Teachers Meet the Education Team

A well attended event for Devon educators

On the 17th January we hosted the first of this year’s Educators’ Open Evenings. Attendees at these events get a showcase of all we have to offer and the chance to share their ideas and challenge us to find challenging and engaging ways to meet their learning objectives.

"[A] very enjoyable and informative evening."

"I didn’t realise how much you offered for education visits."

"Your workshops can be adapted for all levels of students, even students with English as an additional language."

These are just some of the emails and comments we received from participants at the event.

It was a great success with teachers getting a showcase of all our educational activities including our new Bush Craft workshops for primary, secondary and beyond.

Teachers and educational group organisers were also treated to a Close Encounters sessions with the extensive range of animals we use for key stage specific activities here at the zoo and in our outreach programme.

A highlight for many was the visit to our unique Dissection Theatre where we’ve been fascinating students of all ages for well over a year now. Originally designed for post sixteen classes, it’s proven to be a valuable experience for students as young as year seven.

We also managed to pick up some great suggestions from teachers in a lively question and answer session.

The DZP Education Centre’s brand new prospectus illustrating all the activities on offer was also very well received. Whilst primarily aimed at schools and colleges, all the workshops are adaptable for the general public, businesses, children’s activity groups and more. Many of the workshops on offer will form the basis of holiday activities for the general public.

Education Officer, Coral Higham is excited for the future, “We’re trying very hard to find the limit to what we can offer here but we haven’t found it yet” she says. “The input we get from teachers looking to achieve their learning objectives in fun and challenging ways really helps.”

We will be holding a second Educators’ Open Evening shortly after Easter. To book your place, please contact Coral and the team now.

Say hello to our new Education Officer

New Education Officer, Coral, getting
to grips with one of her new colleagues

Last year we had to say goodbye to our fantastic Education Officer, Amy. She was a real dynamo in our education programme and during her short time here made some outstanding (even award-winning) developments. She'll be sorely missed by everyone here as well as the many teachers with whom she'd built up an excellent relationship. But we're thrilled to announce that one of those very teachers has come to fill her impressive shoes.

So, in her own words, meet Coral Higham...

"A few months ago I was asked to take on the role of Education Officer at Dartmoor Zoo. As a Biologist this was a dream come true. Walking up the driveway with all these magnificent animals just yards away topped any school driveway! I have been visiting Dartmoor Zoo since I was a young girl and can see the magical learning environment it provides. 

I have been teaching in secondary schools in London and Devon for the past 4 years, teaching Biology from preschool to A-Level and A-Level Physics. During that time I have taken on responsibilities for Gifted and Talented, Enrichment and KS2-KS3 transfer. I'm really looking forward to taking the DZP education programme forward along with my very experienced and qualified team of professionals and volunteers in environmental sciences and animal management.

We have a lot planned, beginning with a teacher evening on the 17thJanuary. This free event will highlight our new range of workshops and launch our bespoke lessons which can be tailored to the needs of any school and any subject with the learning delivered here at the education centre or through outreach. 

We are also going to be launching our DZP Rangers programme designed to give children the opportunity to gain valuable experience in animal management, conservation and a host of other subjects in a fun and exciting environment. 

If that's not enough we'll also be building a brand new reptile house, expanding on our award-winning Enterprise Challenge and bringing STEM challenges to the Zoo for families and schools to take part in, to name but a few.

I am so excited about taking on this role. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any ideas you may have, big or small, that we could carry out at DZP for you. This is a truly inspirational place to teach and an exciting learning environment for all ages. I look forward to meeting you all.

For more information on our exciting range of educational activities for everyone, contact Coral and the team today.

High Impact Award for the Second Year Running

Volunteer Sarah with Head Keeper Mike and
Conservation and Research Officer, Adam

The Education Team at Dartmoor Zoo are celebrating again following confirmation that for the second year running they have won the Global Entrepreneurship Week, High Impact Award.

