Jane Goodall's work inspires global conservation efforts, particularly through her Roots and Shoots program empowering young people to make a difference.

The program empowers young people in 70 countries to create positive change, promoting holistic thinking about the environment, people, and animals.

Dr. Goodall's approach to conservation emphasizes individual actions and the role each person plays in helping the environment, people, and animals.

The Jane Goodall Institute, founded by Dr. Goodall, supports conservation in Taiwan, Malaysia, and India through its Conservation Asia project.

The institute's work in Asia, such as the Jane Goodall Sustainability Academy in Taiwan, promotes conservation education and sustainability.

Educators can use Dr. Goodall's approach to promote civil discourse and critical thinking on conservation issues, emphasizing individual and collective action.

Effective teaching strategies for promoting critical thinking include group cooperative learning and think-write-talk-pick strategies.

Providing choices, relevant experiences, and opportunities to showcase strengths can promote motivation and engagement in learning about conservation issues.

The Roots and Shoots program provides a framework for young people to engage in environmental activities through community-centered conservation projects.

Incorporating Dr. Goodall's approach into high school science classes can inspire students to take conservation action and promote environmental responsibility.

Technology and social media can enhance student learning and participation in conservation projects by providing hands-on experience and real-time data.

Dr. Goodall's work and Roots and Shoots program promote conservation education, sustainability, and community impact, inspiring hope and action.

Dr. Goodall's message inspires people to protect the environment and conserve nature, and her approach can be applied to teaching methods to motivate students in conservation efforts.

Jane Goodall's work inspires global conservation efforts, particularly through her Roots and Shoots program empowering young people to make a difference.

Title:

Content: World-famous for her research with chimpanzees, Jane Goodall now focuses on the human condition

Apr 21, 2024 | 0 comments

By Michelle Cohan

In 1960, on the banks of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania, one young British woman would set out to change what we know about primates forever.

Jane Goodall, in 1960, searching an African forest for chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall defied conventional scientific methods by immersing herself in the jungle, which led to groundbreaking discoveries about chimpanzees; most notably that they use tools, are omnivores and that they are socially complex beings.

More than six decades later, her unorthodox field work – and her conservation efforts – are still celebrated around the world.

Today, the recently-turned 90-year-old’s work looks a little different – taking place mostly indoors, and with a different crowd. Through her program called “Roots & Shoots,” Goodall empowers young people to create change within their communities. And for her, this work is just as significant.

CNN spoke with Goodall recently during a trip to South Africa, where she observed some of the projects local Johannesburg students are heading up as part of Roots & Shoots.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CNN: The younger generation has so much they can learn from elders. Who made an impact on your life?

Goodall: I think it’s really important, this exchange of information from the elders to the youngers. I was really lucky; I had an amazing mother. I was born loving animals, and she supported that love of animals. I was one-and-a-half years old, and she came into my room and she found I’d taken a whole handful of wriggling earthworms into my bed. Most mothers would’ve [said], ‘Oh, throw these dirty things [away].’ She just said, ‘Jane, I think they might die without the Earth, you better take them into the garden.’ And so she nurtured this inherent love I had … in all the insects, the birds, the animals, everybody around me.

Jane Goodall

CNN: Roots & Shoots is active in 70 countries, where hundreds of thousands of young people are making an impact within their communities. How did the program come about?

Goodall: When I began Roots & Shoots in Tanzania in 1991, it was because I was meeting young people then who had lost hope. Young people who felt we’d compromised their future. And the reason they’re losing hope, it’s obvious: climate change, loss of biodiversity. I could go on listing, listing, listing … but when they said there was nothing they could do about it, then I thought, ‘No, that’s not true.’

We worked out that Roots & Shoots’ main message [would be that] every individual has a role to play. And that we needed to think holistically in terms of helping the environment, people and animals, because we are all interrelated. That’s where it began.

CNN: What is the most important message to convey to the younger generation?

Goodall: The goal that I have is helping young people understand that there is a window of time [to save the planet]. Unfortunately, today I [still] meet more and more people who are losing hope. So many people feel helpless and hopeless because [they question] what can they can do as an individual.

But what people have to understand is when it’s 2 million, 1 billion, 2 billion, 3 billion, all taking small actions to make the world a better place, that is changing the world. What matters is people understanding that as an individual, what they do makes a difference. Not because it’s just them, but because they are not alone.

CNN: Does climate innovation and technology give you hope?

Goodall: Yeah, I think that if we look around at what’s happening to the planet, we need to grab onto every single thing we can that will help us to move forward out of the disaster that we have created. And if we look at solar energy, if we look at wind energy and the power of tide energy, then these things are good.

The problem has been to get government support. So governments tend to put money into the fossil fuel industry, rather than to support the new emerging technologies that will enable us to live in a more harmonious way with the natural world. If we don’t do that, our future is doomed. And unfortunately, it’s not only our future, but so many of the other animals that so many of us love. We have to take action now.

CNN: What message do you have for the world?

Goodall: A message to the world would be, don’t forget that you as an individual make an impact on the environment every single day. And it’s up to you to choose what sort of impact you make. I think once everybody understands the role that they play, whoever they are, is so desperately important, then we move towards a better world.

Editor’s note: At one of Goodall’s recent presentations in California, 93-year-old movie actor and director Clint Eastwood was in the audience. Asked why he was there, Eastwood said he supported Goodall’s work and added that he was a big fan of 90-year-olds.
_________________

Credit: CNN

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What difference does Dr. Goodall believe every individual is capable of?

