About ANBG Education Services

ANBG Education Services aims to:

provide programs and resources for educational institutions, their staff, students and the general public
assist people to learn about Australian plants and the environment, and develop public knowledge and skills in horticulture

Our programs reach broadly across the Australian school curricula, in keeping with the Statements of Learning. See the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs web site at http://www.mceetya.edu.au/mceetya/ and search for “Statements of Learning”.

We achieve our aims through the following key activities.

providing programs that promote Australian native plant and important environmental messages
managing a range of guided and self guided activities
promoting the ANBG to teachers, students and the wider community

Education Services approach to activities in the Gardens.

Our programs are flexible, educationally sound, hands-on, challenging, and often can't be done at school.

Our approach has the following features:

Inclusive of age, gender, ability, race…
Discovery learning, in keeping with popular Multiple Intelligences pedagogy
Child-centred learning
Providing activities that focus students' observation, pose a question and provide some hints
The responses are not as important as the processes that lead to the responses. There is not necessarily one correct answer
The activities are fun and challenging:
- in the format; graphics, layout
- hints are provided, but no answers are given.
- visitors need to consciously participate and think in order to achieve
They require minimal reading and writing, so that most of the time is taken in observing and pondering, and taking in the ambience of the venue
The questions are intended to be open-ended/ extended response questions, where the students answer to the depth accorded by their current levels of understandings and skills.
Some is overt learning but much is subliminal science

Our programs come with:

Cross-curriculum links, often with a science base and a curriculum map
Across-curriculum perspectives, particularly Environmental Education, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education
Student Learning Outcomes in many cases
Resources for teachers - rationales, what to do on the day
Teacher/carer resources are in an A4 format in which the A5 student booklets are embedded - to provide some background information, pre- and post-visit activity ideas, curriculum context and further research options
Teacher Professional Development & Personal Professional learning
- School Planning Days (esp January)
- New teachers (eg Keys to Canberra in February)

We also seek partnerships and links with others agencies.

Birrigai Outdoor Education Centre - Teddy Bear Picnics in the Gardens
CSIRO Discovery/Green Machine - Science Festival and excursion links
SEA*ACT (Science Education Association ACT) - Science Festival
Sustainable Schools Project

ANBG - growing, studying and promoting Australian plants