Biodiversity: Raising Student Awareness through Educational Experiences

Through this workshop, participants learn about ecosystems and how humans interact with them, discover the major concepts related to erosion of biodiversity according to the IPBES, and reflect on solutions that could be put in place.

When it comes to biodiversity, one of the best ways to learn is by getting out into nature and exploring your surroundings. A field trip is such a useful way to reinforce what you are teaching in the classroom. Apps can also be a great tool for learning to identify local flora and fauna:

• The Seek application by inaturalist records observations and lets you participate in the Biodiversity Challenge
• The Merlin Bird ID or BirdNET applications identify birds by song, or even by photo
• Nature Conservancy of Canada’s BioBlitz project encourages Canadians to help scientists with species documentation while having fun in nature.

G3E promotes active citizen involvement in the protection and enhancement of aquatic ecosystems. To carry out their mission, the organization develops citizen science projects as well as educational and scientific tools related to monitoring and protecting water. Citizens who take part in these G3E programs benefit from a formative experience. They gain a sense of pride, responsibility, and ownership toward their environment, all while developing a special bond with nature and a greater capacity to act.

Biodiversity can also be addressed in a language course by exploring a topical documentary or book with students. Here are our top recommendations:

• Animal, a documentary by Maison4tiers (in French)
• Ocean Seen from the Heart, a documentary by Maison4tiers
• Atik - Gardien du territoire, a documentary (in French)
• Wild Feast, a documentary by maison4tiers
• Hubert Reeves nous explique : La biodiversité (in French) 

Finally, hands-on learning is always an effective way to teach students the importance of biodiversity issues. If you would like to take learning a step further with your class, try planting trees together, going on a clean-up mission, selling seedlings at an open house, or creating a fundraising campaign to support an organization that works to protect biodiversity. These are all excellent ways to rally your students around a stimulating project.

To learn more about how you can help protect biodiversity at school, visit the Lab22 website (in French).