zoo,

Bridgeport, USA AT Beardsley Park Zoo, as at other zoos throughout the country, we are trying to dispel the PO ular impression that a trip to

the antics of the monkeys or being impressed by the tremendous bulk of the elephant. The educational potential of a zoo is enormous and at Beardsley Park we were most anxious that this should be made available to the young people who visit the zoo. An educa- tion programme was therefore started in October 1964.

The programme is financed entirely by the Bridgeport Department of Parks and Recre- ation and no fees are charged. Admission to the zoo is also free. The programme is

the zoo invoves P little more than watching

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