By Katelyn Larson
8th grade, RESA

A child can learn in different ways. While attending the Rhinelander Environmental Stewardship Academy (RESA) I have learned hands on, taught others, and have shared what I have learned. With being a second-year RESA student, I have witnessed this first-hand.

Since attending a place-based learning school, I am learning hands on. This type of learning has given me several opportunities out in the field. These experiences include: wild ricing on the Wisconsin River, bird banding, cross-country skiing, and attempting to radio collar a bear—to name just a few. Some of these were unforgettable moments.

Recently, I have been preparing a presentation for 4th and 5th grade students. I will be teaching them what I have learned from RESA’s type of learning style. In this case, I chose songbirds to be my topic to teach about. This is one of my favorite topics to write about, because I have worked with several of the bird species around our school.

For example, I've worked with black-capped chickadees, pine grosbeaks, American goldfinches, and my favorite—the eastern bluebird. We’ve banded them, made boxes for them, and listened to them and they are very special to me. They have taught me, so I want to give back and teach others.

Teaching a child, from a child’s perspective, is a challenge. To address the different learning styles of my audience, I am making a photo story, a factual presentation, and a hands-on activity.

With this variety in my presentation, I hope to be able to catch each child’s interests in learning. I know that everybody’s learning style is different and I want each child to learn about songbirds from my presentation.

I feel teaching what I know is what makes a kids learning experience special, because another child is sharing what they have learned. This could lead to another child sharing what they have learned too. It is like a domino theory: knowledge spread from person to person. I feel this can be very powerful way to enhance conservation in our area.

Teaching kids knowledge of conservation from my prospective will provide insight into stewardship. By addressing different learning styles in my presentation, each child will learn something about songbirds. That is really special to me, knowing that everyone will remember my presentation and maybe start doing more to take care of songbirds.

I guess knowledge can be taught in different ways. That’s the beauty of a kid-teach-kid kind of way.