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

The program empowers young people in 70 countries to create positive change, promoting holistic thinking about the environment, people, and animals.

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Dr. Goodall's approach to conservation emphasizes individual actions and the role each person plays in helping the environment, people, and animals.

Title:

Content: Jane Goodall wants University of Wisconsin-Madison students to walk away with one message Sunday: Do not give up hope.

It’s a strategy the world-renowned ethologist and conservationist has found effective in spurring action, even as headlines catastrophizing climate change inundate people with a sense of doom.

“I don't agree with scientists who say the tipping point has already reached the point of no return with climate change and loss of biodiversity,” Goodall told the Cap Times. “We still have a window of time. But if we lose hope, fall into apathy and don't take action, then we're doomed.”

Goodall is best known for her groundbreaking work in the early ‘60s as a primatologist. At 26, she began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania, becoming the first to observe that the animals make and use tools. Now part of the world’s longest-running study of wild chimpanzees, her findings have forever changed scientific understanding of primates and humans’ relationship to them.

Goodall’s legacy also endures through her activism. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a global conservation nonprofit. One of the organization’s programs, Roots & Shoots, educates young people in over 60 countries to work on environmental, conservation and humanitarian issues.

In 2021, Goodall additionally published “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” which details her hope in the world’s ability to make change despite its environmental challenges.

Goodall will speak Sunday at 7 p.m. in UW-Madison’s Memorial Union for the Wisconsin Union’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Tickets for the event sold out among students within 90 minutes, but the public can still register to watch the online livestream.

In a virtual interview with the Cap Times, Goodall spoke from the Edgewater Hotel about climate deniers, how she remains optimistic and what the audience can expect from her on Sunday.

Will you have time to explore Madison this weekend, or will you mostly be working?

It’s all working. Not mostly — all. But the hotel has a lovely view overlooking the lake with all the ice. My life turns out to be work, meeting lovely people and just having an occasional moment to walk in a bit of nature.

What can people expect to learn from you on Sunday?

I hope they take away the message that every single one of them makes a difference every single day of their lives, and they can choose what sort of difference they make. I think that’s the most important message that anybody can have — that they, as an individual, matter and have a role to play.

Your platform revolves around this message of hope. What might be the harm in catastrophizing?

It makes people lose hope. If you’re told that nothing you can do will avert the planet heating up to a point where life is no longer possible and that we’re destroying the ecosystems on which we depend, then why bother doing anything?

The important thing is to realize we still have time, but we have to take action. We have to each do our bit. It may seem small, but billions of small, ethical actions make change.

Much of your work focuses on involving young people within conservation efforts. What inspires you about the attitudes of younger generations toward animals and the environment?

They are much more aware, which isn’t surprising. When I was young, "environmentalism" wasn’t even a word.

Young people are surrounded by doom and gloom. The radio’s full of it, the internet's full of it, the television's full of it, the press is full of it, and so they're much more aware. Fortunately, there are enough people saying it's not too late, and that inspires them and galvanizes them into action.

Do you think those attitudes are much different from older generations?

They are different because older generations either didn't understand what was happening because of ignorance, or they don't want to understand because they want to carry on with business as usual. They want to go on making money in the short term at the expense of future generations.

Sometimes I don’t think they’re thinking like that. I don't think they're deliberately understanding that they're harming the future for their children and grandchildren. But they're simply not thinking in the way that we should be thinking today.

Is it still worth trying to change their minds?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! How to change the minds of the older people? Through storytelling, not through pointing fingers, not through making people angry, not by telling them they're bad, but by reaching into the heart. I’ll give you one example.

This CEO of a huge international corporation told me he was working to get his company ethical for three reasons. One, because we're using our nature's finite natural resources faster than nature can replenish them. Second, consumer pressure — people are beginning to demand ethically produced products.

But what really tipped the balance, he said, was his little girl of 8. She came back from school one day and said, “Daddy, they're telling me that what you're doing is hurting the planet. That's not true, is it, Daddy? Because it's my planet.” That reached his heart. That's the way you change people.

When did you realize this approach of storytelling could persuade people?

I think it was probably part of my nature. I'm not confrontational. I'm fighting for change, yes, but not by confronting. People must change from within. I don't believe you can change them by hammering them with facts that they don't want to listen to.

When I first went to the medical research labs where the scientists kept chimps in 5-foot by 5-foot cages, it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I came out shaken, trying not to cry. I was taken into a room with the top people from the National Institute of Health in the department of animal experimentation. I realized they were waiting for me to speak.

I said, “I imagine all of you are caring and compassionate people, and maybe feel just as I did about what's going on in there.” When you think of it, that was very clever. They couldn’t admit they weren’t caring and compassionate, could they?

Instead of telling them they were bad people, I showed them pictures of the chimpanzees in the wild, making their nests, playing, lying around. In their minds, they could contrast it with the cages where these very social beings were kept for 30 to 40 years. I know it did get into some of their hearts because they told me so. It made some labs completely change the way that they operated.

When you meet somebody, or a group of people, you may not realize that you've made a difference — but you may have planted seeds that will grow and cause change in some of the hearts.

What mistakes did you make early on in your career that emerging activists and young people can learn from?

I was saved from making mistakes in the early days. Before I went to Africa to study chimps, I was working at London Zoo. The chimps were in terrible conditions. So when I got back from my first stint in Africa, the zoo arranged a press conference. I thought now I could really tell the world how bad the chimps were treated!

