INJECTING CREATIVITY INTO NATURE EDUCATION Chiam Kok Heng INTI International College Penang, Malaysia (kokheng.chiam@newinti.edu.my) ABSTRACT Penang Botanic Gardens (PBG) with its surrounding rainforest provides an excellent hub for holistic learning and it is able to unleash creativity among young learners through life science appreciation. In 2010, a series of in-depth botanical learning programmes on ferns and palms were designed and conducted at PBG to promote nature education among young learners and tap into their creativity. 90 secondary school students from Butterworth, Gelugor, and Balik Pulau participated in these projects. In the ferns project called Floristic Ferns (which forms the main reference of this paper), trainees went through a few stages of learning process in the order listed below: OVERVIEW- Overview of ferns flora using photographs and slides, where trainees were introduced to the diversity of ferns with special reference to 28 genera. It was aimed at enhancing the trainees’ ability in identification of the ferns. OBSERVATION- Trainees were able to study ferns at the herbarium and observe microscopic details as part of the morphological study towards identification. FIELDWORK- Covered aspects of ferns natural habitats, where trainees explored the rainforest and used their five senses to study the subject in-situ. CREATIVE INTERPRETATION- Trainees transformed the subject into art by identifying aspects and concepts using the understanding and knowledge they had acquired throughout the process mentioned above. This resulted in twelve (12) creative pieces of artwork being produced with descriptions worth highlighting. 97% of the trainees responded that the program me has achieved its desired objective and has opened their eyes to the diversity of ferns flora. KEYWORDS Nature Education, Serious Botanical Learning, Creativity, Penang Botanic Gardens, Creative Interpretation. INTRODUCTION Environmental Education (EE) is essentially important for the development of responsible societies. Behind the notion of EE, there are pedagogical approaches and strategies which create impact on the appreciation, conservation, community involvement, problem solving and management of the environment (Sauve, 1996, pp.7, 10-13). Applying creativity in the discourse of EE, particularly in carrying out the conception of Environment as Nature, helps awakening the feeling of reverence and gratitude and cultivating values of respect for the Mother Earth. It is also blending the learning of life science with awareness and thus makes Nature Education an important element in complementing 21st century education. Eventually, we have to embark on Serious Botanical Learning in our pursuit of promoting Nature Education. Serious Botanical Learning (SBL) covers more than just scientific learning; it also requires a process to carry out the learning in order to ensure the learners have in depth understanding of the learning subject. Penang Botanic Gardens (PBG) Surrounded by pristine tropical rainforest, PBG qualifies as one of the most beautiful naturally set up Botanic Gardens in the world. The rainforest which covers about 86% of the Gardens has a great potential to become a hub for education. It provides opportunities for us to explore it creatively. It is this piece of land that we can still depend on to cultivate and stimulate the love for our nature and to promote an education for the development of responsible societies. Floristic Ferns Project Seeing such potential, we embarked on a serious botanical learning project called Floristic Ferns, then made possible and rather motivated with the award of grant by the state government to promote learning of life science under the Program Penggalakan Sains and Teknologi (Science and Technology Programme). The project was carried out to provide knowledge and create the ability to appreciate the beauty of ferns flora, and subsequently lead to a positive attitude towards the learning subject. It is based on what we know, what we do and how we feel. Baba Dioum once quoted : “In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”. Based on this concept, the project outline was drafted which involved the following learning processes or methodologies: METHODOLOGIES The process started with the OVERVIEW of ferns flora through photographs and slides, whereby trainees were introduced to the diversity of ferns with special reference to not less than 28 genera. It was a concept outline based on the morphological characteristics of the sporulation patterns to help enhance trainees’ ability in identification of the ferns. This included the ability to capture the information in brief and note taking through the special handout given out. The next learning process involved OBSERVATION through hands on/practical, again towards identification - where there were 2 learning stations: The 1st station provided teaching aids in the form of herbarium specimen, as well as reference books. The trainees were guided on how identification could be carried out by referring to the specimens, look through it in minute detail with the books as reference when necessary. Station 2 provided a chance for the trainees to go in depth to the level of studying the veination, as well as having a closer look to the spore case/sporangium, and those interesting scales and hairs. Through this session, we started to observe faces of satisfaction of learning from those who witnessed the mechanism of spore shooting, a process where the spore cases burst one after another due to the heat from the stereozoommicroscope. This session is important was it revealed the hidden beauty of ferns flora behind the lenses. FIELDWORK covered aspects of learning on ferns’ natural habitats, where trainees explored the rainforest and used their five senses to study the subject in-situ. Getting out from the classroom helped the trainees to relate what they had seen and studies. As they walked amongst the roots, they learned to be flexible and acquired better kinetic skills. They learned to admire, respect and immerse into the nature, so as to be reborn as what we should original be ‘literally’. Study has also shown that students tend to work better in terms of creativity if they can express themselves freely with no strict regulation which normally could not be observed in the classrooms with all the eyes focusing on them! This section also enlightened the trainees on the treasure that we have, the Khazanah Alam, as a resource which sustains the quality of our life, make us more intelligent, and provide better understanding on why we talk about conservation and protection of our rainforest. (For eg: admiring the ‘wall of knowledge’ in the rainforest full of mosses and ferns which is in fact a living museum. It is a first class teaching aid. The collective effort and solidarity shown among the trainees expected which are in this learning outcome perhaps should prompt the Government to