How to implement | OTTER

How to implement the OTTER Lab approach for different age groups

Different age groups present different challenges and opportunities to implement OTTER Lab and EOC. Here you can find ideas suitable for different age groups:

Students from 6 to 8

Step 1 Prepare	Students from 6 to 8 like discovering, solving riddles and finding new things. When setting the learning objectives, consider how you can nurture students’ natural curiosity and playful minds. It is important to have a multi-disciplinary approach, combining environmental science or STEAM subjects and other relevant subjects. For this age group learning by playing and learning by real phenomena by observing are inherent ways to learn. For students of this age, a learning environment near the school works well. What could be learned in the close surroundings of the school?
Step 2 Orientate	When orienting students, you can use stories to get them interested. With stories you can feed their imagination and help them get emotionally involved. In addition, students’ own experiences are a good way to orientate to the upcoming topic. Orientation should help students to empathize with how environmental issues affect human beings, animals and nature. When preparing students for the EOC activity it is important to make clear how they should behave during the activity and what kind of safety issues need to be considered. It is important to find out what kind of thoughts and questions students have about this topic. This can be done through play, discussion, drawing etc. When setting learning tasks for the EOC activity, make sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do during the activity.
Step 3 Discover	When deciding the EOC activity, hands-on activities are recommended. For this age group it is essential to make the EOC activity very tangible and concrete. Let students do, engage, touch and feel things themselves. Encourage students to work together because this type of activity naturally allows them to develop their collaboration skills. Collection of data can mean, e.g. collecting real items, taking photographs or taking notes of their observations.
Step 4 Make an impact	It is important to discuss together all the findings and new information that students learned during the EOC activity. When designing the youth initiative, it is important to ask, what can we do and what do we want to change. The initiative should be something concrete and easy to understand. For this age group the youth initiative can be related, for example, to their own class or home and daily practices. The most important thing is to raise the idea that everybody can do something and make a difference.
Step 5 Reflect	As a post-learning activity, it is important to reflect on what we learned, how we learned and what we want to do next. For reflection you can use playful activities, discussion, drawing and visual work etc.

Students from 9 to 11

Step 1 Prepare	Students from 6 to 8 like discovering, solving riddles and finding new things. When setting the learning objectives, consider how you can nurture students’ natural curiosity and playful minds. It is important to have a multi-disciplinary approach, combining environmental science or STEAM subjects and other relevant subjects. For this age group learning by playing and learning by real phenomena by observing are inherent ways to learn. For students of this age, a learning environment near the school works well. What could be learned in the close surroundings of the school?
Step 2 Orientate	When orienting students, you can use stories to get them interested. With stories you can feed their imagination and help them get emotionally involved. In addition, students’ own experiences are a good way to orientate to the upcoming topic. Orientation should help students to empathize with how environmental issues affect human beings, animals and nature. When preparing students for the EOC activity it is important to make clear how they should behave during the activity and what kind of safety issues need to be considered. It is important to find out what kind of thoughts and questions students have about this topic. This can be done through play, discussion, drawing etc. When setting learning tasks for the EOC activity, make sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do during the activity.
Step 3 Discover	When deciding the EOC activity, hands-on activities are recommended. For this age group it is essential to make the EOC activity very tangible and concrete. Let students do, engage, touch and feel things themselves. Encourage students to work together because this type of activity naturally allows them to develop their collaboration skills. Collection of data can mean, e.g. collecting real items, taking photographs or taking notes of their observations.
Step 4 Make an impact	It is important to discuss together all the findings and new information that students learned during the EOC activity. When designing the youth initiative, it is important to ask, what can we do and what do we want to change. The initiative should be something concrete and easy to understand. For this age group the youth initiative can be related, for example, to their own class or home and daily practices. The most important thing is to raise the idea that everybody can do something and make a difference.
Step 5 Reflect	As a post-learning activity, it is important to reflect on what we learned, how we learned and what we want to do next. For reflection you can use playful activities, discussion, drawing and visual work etc.