I happened to be having dinner that night with a very powerful man that I met in Tanzania, and I told him about my plan with great excitement. There was dead silence. He said, “Do you realize that the head of the London Zoo is Solly Zuckerman, Winston Churchill's wartime adviser? A very, very powerful man. Do you think he's going to take it lying down when you criticize his zoo?”

He said, “Just tell me three things that are the most important to change.” I told him, and within two weeks, they were all done. There was no confrontation. That was a lesson that came just in time for me not to make that mistake.

So it’s about activists getting rid of their own personal egos.

Exactly. What people want is to have their name out there and to say, “I did it. I changed this.” It’s learning to not want to be recognized for change. The main thing is to make the change. Not “me” making the change.

This powerful man obviously didn't want me to say that the chimps were being treated badly. He immediately agreed, but didn’t want it out in the press. Give Solly Zuckerman the credit. That’s fine — as long as it changes.

This is a lesson I talk about with our youth. I tell them not to be confrontational. Your goal: Is it to glorify yourself? To be the champion? Or do you really want change?

What do people still not understand about your work and its relevance today?

Climate change deniers, people who don’t want to make a difference, probably don’t understand. What they really think is hard to tell. But are there really people who deny that climate change is happening? Probably not. When they admit it’s real, they say it’s natural and that it’s not manmade. Do they really believe that? I can’t believe they do — but that’s what they say. They don’t want to lose face, and making people lose face isn’t a good way to make change.

What makes you think they don’t really believe what they’re saying?

Well, I can't think of anybody with any ounce of intelligence could believe it. That's why.

How often do you come across those kinds of people?

Not very often. They tend to avoid me.

Kayla Huynh joined the Cap Times in 2021 and covers higher education. She graduated from Northwestern University with a master's degree in journalism after attending UW-Madison.

Support Kayla's work and local journalism by becoming a Cap Times member.

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What did Dr. Goodall say needed to be addressed to avoid deforestation?

What difference does Dr. Goodall believe every individual is capable of?

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

The Jane Goodall Institute, founded by Dr. Goodall, supports conservation in Taiwan, Malaysia, and India through its Conservation Asia project.

Title:

Content: • En
Asia ’ s first “Jane Goodall Primary School ” to open in Taiwan
Dr. Jane Goodall (Source Taiwan English News)
The Tang Prize Foundation and Jane Goodall International signed a cooperation agreement today (11) to support conservation and education efforts in three countries: Taiwan, Malaysia and India. The first experimental primary school in Asia focusing on conservation and sustainability issues will be opened in Taiwan. Jane Goodall Institute of Taiwan.
2020 Tang Prize Sustainable Development Laureate Dr. Jane Goodall, who was selected as a Tang Prize Laureate last year, began to use the $10 million research grant from the prize to launch sustainable conservation efforts this year. One of the projects is called Conservation Asia, which runs from August 2021 to December 2025.
The Tang Prize Education Foundation hopes to spread the power and spirit of the Tang Prize to promote sustainable development through this collaboration with the Genghuad International Association, and to carry on the Genghuad philosophy: “Human disrespect for nature has caused climate change and biodiversity crisis, and human beings should take responsibility for protecting ecosystems. ”
The main purpose of the Asia Conservation Project is to support conservation and education efforts in Taiwan, Malaysia and India, starting with the establishment of the first experimental primary school in Asia focusing on conservation and sustainability issues in Taiwan, called the Jane Goodall Sustainability Academy.
The second is Project Monyet, which raises awareness about the conservation of primates on the Malaysian peninsula through activities such as workshops and collaborates with scientists to document wildlife species.
Finally, there is the Hope Project in India, which builds a connection between young people and nature through activities such as workshops and nurtures their understanding, awareness and action of nature.
In addition, Conservation Asia will host a Youth Forum each year to help teams work together and share the fruits of their work, produce and deliver impactful and diverse teaching resources and materials to rebuild the lost connection between humanity and nature.
We believe that bringing children closer to nature from a young age will help foster children ’ s ecological literacy and caring for the planet. In addition to establishing a solid foundation in the local area, we are also committed to creating and sharing influential and diverse teaching materials to increase citizen engagement and raise public awareness of the importance of wildlife. Create a vibrant sharing platform through events such as summits, workshops, and more.
She went on to share that Taiwan ’ s first Zhengude Elementary School will guide students to understand the mysteries of nature ’ s operation, allowing children to explore in the learning environment, and cultivate three core principles of knowledge (understanding), compassion (care) and mobility.
Chen Zhenchuan, CEO of the Tang Prize Education Foundation, said that according to United Nations statistics, by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world ’ s population and about 6.4 billion people will live in cities, that is, under the rapid development of science and technology and urbanization, human intensive activities will accelerate the destruction of the earth ’ s ecology and environment and resource depletion, resulting in more green land being turned into an artificial environment. Severe disasters continue to occur, including typhoons and floods, major earthquakes, forest fires, infectious diseases, etc.
Therefore, it is more necessary to solve the problem of habitat fragmentation and maintain biodiversity through environmental and ecological protection education, so as to realize the vision of human beings and nature living side by side.
△ Photo provided by Tang Prize Education Foundation
△ The Tang Prize Education Foundation and Jane Goodall International concluded the signing ceremony of the Agreement on Conservation in Asia today. (Photo courtesy of Tang Prize Education Foundation)

The institute's work in Asia, such as the Jane Goodall Sustainability Academy in Taiwan, promotes conservation education and sustainability.

Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Educators can use Dr. Goodall's approach to promote civil discourse and critical thinking on conservation issues, emphasizing individual and collective action.

Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Effective teaching strategies for promoting critical thinking include group cooperative learning and think-write-talk-pick strategies.