Organised by Youth Business International, Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates entrepreneurship as a force for good through a wide range of activities.

The "High Impact Badge of Honour" is granted only to those activities which meet a range of criteria demonstrating the contribution the activity makes to the aims of the project.

Since its inception, Global Entrepreneurship Week has spread to 115 countries, with nearly 24,000 organisations planning more than 37,000 activities. In 2011 over 213,000 people attended 2,305 events, run by over 900 organisations as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week in the UK alone.

The award was granted to DZP for their Enterprise Challenge. Launched in 2011, the challenge is a unique activity developed by the education team designed to meet and exceed a range of educational goals in a challenging and engaging manner. It sees small teams of students assuming the role of a Zoo Development Team for an entire day.

"We're very proud of the Enterprise Challenge," explains operations manager, George Hyde. "It involves every department at the zoo from animal care through maintenance to marketing and customer service. It's a real crash-course in the demands of running a modern zoo."

The students' task, often in competition with teams from other schools, is to add a new species to the DZP animal collection. To complete the challenge, students must face and overcome a range of real-world development problems whilst keeping to a strict budget.

At the end of the day-long challenge the teams are required to present their plans to a panel of professional judges comprised of senior zoo management which sometimes includes zoo director, Benjamin Mee.

"The feedback we get from students and staff is amazing," says Benjamin. "We've even run Enterprise Challenge days as team-building exercises for teachers and university lecturers. They find it just as challenging and enjoyable as the kids."

The DZP Enterprise Challenge is just one of a number of major developments within the zoo's education department which have captured the imagination and support of local educators. The new Extended Diploma in Animal Management, delivered in partnership with Bicton College, is now well into its second year with new students already expressing an interest in enrolling next year.

The zoo’s fascinating Dissection Theatre, part of the Dartmoor Hill Pony conservation project, is also now very well established and attracting interest from educational establishments throughout the country.

The Enterprise Challenge is proving particularly popular with secondary school teachers who recognise that it exceeds the specified National Curriculum learning objectives for Economic Well-being and Financial Capability. It also gives higher ability students the opportunity to demonstrate and develop skills in teamwork, assessing needs, understanding risk, finance management and enterprise.

"We've known for quite some time now that the Enterprise Challenge was something special," explains George. "The whole team here have worked really hard to produce something of real value and this award shows that we achieved exactly that."

Educators in the region can see first-hand what the Enterprise Challenge is all about at an open evening at the zoo in January. It’s one of a number of events held throughout the year which provides teachers and youth group workers with an opportunity to see what the DZP Education Team has to offer and assist them in developing further activities.

Free Educators' Open Evening

In January, our education team will be welcoming educators and kids group organisers to view our latest range of education facilities and programmes.

For those of you who haven’t been to one of our teacher evenings, this is your chance to meet our team of staff and volunteers and see why DZP is the best place to bring your students for a wide variety of curriculum friendly educational experiences.

More importantly, it’s your chance to tell us how we can best meet your needs. Conversations at previous teacher evenings have given rise to some of our best offerings, so our door is always open to new suggestions from enthusiastic educators looking for exciting ways to hit curriculum targets.

Following a brief introduction and refreshments, the evening will include: 

• An introduction to our new prospectus
• A fascinating demonstration of our unique Dissection Theatre
• Bushcraft demonstration with links to STEM
• A chance to get up-close and hands-on with our Key Stage specific Close Encounters 
• A guided Tour of the zoo looking at all the highlights 

We’ll round off the evening with a lively Q and A session where you and your colleagues will get the opportunity to see just how far we’re willing to go to create the best educational experiences for your students.

Additional subjects up for discussion will include new Key Stage specific workshops, cross curricula programmes and bespoke visits and education sessions.

All delegates will be provided with a free information pack and a voucher for 10% discount on all bookings made before 30th January 2012.

Places are limited so please contact the education team now to book in advance.

Thursday 17th January 5:00pm to 7:00pm 
Booking/Information: Education Team - 01752 837 645