Students from 12 to 15

Step 1 Prepare	Students from 6 to 8 like discovering, solving riddles and finding new things. When setting the learning objectives, consider how you can nurture students’ natural curiosity and playful minds. It is important to have a multi-disciplinary approach, combining environmental science or STEAM subjects and other relevant subjects. For this age group learning by playing and learning by real phenomena by observing are inherent ways to learn. For students of this age, a learning environment near the school works well. What could be learned in the close surroundings of the school?
Step 2 Orientate	When orienting students, you can use stories to get them interested. With stories you can feed their imagination and help them get emotionally involved. In addition, students’ own experiences are a good way to orientate to the upcoming topic. Orientation should help students to empathize with how environmental issues affect human beings, animals and nature. When preparing students for the EOC activity it is important to make clear how they should behave during the activity and what kind of safety issues need to be considered. It is important to find out what kind of thoughts and questions students have about this topic. This can be done through play, discussion, drawing etc. When setting learning tasks for the EOC activity, make sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do during the activity.
Step 3 Discover	When deciding the EOC activity, hands-on activities are recommended. For this age group it is essential to make the EOC activity very tangible and concrete. Let students do, engage, touch and feel things themselves. Encourage students to work together because this type of activity naturally allows them to develop their collaboration skills. Collection of data can mean, e.g. collecting real items, taking photographs or taking notes of their observations.
Step 4 Make an impact	It is important to discuss together all the findings and new information that students learned during the EOC activity. When designing the youth initiative, it is important to ask, what can we do and what do we want to change. The initiative should be something concrete and easy to understand. For this age group the youth initiative can be related, for example, to their own class or home and daily practices. The most important thing is to raise the idea that everybody can do something and make a difference.
Step 5 Reflect	As a post-learning activity, it is important to reflect on what we learned, how we learned and what we want to do next. For reflection you can use playful activities, discussion, drawing and visual work etc.

Students from 16 to 18

Step 1 Prepare	Students from 6 to 8 like discovering, solving riddles and finding new things. When setting the learning objectives, consider how you can nurture students’ natural curiosity and playful minds. It is important to have a multi-disciplinary approach, combining environmental science or STEAM subjects and other relevant subjects. For this age group learning by playing and learning by real phenomena by observing are inherent ways to learn. For students of this age, a learning environment near the school works well. What could be learned in the close surroundings of the school?
Step 2 Orientate	When orienting students, you can use stories to get them interested. With stories you can feed their imagination and help them get emotionally involved. In addition, students’ own experiences are a good way to orientate to the upcoming topic. Orientation should help students to empathize with how environmental issues affect human beings, animals and nature. When preparing students for the EOC activity it is important to make clear how they should behave during the activity and what kind of safety issues need to be considered. It is important to find out what kind of thoughts and questions students have about this topic. This can be done through play, discussion, drawing etc. When setting learning tasks for the EOC activity, make sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do during the activity.
Step 3 Discover	When deciding the EOC activity, hands-on activities are recommended. For this age group it is essential to make the EOC activity very tangible and concrete. Let students do, engage, touch and feel things themselves. Encourage students to work together because this type of activity naturally allows them to develop their collaboration skills. Collection of data can mean, e.g. collecting real items, taking photographs or taking notes of their observations.
Step 4 Make an impact	It is important to discuss together all the findings and new information that students learned during the EOC activity. When designing the youth initiative, it is important to ask, what can we do and what do we want to change. The initiative should be something concrete and easy to understand. For this age group the youth initiative can be related, for example, to their own class or home and daily practices. The most important thing is to raise the idea that everybody can do something and make a difference.
Step 5 Reflect	As a post-learning activity, it is important to reflect on what we learned, how we learned and what we want to do next. For reflection you can use playful activities, discussion, drawing and visual work etc.