Title:

Content: Education sharing ｜ Effective teaching strategies for collaborative learning in small groups complement each other through student differences
Author: School Submission
Published: Updated:
Text: Dr. Huang Jingrong, Principal of Chuangzhi Secondary School and Visiting Professor of the National Textbook Construction Research Base, South China Normal University, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Textbook Comprehensive Research Base; The original title of the article was: "Teaching Strategies for Group Cooperative Learning".
Group Cooperative Learning is a common classroom teaching strategy for frontline teachers.
Small group learning is not equal to cooperative learning, small group is the form (shape), cooperation is the method (god), learning is the ultimate goal.
The spirit is that teachers should regard the individual differences of students as resources, and the classroom should find ways to mobilize the students' individual initiative and group cooperation, so that members can complement each other through the interaction of individuals and groups, and jointly build knowledge and improve collective wisdom.
Wang Panfeng and Zhang Tianbao (2008) have compiled five teaching strategies for cooperative learning in groups, including: STAD, TGT, Jigsaw Instruction Method, Learning Together and Group Investigation.
Below, the author tries to combine the teaching experience of Wang Xiouyi and put forward a "think - write - talk - pick" group cooperative learning teaching strategy for teachers to refer to. The steps are as follows:
The first step: think by yourself.
When a teacher raises an issue or question, first of all, set aside a few minutes for students to think for themselves, the purpose of which is to cultivate students' ability to think independently.
Looking back at history, from Galileo and Floyd to Darwin, these free thinkers have come up with ideas that can impact the world.
In today's "world at the fingertips" Internet era, endless news, opinions, gossip and rumors, individuals have to judge logic and truth in a huge amount of information, and the ability to think independently is even more important (Chen Meng-chu, 2006).
Step 2: Write independently.
When students think for themselves, teachers should ask students to put their thoughts and ideas in a concise form in the form of a brain map or concept diagram, keywords or key sentences in the classroom notebook, thinking and behavior combination, learning can really occur. Only independent writing habits can be formed, the key lies in whether the teacher helps the students to develop a habit of recording notes and writing negative reflection, and the teacher has a period to charge Notebook inspection, assessment, as part of the progressive assessment.
Step 3: Take turns talking.
Through their own thinking, independent writing, students should have a more clear and stable view of the issue or problem.
At this point, teachers should give each group the same time to publish what they want to write about a particular topic or issue.
In this way, it will prevent individual members from monopolizing their speeches and depriving other members of the opportunity to express their views and display their talents.
In the rotation of speaking, other members of the group can use this to check whether their understanding of the relevant issues or issues is missing, so as to supplement and refine, and further improve their own views.
Step 4: Discuss together.
When the group members take turns to speak, the group leader should guide the group members to conduct a collective discussion, which will help the group members to clarify doubts, reach a consensus, and broaden and deepen the understanding of the group members on specific issues or issues.
This experiential learning method, which allows students to experience the process of “think, write, speak and talk ” in real time in the classroom, will help them transform the knowledge they have learned in the classroom from short-term memory to long-term memory, in line with the requirements of the Learning Pyramid theory.
Step 5: Choose randomly.
The purpose of random selection is twofold. First, it has the role of supervision to ensure that all students must carefully complete each step, because he or she has the opportunity to be randomly checked at any time, and to express opinions or display cooperative learning results on behalf of the group; second, through such random selection, different learning groups can have the opportunity to conduct cross-group exchanges.
It is the so-called indeterminate teaching method, but efficient classroom teaching has a common law, that is, classroom teaching should be "student-oriented", that is, with "teacher-led, student body" classroom teaching characteristics.
Teachers should be able to lead the classroom, create conditions and establish a platform, mobilize every student from form to God, from thought to practice, through raw interaction and teacher-student interaction, to experience each of the preset classroom learning activities; and each student must be half in the whole process into the learning activities to go, so that efficient classroom learning is possible.
The school is run by Dr. Hwang Ching-jung.
Author: Dr. Huang Jingrong, Principal of Chuangzhi Secondary School and Visiting Professor of National Textbook Construction Research Base, South China Normal University, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Textbook Comprehensive Research Base

Providing choices, relevant experiences, and opportunities to showcase strengths can promote motivation and engagement in learning about conservation issues.

Title:

Content: Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

How to Get, and Keep, Your Students Engaged

By Larry Ferlazzo — March 29, 2023 14 min read
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We teachers can never get enough ways to help create the classroom conditions for students to motivate themselves.

This post kicks off a series sharing lots of ideas, and today’s contributors also participated in a ten-minute podcast we did together.

‘Build Great Relationships’

Chandra Shaw has more than 24 years of experience in education, as a teacher, reading specialist, instructional coach, and now a literacy consultant at one of her state’s regional service centers. Chandra is a TEDx speaker and amateur YouTuber:

One of the best strategies to create classroom conditions where students are more likely to motivate themselves is to build great relationships with students by making learning relevant, making them feel comfortable, showing how much you care about their learning, and teaching them what they need to know.

One way I did this was to start off the year by asking students to imagine this being the best school year they’ve ever had. I’d ask them to write down and discuss what I would need to do in order for it to be the most successful and best year for them. They’d work in groups and create a list. As they worked, I’d walk around and read through some of the things they’d written, affirming pretty much anything they’d put down by saying, “Oh yeah, I can definitely do that.” Once they’d shared their lists with the entire class, we’d make the class’ top 10 list from the things that had appeared the most on the groups’ lists.

