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DEL.ICIO.USAquarium designs ‘learning loop’ for kids-only
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It began as a Close Encounter of the Kids-Gone-Wild Kind. It led to the most unique feature of the world’s largest aquarium.
When it opens in a few weeks, the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta will have a one-of-a-kind “learning loop” for students and teachers, a winding educational path isolated from the big fish tank seen by regular aquarium visitors.
The educational loop, which is expected to attract 70,000 students a year, traces its inspiration to a field trip that Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus took to one of the nation’s premier aquariums a few years back.
Ben Gray/AJC
Artificial coral occupies a ledge.• MORE EXHIBIT PHOTOS
Marcus, who is spending more than $200 million of his fortune to build Georgia’s big fish tank, declined to say where the incident occurred, but it left a lasting impression.
“Kids were running all over the place,” said Marcus, 76. “I was almost knocked over by a group of four kids that came running through. I said [to an aquarium official], ‘My God. What was that?’ And he said, ‘The school buses let them out and they just run wild.’ “
Marcus asked how the aquarium dealt with the chaos. The official, according to Marcus, replied, “We just hope they don’t get lost and we can get them back on the bus at the end of the day.”
“There was no discipline, no formal training program,” Marcus said. “And I came back and said, ‘We’re not going to do that.’ “
Many meetings and many millions of dollars later, the Georgia Aquarium is getting ready to show off its unique educational facility, which is sponsored by Turner Broadcasting System. It’s an entirely separate journey through the facility’s galleries, complete with touch tanks, research facilities and classrooms. It has its own separate entrance and even a school lunchroom.
“We’ve developed an aquarium within an aquarium,” explained Brian Davis, director of educational services for the Georgia Aquarium.
Located at the northern end of Centennial Olympic Park, the 500,000-square-foot aquarium will open its doors to annual pass-holders Nov. 21; visitors with general admission tickets can get in two days later.
The education loop, on the second floor of the aquarium, will not open to students until after the first of the year. This week, educators began signing up their classes for the loop.
The learning loop takes up about 25 percent of the aquarium’s total floor space and will likely add 10 percent to its cost.
“It’s expensive,” Marcus said. “But I just couldn’t see how you could have a really good program for kids unless you separated the educational component from the entertainment venue.”
The loop has four classrooms and four curriculums, from pre-k through 12th grade. The youngest children are instructed by “Deepo,” the aquarium’s cartoonish fish mascot. Students in grades nine through 12 can learn about such subjects as animal husbandry and aquatic engineering while talking directly to scientists.
The loop is a combination of high-tech and low-tech. In one area, there’s a full-scale (16-foot-long) wall-mounted replica of a baby Northern right whale. In another, a classroom of students can board a massive scale to see how their combined weight compares with that of a whale shark. One “game” has students deposit various pollutants into a miniature stream and then view the simulated impact via a 50-inch computer-connected plasma TV.
Unlike regular aquarium visitors, students also will get to see the coral exhibit’s complex filtration system, mangrove swamp and massive overhead lights that help maintain the circadian rhythms of the exhibit’s animals. The lunchroom has screens that drop from the ceiling to project aquatic images while the students eat.
“It’s a total-immersion learning experience,” said Davis, the aquarium educational director.
Davis, who is finishing his doctorate in secondary science education at Georgia State University, said aquarium officials had to invent most of the education loop from scratch, with input from teachers and educators.
The aquarium classes are designed for student groups of 30 to 100.
“We wanted to deal with much smaller groups and make sure they take away the information we have provided for them,” Davis said. “Every group will be guided by trained staffers. There are no free-range groups in here.”
The aquarium also worked with Atlanta-area schools and colleges on the loop.
Kennesaw Mountain High School developed the software for a watershed interactive game and a river game on the loop. High school students at Lovett School worked with an exhibit development for one of the classrooms and will conduct a research project on one of the exhibits.
Georgia State University students provided some of the behavioral research that will be used in the loop’s classroom’s, and Clark Atlanta University students will assist with some of the classes on water quality and water-quality testing.
Curriculum details
School groups have a choice of two time slots. The morning session is offered 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and the afternoon session is from 1:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Programs are $9.50 per child. Reservations and appointments can be made by visiting www.georgiaaquarium.org or by calling 404-581-4000.
Programs have been created for students based on their age and school level. Here are examples of what the school groups will experience:
Deepo Detectives (Grades PreK – 5): This program takes students through an underwater mystery. The Georgia Aquarium’s mascot, helps students crack the case. This program integrates current technology with traditional story telling and allows students to direct the course of the program based on their conclusions.
Aquatic Adventures (Grades K – 8): A guided adventure through three galleries on the learning loop. Students will explore freshwater and marine environments. They will rotate among the Freshwater, Coral Reef, and Research Galleries. The Freshwater Gallery will focus on the river ecosystem and its inhabitants. The Coral Reef Gallery explores the reef as a living organism. The Research Gallery presents current research topics in an interactive way.
Eco-Explorers (Grades 3 – 8): Provides an in-depth look into various parts of the aquatic world. Students will participate in hands-on activities that introduce them to the concept of scientific inquiry, allowing them to interact with animals and collect data for analysis.
Sea.S.I. (Grades 9 – 12): The Sea.S.I. Program is an investigation into how the nation’s largest aquarium operates. The program will begin with a brief overview of the Georgia Aquarium followed by two detailed lessons. Teachers will have the option to choose from the following:
Animal Husbandry - Care and maintenance of aquatic animals at the Georgia Aquarium.
Research and Conservation - Current research and conservation initiatives at the Georgia Aquarium.
Aquatic Engineering - The aquarium’s life support systems.
Aquatic Appetites - Dietary and nutritional needs of the aquarium’s animals.
GEORGIA AQUARIUM BY THE NUMBERS
— Schools can sign up by visiting the aquarium’s Web site (georgiaaquarium.org) or calling 404-581-4444. Students pay $9.50 each for the learning loop classes, which run about two hours. — For regular visitors, the aquarium had sold about 40,000 annual passes by the end of Tuesday. Those tickets have been on sale for two weeks. The aquarium sold more than 1,000 general admission tickets in the first two hours they were on sale Tuesday; those tickets went on sale at 3 p.m. on the Web site.
Comments
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By CJB
November 2, 2005 08:39 AM | Link to this
What a great and exciting attraction and educational experience Bernie Marcus has given to the city, state and region. Thousands of children will learn so much and benefit from this for years to come! I charter fishing trips occasionally on the Georgia Coast in the Summer and know the excitiment kids have just by seeing dolphins, sharks, loggerhead turtles and alligators. Thanks.
By Sherri
November 2, 2005 01:33 PM | Link to this
This says nothing about special needs children. Will there be programs specifically for them? Even non-speaking children with autism would enjoy the aquarium!