Vitenparken

The school program The Mystery in Østmarka (MiØ), an educational program about the predators that inhabit Norwegian nature.
We know that predators can be a sensitive topic, but fear not dear teacher, we have worked with researchers, managers, the sheep farming industry and many other wise minds to ensure an objective program for your students. The goal of MiØ is to create an environment for dialogue, in order to avoid polarizing and unvarnished debate and conflict. The basis of the program is to provide objective information conveyed through an engaging educational program.

It is of course all interdisciplinary and linked to the new curricula for 2020. The program consists of a total of 5 steps. The 5 steps are as follows:

1. Preparatory work with an opinion challenge at school : Here, the students' opinions and knowledge about predators are mapped, with the spotlight on wolves. ( Duration; approximately one school session – 45min )
2. Digital short story “The Mystery in the Eastern Field”, with physical elements to be investigated : Through an interactive digital comic book, the students’ knowledge base is established and the students are introduced to predator ecology, challenges in society, and how management and research work together to obtain information about predators. The comic book tells of a mystery where the students must collect both animal tracks and knowledge from experts to find out which of three possible predators has killed a deer. ( Duration; approximately two school sessions – 1 hour and 30 minutes. This can also be carried out over a longer period of time if the teacher and students play through all versions of the game )
3. DNA lab : Here, students, together with educators from Vitenparken get to extract DNA from real wolf poop. After extracting the DNA, the students will analyze the result and find out which wolf has the poop. Once the wolf has been identified, they can go into the research tool Rovbase.no to find out more about their individual. Where does this animal live? Can we find out how old it is? How does this wolf migrate? ( Duration; two school sessions – 1 hour and 30 minutes. ) The DNA is provided by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and Rovdata in Trondheim.
4. Post-work with a new opinion challenge at school : Here we map out whether there has been a change in opinion compared to the preliminary work. Changes in opinion can provide indications of whether students have acquired new knowledge about predators, management and societal challenges that they did not have when they started. ( It must be noted that increased knowledge about predators after completing The Mystery in Østmarka does not necessarily lead to a change in opinion among all students. Opinions are complex, and the knowledge base is only one of the factors that form the basis of opinion. Thus, changes in opinion or lack thereof alone cannot be linked to learning. ) ( Duration; approximately one school session – 45min )
5. Arts and crafts project at school : Students will be able to express their knowledge and/or feelings about predators through an art exhibition.