The Value of Using Animal Photographs in Humane Education – ISAZ 2013

Presented by Jessica Bell, M.A., Michigan State University

“Statistically significant increases in the frequency, depth and emotion of Kinship and Sentience/Individuality responses indicate that the animal portraits encouraged participants to conceptualize animals as conscious beings with emotional and mental states similar to humans. Encouraging students to view animals as sentient beings is a key goal of many humane and environmental education programs because it is often the prerequisite for perceiving animals as capable of suffering and worthy of protection.  This study offers convincing evidence that certain approaches to animal portraiture can increase acknowledgement of animal sentience and individuality and thus play an important role in humane and environmental education.”


                                                                         

 

 


ISAZ conference this weekend!

Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies is thrilled to attend the International Society for Anthrozoology conference in Chicago this weekend.  We are looking forward to coming back with some great information on the Human-Animal Bond to share with you!

Social Venture Partners Advance San Diego 2013 announces Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies as a semi-finalist!

We are thrilled to announce that 30 organizations have been selected as semi-finalists for Advance San Diego! Each non-profit will be paired with a mentor, and participate in summer workshops designed to define measurable outcomes and craft a compelling story.

 

On October 9th, the final Advance San Diego event will give 15 finalists the opportunity to deliver their pitch to an audience comprised of 500 funders, business leaders, and community members. More than $75,000 in cash and in-kind services will be awarded.

When?  October 9th, 5-9pm
Where?  Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla
RSVP: Tickets will go on sale this summer. Stay tuned!

Help us “fall” back into the season!

With all of the summer fun did you “fall” out of touch with San Diego’s nonprofits?  Well here’s a way for you to start giving again and donate to an organization the benefits people and animals! That’s exactly what the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies aims to do!  Support our work and help to support your friends (human and furry).  Call 619-405-3207 or just click here http://www.animalbondstudies.org/2012/01/22/43/ to donate…it’s tax deductable and that always makes people feel good.  Thank you!

 

 

Membership accepted into International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ)

Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies has been accepted as a member into the International Society for Anthrozoology.  We look forward to sharing more information with you from ISAZ.

What is ISAZ?

The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) was formed in 1991 as a supportive organization for the scientific and scholarly study of human-animal interactions. ISAZ is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization with a worldwide, multi-disciplinary membership of students, scholars and interested professionals.

What It’s All About: TRUST (Teaching Respect Using Sympathy and Training)

Author: Shannon Gusy, Founder of Love Tails Pet Care

Humane Education changes lives. Dr. Annie Petersen, who joined the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA’s (SDHS) ever-growing Communications and Community Engagement department in 2004, knows this firsthand. Spearheading the Humane Education youth programs at SDHS, she helps children to learn about and how to emotionally connect with animals. In their smiles and stories, she has seen that time spent with animals is not only a therapeutic comfort, but often an empowering and transformational experience

When Dr. Petersen heard of the Los Angeles SPCA’s program, TLC (Teaching Love and Compassion), she immediately sent for information. This violence-prevention program works with at-risk-youth to develop coping skills, increased self-esteem and empathy towards living beings. Annie observed the six-week TLC course in person and was struck by the way the children responded. No matter what they were going through in their personal lives, TLC became a positive outlet for them. Experiencing love and compassion for animals was a vehicle for change, helping them to develop more love and compassion towards themselves. Annie was inspired to create a similar program at the San Diego Humane Society: TRUST (Teaching Respect Using Sympathy and Training).

Educator Laura Leonard was hired to develop TRUST and now facilitates the three week after-school program in communities throughout San Diego. Most recently, Laura worked with a group of six middle schoolers at Pro Kids Learning Center in City Heights; an organization that supports San Diego’s underserved youth.

Helping someone in need, however small, is a fulfilling and empowering act. During this series of TRUST lessons at Pro Kids, the students primarily worked with rats, though rabbits have also been lesson participants. Divided into teams of two, each pair of students trained and bonded with one rat. At the completion of the program, their rat became available for adoption and was more likely to find a loving home as a result of his training and socialization.