consider including Nature Education as a formal syllabus in the national education system. To gauge the effectiveness of the learning process, Nature Education was hereby injected with problems, where the big group was then being divided into teams, and 5 in a group. Given the same materials, each group was required to design a logo for the project. Criteria were given to generate a visual idea, but not restricting them from exploring. This process saw the creative problem solving technique known as brainstorming took place. Having 5 members in a group meant that we promote the cumulative effect of mind and stimulation of creativity among those in the group. They learned how to identify, analyse and diagnose a problem, and more importantly conceptualize and execute a plan of action. To evaluate their process, we required them to interpret their artwork. This led to the learning process of “Creative Interpretation”. We threw questions on them to obtain feedback on their rationale of their choice of design. This session reflect level of trainees’ appreciation towards their learning topic as well as the overall conduct of the programme. The design concept and the rationale produced were rather encouraging, especially when the trainees linked the ferns flora to the needs for environmental conservation. It was a demonstration of their exceptional ability in originality, fluency, flexibility and elaboration as measures of creativity (AM Leo, 2006, pp.3). RESULTS ‘Save Ferns, save our future world’- the motto of group I which showed 2 hands supporting the earth- reflecting appreciation towards the Mother Earth and ensuring her existence for the future generation. The coiling young shoot symbolized the members who are young and raw and as such, it is essential for them to acquire more knowledge on ferns flora. The hands as shown were differentiated with the right representing the male and left the female (note the longer nails with vanish). They were holding a picture of leaf dimorphism as it was clearly represented in certain species of ferns (as they have learnt through) and indirectly indicating that the responsibility for environmental care should be shouldered by all members of the community. (Fig. 1) Based on the 1 Malaysia concepts, group 2 used the fern fronds as the symbol of appreciation. They picked the simple leaf of bird nest ferns and the pinnate frond of sword ferns and went into the details of presenting their veination. In the middle, was a healthy growing tree fern. They adopted the 1 Malaysia theme but giving it a twist creatively: Hutan Didahulukan, Paku Pakis Diutamakan, which meant ‘forest come first and with ferns emphasized’ from the original ‘Negara Didahulukan, Rakyat Diutamakan’(Fig. 2) Fiddle Head or the coiling young shoot dominated the design of group 3 because it is the most beautiful characteristic of the ferns flora. The heart shape was self explanatory, which was used to signify the group’s love for the ferns flora, thus the motto: Love Ferns, Love Nature. The love for the environment was then correlated with the harmony in a family, and shown were the roles played by Bibi, Papa, Ama and myself as a responsible family taking care of the diversity of nature. When asked why there was a rough line along the heart, it was justified as a representation of stability, thus showing a unilateral and undivided love and the deepest appreciation towards ferns flora. (Fig. 3) Using only 2-3 colours, the simple design of group 4 presented a clean and fresh image. The earth was again used here with the bifurcate fronds formed as the wings and hands to ‘welcome’ those who appreciate ferns flora. The group perfected the design by choosing the delicate tripinnatifid Rabbit Foot Ferns or Davallia as the focus image of the logo. (Fig. 4) Being the all ladies group, the groups related the importance of ferns with the girls-best-fren diamond in the design with their diamond implanted golden crown, which had 5 pointed head representing 5 members in the group. The crescent moon was identified as a symbol of beauty – rightly used to match the beauty of the ferns flora. (Fig. 5) Group 6 presented a fertile earth with a growing Asplenium nidus or Bird Nest ferns. The group believed that ferns would thrive all over the world and felt that the presence of ferns would help to strike a balance in the environment. (Fig. 6) With the motto ‘Peace and Harmony’, enhanced with the 5 rings in the middle, group 7 stressed on the needs to elevate the status of ferns flora (probably linking the 5 rings to be a symbol of excellence), and hence there was a symbol of rocket. A small leaf collage was made shown in the middle using the peacock fern, the Selaginella, for 2 reasons: that it is not only delicate and beautiful but it extensively also shines in bluish green on the forest floor. The free flowing coiling motifs were used so freely because they were the unique representation of ferns flora. The crescent moon was adopted because of its beauty and clarity. Blue and Green were used to signify the serenade of nature. (Fig. 7) Group 8 was amongst the few that did not use the earth motif. The members included application of 3 leaf type, namely bifurcate, pinnatifid and tripinnatifid into the logo design. The magnifying glass represented scientific application where as stereozoom microscopes were used so that ferns sporulation could be observed in a better perspective. It was reflected here with the kidney shape sorus/indusium of the sword ferns clearly illustrated and the spore case scattered around just like in a fresh specimen. The colours too were used with pupose: Red to reflect courage in exploring the rainforest, white to show the clean environment, orange the cheerful learning environment and blue and green, the colours of peace for environment. (Fig. 8) From the interpretation, we believed the learners had been taught to understand, love and subsequently know why a need for conservation is. 97% (Fig. 9) of the trainees felt that the programme was carried out well. See Figure 9 for the summary of the learners’ feedback. CONCLUSION Promoting Serious Botanical Learning in Nature Education can unearth and inject creativity amongst learners, in their pursuit of appreciating the subject of life science in a holistic perspective. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special appreciation to the organizer of PBG Symposium 2011 for a platform to recognize PBG as the potential avenue for Nature Education, Friends of the PBG Society for facilitating the training and INTI International College Penang for providing the loan of extra stereozoom-microscopes during the conduct of the Floristic Ferns Project. REFERENCES Leo, Ann Mean (2006). On Creativity, Awakening The Creative Mind. ISBN 967-978-926-8 Sauve, Lucie (1996). Environmental Education and Sustainable Development: A Further Appraisal. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 1, Spring 1996: 7-32