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Ecology lessons outside the classroom

by Rhoda S. Tayag
Posted: Thursday June 05, 2008 02:36 PM

For a year now, Ecology classes have been going on a two-day ecological tour at Morong Bataan as their culminating activity in Ecology.  This ecological tour aims to inculcate in students a sense of responsibility for the protection of the terrestrial and marine environment by   learning about indigenous knowledge/culture. This activity was inspired by Dr. Lourdes Cruz, a professor from UP Diliman during her presentation in an international forum on “Sustainable Development” held in UP Diliman last year. The concept presented in that forum gave birth to this tour and was the integration of the courses on conservation of marine and terrestrial resources and the CWTS (1&2) in UP Diliman. As part of the requirements of the integrated course, first year students in UP Diliman  are required to conduct Lesson-Is-Fun sessions with grade school students in three barangays in Morong Bataan, namely:  Kanawan, Sabang, and Mabayo.  In CWTS 1, students are also required to go on an exposure trip in Morong.  In CWTS 2, the students are further required to join in at least three trips out of ten scheduled field trips per semester.

The main objective of the ecological tour requested for Ecology classes in St. Scholastica’s College is the promotion of indigenous culture as a means to protect the environment.  This objective is carried out through various activities that commence with the participation of students in a cultural workshop.  The students are requested to attend a two-hour cultural workshop on indigenous dance and music held in the school.  To facilitate the conduct of the workshop, it was integrated with the student’s PE classes.  The workshop’s output is a presentation by the students presented during the solidarity night with the Aetas.

The first day of the trip is an interaction with the community of Aetas in Kanawan, Morong, Bataan.  The student participants interact with grade school students of the Aetas community by sharing creative presentations about principles of ecology.  In turn, the participants benefit from the interaction by learning how these children relate with their environment.   The highlight of the first day is a solidarity night with the Aetas where the Aetas perform their dance, songs, and rituals while the college students present the output of their cultural workshop. On the second day of the trip, the students are exposed to the marine environment.

During the second semester of school year 2007-2008, Ka Resty Del Rosario, sectoral representative of Bataan Fisherfolk and a representative of the Municipal FARMC has organized the clean up.  The ecology students’ involvement in this clean up activity was made possible by Dr. Borromeo Motin, a social scientist of Bataan Center for Innovative Science and Technology Inc. (BCISTI) and the contact person of St. Scholastica’s College in Morong.  The coastal cleanup, which was attended by 174 participants from the different sectors in the coastal community served as a wake-up call to the main stakeholders of the community to protect the marine environment in Sabang, Morong, Bataan. The participation of the students in the clean up inspired the leaders of the community to consider the area as an ecotourist spot.  After the clean-up, students were able to enjoy moments of appreciating the beauty and abundance of nature and interacting with people activities like snorkeling, boating, and interviewing the fisher folks.  

A visit to the Pawikan Conservation Center is the last drop off point for the semestral ecological tour where students adopt hatchlings of pawikan. They are given the rare opportunity to release the hatchlings to the sea hoping that at least some of them will survive from predators and eventually return back the coast of Morong, Bataan to lay their eggs. 

As a teaching strategy in Ecology classes, the ecological tour is proven to be effective in inculcating stewardship among students in line with the maxim that experience is the best teacher.  Let nature do the teaching and the teacher merely facilitates the learning experience.

In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught. 
B. Dionm

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