Each year, the students’ lists would undoubtedly include things like, “You need to be nice, provide treats, not show favorites, play games, allow student use of phones in class, and teach them what they need to know to be successful.” OK. That last one is what I’d often suggest as I walked around listening to their groups, and they usually agreed it was important and added it to their lists. At any rate, once the class list was done, and I’d assured them that I would absolutely do everything they’d listed in order to make this year the best year ever, I’d then share MY list of what I needed from them!

Throughout the year, I’d point to the list and ask if I was holding up my end of the bargain. And if they weren’t holding up their end of my list, I’d point that out as well. By returning to our lists again and again, it showed that WE were in this together and all trying to make this the best year. It really seemed to motivate the students when they saw how consistent I was with doing what they needed to succeed.

Asking Questions

Irina McGrath, Ph.D., is an assistant principal at Newcomer Academy in the Jefferson County public schools in Louisville, Ky. She is a co-creator of the ELL2.0 Google site and is a co-director of the Louisville Writing Project (LWP) and a University of Louisville and Indiana University Southeast adjunct professor:

Over the years, I have discovered that certain strategies are more effective than others at getting and keeping students - especially English Language Learners - motivated to learn . One such strategy is simply giving students the opportunity to ask questions and search for answers on their own. Studies have shown the power of asking questions, and some cognitive scientists believe that they are so important that we cannot learn properly until the right one has been asked: If memory does not ask the question, it will not know where to index the answer” (Bain, 2004). By encouraging students to pose their own questions about what they are learning, teachers will be able to help fuel students’ curiosity and promote further engagement in the classroom.

A great way to stimulate question asking is the Read Aloud Response Cards strategy, which teaches students to pay attention to the metacognitive process happening in their heads while listening to a passage being read out loud. The activity involves colored cards indicating tasks for the students to perform based on the card they receive: Those with yellow cards generate questions, green document their connections, red create a summary of the passage, and purple draw images either on paper or in their minds while listening to the passage. When the passage is completed, the students are sorted based on card color and work together to discuss and compare the results of their task, and eventually representatives from each group speak to the rest of the groups about their discoveries and questions during the activity. Ultimately, once posing questions becomes a routine and students realize that they are welcomed and encouraged, ELs’ curiosity will start fueling their learning and desire to discover something interesting and new.

Another strategy that promotes conditions for students to motivate themselves is choice. Students get excited when they are provided with options for books to read, topics to study, assessments of learning, and final product. Every student is a unique learner, and by offering them a choice, we offer an opportunity to build on their interests and talents and take on a new topic in a way that brings joy to learning and gets students excited. For example, if we think about the end of the lesson reflection, there are different ways English-learners can accomplish that when they are provided with choice. Students can either list three or more things they learned that day or create three true statements and one lie about content covered in class. They can also use Vocaroo, Padlet, or any other app/platform to record a note to themselves with advice on how they might approach the lesson’s task differently. Students can even create a two-minute video or a sketch to help classmates understand the lesson’s content better.

Overall, students are more likely to be motivated to learn if given a sense of autonomy and self-derived excitement for a topic. The best ways I have found to help them have confidence and interest is to allow them to pose questions and to give them choices in their projects.

‘Opportunities for Choice’

Meg Riordan, Ph.D., is the chief learning officer at the Possible Zone, a youth-entrepreneurship and work-based learning program with a mission to advance economic equity. She has been in the field of education for almost 30 years as a middle, high school, and college teacher; researcher; leadership coach; school designer; and director for a network of schools:

While many factors influence students’ motivation and engagement, it is central to ignite connection via relationships, share and uphold expectations, uncover and tap into students’ strengths, create relevant learning experiences, and design for choice. Such strategies can unlock students’ motivation for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Prior to the pandemic, a student survey of over 3,000 schools found that motivation and engagement declines as students progress in school; while 5th graders reported their engagement level at almost 75 percent, by 10th grade, students’ engagement hovered at 33 percent. Read that again: 33 percent. Despite this stark statistic, there is hope: two items drive motivation and engagement: 1) when students “strongly agreed” that school was “asset- and strengths-based” and 2) when they affirmed that they had “at least one teacher who made them excited about the future,” they were 30 times more likely to be engaged compared with those who disagreed. Search Institute research corroborates that students are motivated and goal-oriented when they feel a sense of belonging, safety, and acceptance.

Since the pandemic, additional forces amplified students’ lack of motivation: virtual instruction, social distance from peers, economic hardships, and racial reckonings, to name a few. Given these conditions, what strategies can educators employ to create classrooms where students motivate themselves and sustain engagement? I explore ways to motivate, engage, and support learners.

1. Build relationships and seek out students’ strengths

Research shows that young people who experience strong developmental relationships demonstrate increased academic motivation, social-emotional growth and learning, and a sense of responsibility. Developmental relationships are “close connections through which young people discover who they are, cultivate abilities to shape their own lives, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them.” In the classroom, this might take the shape in the following ways:

  • Design opportunities for students to show who they are: Kick off the school year with a project in which students take selfies or create profile silhouettes of themselves and share words, symbols, and pictures of things that they value; teachers can connect with and build from students’ assets. Throughout the year, educators can provide opportunities for two-minute interviews in which students speak on a topic they’re passionate about (e.g: the worst pizza in town or why Serena Williams is the best athlete ever); knowing who our students are and seeing their strengths is a powerful driver to build relationships and spark motivation.
  • Provide clear expectations, ask what students expect from you, and strive to uphold and meet expectations: When educators are clear about expectations and invite students to share their needs, the relationship becomes bidirectional and is more likely to offer space to express care and challenge growth, both key aspects of developmental relationships. School designs like EL Education promote co-creation of norms and ongoing opportunities for students and educators to revisit and reflect on owning and meeting shared expectations; this cultivates an environment where voices and actions are valued.

