Cultural probes for environmental education: Designing learning materials to engage children and teenagers with local biodiversity

The senses, emotion and aesthetic experience in EE In our use of the CP technique, we also considered the work of Sauve´ [30], which identifies 15 currents of intervention in EE. As suggested by the author, these currents are not isolated from one another, and often initiatives will combine the different perspectives outlined in each. What stands out in Sauve´’s review is not only the already established value of cognitive and affective modes of learning, but also the growing importance of sensorial, experiential (e.g., through direct contact with nature), creative (or aesthetic) experiences in EE. Such values reflect the impact of postmodern thought in education and research more broadly, resonating with Lyotard’s view that knowledge is best understood when subjective human experience is equally contemplated [31]. While referencing the work of Jickling [32], Sauve´ [30] highlights a perspective of EE that values “sensual experience, sentiments, and emotions, as a way of reconnecting with the rest of the world”. This perspective attunes to more recent work that demonstrates the value of learn- ing in and with the “multisensory richness of landscapes” [27], and of “sensations, perceptions and feelings evoked by aesthetic experiences” in specific biomes [33]. Research questions In describing in greater detail the CP technique, IBL and EE’s focus on sensory, emotional, and aesthetic experience, we designed this study with the view of presenting the CP technique to those wishing to generate context-specific materials that engage children and teenagers with

biodiversity [7]. In so doing, we demonstrate that CP are not only valid in engaging partici- pants with nature-rich environments through questioning, the technique can also be effective in engaging participants in rich sensory, emotional, and aesthetic ways. Given that when work- ing directly with specific communities (such as island residents) "content should emerge from and address (their) needs" [6], we hypothesize that CP can facilitate the adoption of a participa- tory approach to the development of topics of interest in conversation with children and teen- agers. In addition—and serving as the focus of this study—CP can at the same time provide a meaningful and contextually relevant experience with and in nature. As a result, we formulated the following research questions: RQ1: Can the CP technique instigate productive questions regarding the surrounding natural environment on behalf of participants? RQ2: Can CP provide an outdoor learning experience that taps into the value of sensory, emo- tional, and aesthetic experiences in and with nature? RQ3: Can CP promote participants’ engagement and satisfaction with the activities and with the exploration of nature-rich environments? Methodology Context Study setting. On the 1st and 7th of December 2019, as part of the activity ‘Rediscovering Nature’, we performed two visits to the trail of Miste´rios Negros, located in the Nature Park of Terceira. We chose a trail in a protected area (Natural Reserve of Serra de Santa Ba´rbara and Miste´r-

ios Negros) that would expose participants to native, endemic, and exotic species (Fig 1). Native species arrived in the Azores through long-distance dispersal and therefore exist in other island and continental habitats. In contrast, Azorean endemic species (or subspecies) PLOS ONE Cultural probes for environmental education PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262853 February 10, 2022 5 / 30