Module
270 - Benchmark Competency Standard
Present
an Effective Curriculum-based Program
(NPS Photo)
Recommended
Pre-requisites: Foundations of Interpretation
(formerly Module 101)
[Note:
This module was revised in January, 2001. All certification
efforts should be directed at the current standards
and submission requirements.]
Context
A curriculum-based presentation connects the educational
objectives of an organized group with the meanings and
significance(s) inherent in the park's resources through
a sequence of learning opportunities. All interpreters
have a role to play in this process. Whether a presentation
to a fifth grade class, an Elderhostel group, 4-H, or
a scout group, they need a program to fit into their
structured plan for learning. In essence, these groups
have a curriculum.
A curriculum-based program requires all the elements
of a good interpretive presentation: knowledge of the
resource, knowledge of the audience (participants),
and appropriate techniques. However, this type of program
is fundamentally different from interpretive programs
for the general public in two ways:
1) The program addresses a group's specific educational
goals and/or objectives;
2) The program includes planned preparation, ranger-led,
and follow-up experiences to provide the participants
with a sequence of learning opportunities.
Through prior preparation the park lays a foundation
for what the group will see, learn, and do during such
a program. This allows the interpreter to use the ranger-led
portion of the program to provide the learners with
greater personal involvement with the resource. The
ranger-led presentation often, but not always, occurs
somewhere in the middle of the sequence of learning.
Age-appropriate experiences and content actively engage
the learner. Follow-up experiences provide opportunities
for learning to continue after the ranger-led portion
of the program ends. This process serves the dual needs
of the group and the park. It helps the group meet its
learning objectives and the park meet its primary mission
of resource preservation.
Module 270 focuses on the body of knowledge and skills
necessary to understand and present an effective
curriculum-based program that addresses park goals,
fits within an overall park Comprehensive Interpretive
Plan or overall Education Plan (if they exist), and
relates to the groups education objectives. Module 370
addresses the advanced skills for developing
curriculum-based programs. Advanced skills for developing
an education plan including services such as teacher
training, self-directed programs, outreach, teaching
materials, partnerships, marketing, and evaluation,
will be addressed in yet higher level modules to be
developed within the curriculum.
Competency
Description
Requires
the interpreter to be able to effectively present
a curriculum-based program to an organized group that
has a structured plan for learning. By connecting the
group's learning objectives to the meanings/significance
of park resources, the program helps the group meet
its learning objectives and the park meet its primary
mission of resource preservation. The program facilitates
opportunities for the audience to make their own intellectual
and emotional connections to the meanings/significance
of the resource, through the cohesive development of
a relevant idea or ideas.
Assessment
A
videotape or DVD recording of a curriculum-based program
presented by the submitter to an organized group that
has learning objectives based on a structured plan for
learning. View the Assessment
Standard. View the Submission
Guidelines.
Curriculum
The
curriculum components outline
the developmental learning elements that compose the
skills for this competency. From these outlines, 1)
employees and their supervisors can determine learning
needs and strategies, 2) instructors can develop sessions
and lesson plans. Each component also contains a list
of useful references and developmental activities.
Training
and Development Opportunities
Download
Download
Adobe
Acrobat Reader, a free software to read the complete
module in a .pdf format, including the components, submission
guidelines, and rubric.
