Bureau of Land Management Environmental Education Homepage

Teaching Leave No Trace

---

Tips For Teaching

Make It An Adventure! It's easy to help your group learn Leave No Trace skills in fun and interesting ways. The following tips provide insight into the teaching and learning process.

Be Prepared. Preparing in advance of meetings ensures a quality experience for you and your audience. Some activities require you to assemble materials, to have people come prepared, or to select special meeting locations. Consider the following tips: Find a relaxing spot and read the entire activity ahead of time. Reading will give you time to familiarize yourself with the Background Information, assemble materials, choose a meeting location, or make assignments prior to teaching the activity. Thoroughly read the Background Information. Reading this information will keep you one step ahead of your audience and allow you to support them in learning each new Leave No Trace principle. Assemble materials ahead of time. The materials needed for each activity are readily available and require minimal time to gather.   Teaching and Learning Styles: Diversity Is The Spice Of Life. Each of us teaches and learns with our own unique style. Anyone who has worked with people knows that what excites one person does not necessarily excite another. These Leave No Trace activities have been written with the following styles in mind:

Visual Learner: The visual learner likes to learn through seeing video, chart, picture, model.

Auditory Learner: The auditory learner likes to learn through listening lecture, discussion, debate.

Kinesthetic Learner: The kinesthetic learner likes to learn through using his or her body dance, drama, movement, hiking.

Tactile Learner: The tactile learner likes to learn through touching hands-on activities.

Most young people generally prefer active, hands-on/minds-on learning.

A Guide On The Side, Not A Sage On The Stage: People learn better when being guided to discover and think for themselves. Learning through lectures from the expert is seldom interesting and easily forgotten. When teaching Leave No Trace principles remember to:

• Encourage involvement. Allow individuals to discover and think for themselves, rather than providing them with all the answers.
• Learn together. You will have some foundational knowledge because you have read the Background Information. Allow yourself to learn along with your group as you experience each activity. You do not have to be a Leave No Trace expert.