2. Create relevant learning and opportunities for choice

Students experience motivation and engagement when educators help them get excited about the future. To see oneself in the future, it’s important to activate students’ self-concept and create opportunities to develop self-efficacy and agency. Consider these ideas:

  • Create authentic projects for real audiences: Research shows that when students actively pose questions and problem-solve real issues, conduct fieldwork, talk with experts, and produce meaningful work with impact beyond the classroom, not only does engagement soar but so does achievement. While educators may feel constrained by standards, consider small and larger steps to integrate relevant projects. This might include integrating interviews into a unit or, go big, like The Possible Zone, which engages young people in consultancies with local industry partners to solve authentic challenges and present solutions. Schools like High Tech High offer models of projects for inspiration.
  • Embed options throughout students’ learning experiences: Student choice and autonomy develop agency, building decisionmaking skills for careers and lives. In the classroom, this might include entry points such as choosing where to sit, “how” to learn (e.g.: reading, listening to podcasts, interviewing an expert), or choice of topics (e.g.: demonstrating research and synthesizing skills via a topic determined by student interest). When designing—or co-designing—learning environments with students, educators should ask: Where can I offer productive choices? When determining where to sit, for example, a teacher might suggest, “Choose a seat where you’ll be most engaged,” or “Sit where you’re comfortable.” Students can revisit choices and reflect on their predictions.

Classroom Culture

Andrew Sharos is a teacher, administrator, speaker, and author in Chicago. He wrote the Amazon-best-selling book All 4s and 5s, which has become the road map to instructional methods and culture building for gifted and talented teachers. He also co-authored Finding Lifelines, a book for new teachers and their mentors:

Motivation for students really comes back to classroom culture. We hope to create a classroom culture that is so fun, engaging, and magnetic that students actually WANT to be in school. Teachers who engage students are ones who create a unique and different experience for the students every day.

In terms of concrete strategies, I like to have students learn outside the classroom in the halls, courtyard, on the grass, or in the auditorium. The walls of a classroom have limitations, and mixing it up in different spaces keeps the students on their toes.

I enjoy having a theme every day, like Weekend Monday, Positive Tuesday, Thankfulness Wednesday, Joke Thursday, and Cookie Friday. It might waste a few minutes at the beginning of every class, but it is time well wasted if the students are more engaged after we engage in some playful dialogue at the beginning of class. These are hallmarks of the class and moments students enjoy.

When students are not engaged, the teacher has to find ONE thing that connects the student and the teacher. The teacher could, and maybe even should be the reason why the student wants to come to school. This can only be made possible when there is a relationship built on love and trust.

Sometimes, this takes time. One student of mine was impossibly difficult to connect with, or so I thought. I recited a movie line from “Ace Ventura” one day, and she was the only person in the class who “got it.” From that moment on, we connected. We have to keep chipping away at the less motivated. The students don’t have to love the content and skills we are teaching, they just have to feel connected to us to be motivated to learn.

This is the first post in a multipart series.

The question of the week is:

What strategies have you used to create classroom conditions where students were more likely to motivate themselves, including those who didn’t initially seem very engaged?

Chandra Shaw, Irina McGrath, Meg Riordan, and Andrew Sharos kicked off this series today.

Chandra, Irina, Meg, and Andrew were also guests on my 10-minute BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

Thanks to Chandra, Irina, Meg, and Andrew for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@educationweek.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email (The RSS feed for this blog, and for all EdWeek articles, has been changed by the new redesign—new ones are not yet available). And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 11 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below.

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

The Roots and Shoots program provides a framework for young people to engage in environmental activities through community-centered conservation projects.

Title:

Content: ×

The work of legendary ethnobiologist, conservationist and activist Jane Goodall has already inspired people to care for endangered species and the environment for decades — but the doctor’s latest endeavor continues her work in motivating the next generation.

Apple TV+’s mission-driven children’s series “Jane” harnesses the power of TV, with Emmy-winning creator J.J. Johnson (“Endlings,” “Ghostwriter”) using Goodall’s teachings to motivate kids to take a stand for endangered species and care for the environment. “Jane,” from the Jane Goodall Institute and Johnson’s company Sinking Ship Entertainment, premiered on April 14, with 10 episodes now available on Apple TV+.

“Jane” features eager 9-year-old environmentalist Jane Garcia (Ava Louise Murchison) — who is inspired to help save the planet, following in the footsteps of her role model, Goodall — along with her friends David (Mason Blomberg) and a chimpanzee named Greybeard. Each episode focuses on a different endangered species, such as Apis mellifera (Western honey bee) and Panthera tigris (tiger). Blending live action and CGI — and featuring an epic theme song “One Step Closer” written by Diane Warren, and sung by Leona Lewis — the show depicts the friends taking a stand for the species and the environment, and getting into occasional trouble along the way. The episodes all end with the friends video-chatting with real-life animal experts, particularly highlighting women and people of color.

While Goodall’s years of dedication to great apes research and advocacy have made her a household name in the 21st century, she began her work at age 26 in 1960 studying chimpanzees. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which fosters research, advocacy as well as community-led conservation, and it empowers children — particularly through its youth program Roots and Shoots, which was founded in 1991.

