Abstract Detail

Education and Outreach

Goodwillie, Carol [1], Clark, Patricia [2].

Bringing trees to life through theatre arts.

We are using theatrical arts as a medium to inspire interest in plants and provide innovative solutions to educational challenges at both K-12 and undergraduate levels. As charismatic, familiar and long-lived plants in human communities, trees can provide a compelling entrée to an interest in plant biology. Undergraduate biology majors and theatre education students at East Carolina University enrolled in a fall colloquium course and collaborated to develop a play for youth about trees, focusing on the essential ecosystem services they provide. Biological content included carbon cycling, seed dispersal, pollination, and plant-animal mutualisms. The play was scheduled for spring productions at K-12 schools, a local Arbor Day celebration, and a nature center for children. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, progress continued through video conferencing. In response to the new challenge, students produced the play in a video format and ultimately delivered a package of materials for distribution to K-12 students in their homes. Here we discuss some of the difficulties of teaching concepts in plant biology and the value of arts in helping to convey these concepts, the benefits of merging undergraduates from widely different disciplines for collaborative work, and the special challenges and opportunities for education in the new pandemic era.

1 - East Carolina University, Department Of Biology, Howell Science Bldg., Greenville, NC, 27858, United States
2 - East Carolina University, Theatre Education, Greenville, NC, 27858

Keywords:
STEAM
theatre
undergraduate education
elementary education.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Education and Outreach Posters
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2020
Time: 5:00 PM Time and date to be determined
Number: PEO004
Abstract ID:819
Candidate for Awards:None