A United Nations Messenger of Peace and a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE), Goodall’s research on chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania helped change scientists’ understanding of humans’ relationship to animals. The research continues in Tanzania through the Jane Goodall Institute Gombe Stream Research Center, and it is the world’s longest-running chimpanzee study.

Also a prolific author, Goodall has adult and children’s literary works such as “The Book of Hope,” “In the Shadow of Man” and “Rickie and Henri: A True Story.”

Goodall is no stranger to the screen, however, as the subject of dozens of films including “Chimps, So Like Us,” “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees” and “Jane Goodall: The Hope” — as well as Brett Morgen’s 2017 Emmy-nominated documentary, also called “Jane.” While Goodall did not create this “Jane” for Apple TV+, her life’s work and teachings inspire the show’s protagonist who idolizes her, and if Goodall had not approved the show’s concept when it was in development, it would not have moved forward.

Goodall, who turned 89 earlier this month, spoke with Variety over Zoom about how she hopes “Jane” inspires the youngest generation, and what she hopes to accomplish next in her career.

How do you hope viewers, especially children, react when they see “Jane”?

I hope that it will encourage them to actually think more about endangered species — to think about the fact that if we’re not careful, many of these species will disappear. I hope it also will encourage young people to join our Roots and Shoots program, which is in 68 countries. It’s about young people choosing projects to help — animals, people and the environment — deciding what they want to do, working out what they can do, rolling up their sleeves and taking action.

So if this Jane Garcia encourages real-life activities, it’ll be great. I hope it will encourage young people to join in the effort to make this a better world, to choose projects that will help to save the environment before it’s too late.

Talk about environmental issues often creates anxiety in children and young adults, but it is still obviously important to learn about — how do you, through this show or beyond, hope to inspire the next generation without causing anxiety?

That’s my entire program Roots and Shoots, it’s all about taking action. If young people get together and work on projects, which is the same sort of thing with Sinking Ship Entertainment, then it’s all about positive change. We need to know that many species are close to extinction, but that we have to stop that from happening. And therefore we have to work together to find out ways of saving the animals that are moving toward extinction. We need to know about the doom and gloom — I talk about it all the time. But at the same time, it’s desperately important to give people hope, especially young people, because, yes, we can make a difference.

So “Jane” shows young people how they can get together and solve the “doom and gloom” effectively?

Yeah, hopefully. The goal is to try and get young people involved and taking action, and stepping on beyond that to do more. It’s young people getting really worried, but then working together with older people who are also wanting to try to save the species. So it’s a complete mixture.

How do we inspire the next generation to create change, without placing blame on children for a situation they didn’t create?

There are major problems and, yes, all sorts of things have led to unfortunate decreases in numbers of endangered species. But the whole emphasis is on working together to create change. Let’s get young people involved, talk about what can be done to make a difference and then, as I say, roll up their sleeves and work out what they can do. And taking action is going to be different with different species. And, basically, I hope that this program will have enough fun in it, as well as understanding the problem, that young people will be pushing toward saving a lot of these animals. Many animals on the very brink of extinction have been given another chance.

What’s an example of a species that was pushed toward extinction, but human intervention reversed the course?

My favorite one is that little black robin that was reduced to just two individuals, one male and one female. That was it. And through some very clever work, there are now about 500 of them. They’re all genetically identical, of course, but they’re being spread into four different islands. So, hopefully, there will be some genetic change so they’re not all identical, since that’s not very healthy. There are many, many stories like that.

What message do you have for people who feel hopeless, or that they alone cannot make a difference?

People have to realize that every single one of us can make a difference. We could just say, “Oh well, I know that animals are becoming extinct. There’s nothing I can do about it.” That’s really going to be the end of us. But if you decide, “I will try and make a difference, I will do something every single day,” then we can make a difference. We can choose what we can do: Some of us can help animals, some of us can help planting trees, some of us can help whatever it is that we care about. And if we all choose projects to make the world better, then it’s going to make a major difference. We don’t all give up and say, “Well, it’s just me, there’s nothing I can do.” If we give up, then the future is not very good, is it? We all have to do our bit to try and persuade other people. We’re in the middle of a pretty bad, dark space. So for young people to join in and feel, “Gosh, if I do this, I will be making the world a better place,” that’s really important.

You’ve done so much in your life and in your career — what else do you look forward to accomplishing?

I want our Roots and Shoots program to be in every school in every country. But I always say, “If you try and aim for the stars, you might reach the moon. If you aim for the moon, you might reach the head of Mount Everest,” for example. So that’s the same for the stars — and at least we can reach the moon and help to protect the various animals and plants that are facing tremendous danger. The young and old alike in different countries need to really, really work hard to save these creatures. We’ve got to do it now.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

What will decrease anxiety according to Dr. Goodall?

young people working together on conservation projects

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Incorporating Dr. Goodall's approach into high school science classes can inspire students to take conservation action and promote environmental responsibility.

Dr. Goodall believed what steps would slow population growth?

What does Dr. Goodall hope the Jane Goodall Barbie doll will encourage?

What would letting children get close to nature help cultivate?

Technology and social media can enhance student learning and participation in conservation projects by providing hands-on experience and real-time data.

Title:

Content: Campus Corner ｜ Yan Chai Hospital NICE Po Memorial Secondary School Opens "Marine Ecology Classroom"
Author: School Submission
Published: Updated:
Environmental protection and sustainable development are important issues in today ’ s society.
Sai Kung District Subsidized Secondary School Yan Chai Hospital Ren Tse Po Memorial Secondary School has invested about $200,000 to develop and set up a “Marine Ecology Classroom ” to connect students at all levels with the understanding of marine ecology, including providing junior high school students with realistic observation of marine life and understanding of biodiversity; and high school students understand the role of coral reefs in maintaining ecological balance through coral breeding.
The “Ocean Ecology Classroom ” also uses school-based technology for research and development, including IoT technology, Arduino programming, etc. Students can monitor water level, temperature and other data through the mobile app, and use the mobile phone to remotely control water, feed, switch lights, etc.
(Content provided by Yan Chai Hospital Ren Tse Po Memorial Secondary School)
Yan Chai Hospital Ren Chi Po Memorial Secondary School ’ s Integrated Science and Biology curriculum often uses marine ecology and the creatures therein as examples of learning. According to Professor Chan Wai-lin, STEM Education Development Coordinator and Director of Integrated Science, the Ocean Ecology Classroom provides students at different levels with realistic observations related to the ocean. It is easier to generate ideas and interests than paper.
"Another example is the water filtration equipment in the fish tank, which used to be nothing but empty talk, but now you can explain the principle of operation to students in real terms, and students can also see the effectiveness of different water purification equipment in real time."
Breeding Corals Understand Different Breeding Methods
The Marine Ecology Classroom provides cross-level learning materials for students at all levels. In the Junior Secondary Integrated Science Course, students can clearly distinguish between asexual and sexual reproduction by teaching them two different methods of reproduction. Students can also try artificial reproduction to understand the process of asexual reproduction. The Marine Ecology Classroom also provides students with a hands-on observation of coral reefs. This is an opportunity to learn about the physical characteristics and habits of adaptive habitats, the interrelationships among coral reef organisms, the importance of biodiversity, and the importance of coral conservation by learning about the role of coral reefs in maintaining ecological balance.
Professor Au Kwok-wai, Director of Biology and Science Learning Area Co-ordinator, said that the school was one of the first schools to participate in the Coral Conservation Education Programme co-organised by the Faculty of Life Sciences, the Coral School and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Teachers and students cultivate beneficial nitrifying bacteria in the coral tanks on the campus. When the coral tanks meet the water quality requirements, the school receives about 20 pieces of local coral debris and begins the coral culture process for about eight months.
The primary responsibility for coral conservation lies with Secondary Four students. Teachers and students are responsible for the daily care of coral, including regular monitoring of water quality, coral health and submission of data.
Mr. Ou said that the original plan was for the students to follow the CUHK team to the sea area around the Chimen Strait where the corals were placed, to see the corals carefully taken care of and returned to the sea by professional divers, but it was not arranged under the epidemic.
Students participate in CUHK coral culture Global warming impacts marine ecology
Ms Tam, a Form 5 student involved in the whole process of coral cultivation, said that although she knew that corals were an important part of the ocean, she had never touched coral bodies in the past.
Through the school ’ s “Marine Ecology Classroom ” and participating in the“ Coral Cultivation Campus Project ”, she was able to get close to the coral and carry out daily care work for the coral, so that the healthy growth of the coral can be ensured and eventually returned to the sea.
Ms Tam, who studied biology, began to participate in the coral culture project. She said that she had encountered an impressive accident during the breeding process. "After returning to school after the holidays, she found that the LED lamp used in the coral tank fell into the fish culture tank, worried about the health of the coral, and finally decided to send the coral back to CUHK for treatment.
She said that after participating in the school ’ s environmental conservation activities, she understood that marine pollution caused a lot of damage to coral.
If you can successfully enter university, you want to focus on the field of biological research and contribute to environmental conservation.
Wu, who also attaches great importance to environmental protection, said that in the past, she participated in the water quality testing activities of Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, saw the real coral ecology in the ocean, and was worried about the increasing coral bleaching under global warming, and decided to do a little for conservation.
She was delighted to see coral growth through the weekly monitoring of coral growth in her school.
Marine ecology classroom with school-based scientific research mobile app full monitoring
“Ocean Ecology Classroom ” uses school-based technologies, including IoT and Arduino programming. Students can monitor water level, temperature and other data through mobile apps, and use mobile phones to remotely control water, feed, switch lights, etc., while using Arduino programming, they can control peristaltic pumps to replenish trace elements.
In the research and development process, students are all using open source software, and can apply the relevant research results to their homes or other places where they need it, such as the fish tank of their parents' company.
Vice Principal Kuo hopes that through the Ocean Life Classroom, students can apply STEM technology throughout the secondary school stage to gain a systematic and interdisciplinary understanding of environmental conservation and contribute to the sustainable development of the planet.
He added that the school had arranged visits to Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in the past to help students understand the importance of marine safety.
However, in the past two years, students have not been arranged to visit places outside Hong Kong. “I hope that after the epidemic has eased, exchange activities can be rescheduled, such as visiting coral conservation areas in the Mainland, so that students can get in touch with and understand coral conservation and enhance conservation awareness. ”
Mr Chan also said that in order to cultivate students' concern for environmental protection and ecological sustainable development, the school has also made great efforts to develop projects related to garden conservation. "In 18 years, typhoon mangoku has destroyed a lot of trees, and some of the trees in the school can not be spared. The Department's Garden Waste Recycling Centre in Tuen Mun has applied for recycled wood to make solid wood furniture to encourage students to contribute more to environmental conservation by taking part in the process of" upgrading and recycling ".
(Content provided by Yan Chai Hospital Ren Tse Po Memorial Secondary School)
All secondary schools, primary schools and kindergartens are welcome to submit their contributions to Campus 01. Interested parties can send their contributions and photos to campus01 @ hk01.com.
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