In working together to help such small creatures find homes, the students were learning the very definition of compassion. For an hour and a half after school Wednesday through Friday, the students could focus on these small animals and get lost in their love for them. The rats quickly became an immense source of joy and entertainment. When a rat climbed up onto someone’s shoulder or bruxed (a sound that indicates pleasure, like purring for cats), the students beamed with smiles. They each grew to know their rat extensively and at any moment could name his sex, age, tricks, temperament, likes and dislikes. They wrote in their journals every night on the thoughts and feelings that working with the rats inspired. They learned animal behavior and body language. They also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the San Diego Humane Society where they interacted with an adoptable dog, visited the Veterinary Medical Suite and learned important lessons about spaying and neutering, microchipping and more.

At the end of the three-week session, the students had a formal graduation. Beforehand, Laura had told them that they could say a few words about what they had learned. She was thrilled to see that the students went above and beyond to prepare typed presentations. Each stood at the front of the room and read with visible passion about humane treatment towards all living beings. Family, friends and fellow classmates looked on and applauded them.

One student named Cookie said, “You treat the rat like you would want to be treated. You are patient and gentle with him. You don’t just say ‘do that.’ You have to set goals and take steps.” Jacob, another student said, “You don’t know someone until you spend time with them. You don’t want to judge someone by what they look like or how big or small they are.” Wendy said, “I didn’t have much confidence that I could help my rat in the beginning. But that changed. If he could talk now, I think he’d say I was his best friend.” Approaching their teenage years and its challenges, these were invaluable lessons for the group to experience, know in their hearts, and carry with them throughout their lifetimes.

TRUST lends to the opportunity to teach in layers. When the students learned that the average life-span for a rat is up to three years, a few became disheartened. Cookie whispered to Jacob. “But the rats are so special, I wish they lived a lot longer.”

Laura responded, “It’s true that just like you, each rat is special. There is no one exactly like him and he is a great friend to have. But the thing about animals is that they are always living in this moment. Their feelings concern only right now. And right now, you are all giving them so much love, and that’s what it’s about, right? Love and compassion.”

Cookie lifted her eyes from the rat she held in both of her hands, still petting him gently. “Totally,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

TRUST is an after school program initiated by the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA.  TRUST is a three-week course designed to help kids in middle-school learn about living creatures and the respect they deserve. For more information, visit www.sdhumane.org

Laura works with rats for the TRUST program.

Animals and Children

Author: Annie Petersen, Ed.D.

People of all ages have had experiences with animals. The love for a pet holds no cultural or generational boundaries. Historically, animals have been regarded as deserving of the highest levels of esteem and have held the lowest levels of caste: the creatures to be pitied. Regardless of one’s opinion or regard for animals, they have held prominence within society around the world and have the capacity to greatly influence people’s daily lives.

Humans can acknowledge their likenesses with animals. The search for comfort, protection, and a means of survival is innate among all living beings. Human dependence on animals for survival and comfort can be seen on the ancient cave drawings of Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain, which were created over 20,000 years ago.

Although many people have had experiences with animals, most of which have been positive, there are few tactile experiences students have had unless those animals live in their own homes.  The results of those first-time experiences, with a well-intentioned parent, may be positive.  However, the quest for parents to give their children the “experience” of caring for a pet may not always end up positive for the pet himself.

What better place to introduce children to appropriate hands-on experiences with animals than with a humane educator or trained teacher in general classroom environments?  Programs that partner companion animals with their daily curriculum can result in an extraordinarily positive experience for both animal and student.  Most importantly, is the incorporatation of another strategy to engage children and increasing animal caretaking skills through practice. The encouragement of educators to utilize more companion animals in the learning environment could expand knowledge of proper pet care, humane treatment of animals, and positive interpersonal relations irrespective of cultural influences.

In 2008, I conducted a study for the completion of my doctorate in education, introducing companion animals (dogs, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs) into the classroom environment with seventh grade students at William Howard Taft Middle School in San Diego, California.  The purpose of the study was to examine the difference that animal interactions may have on the reading comprehension skills of students in the seventh grade before their twice-annual Degrees of Reading Power test.  Group 1 students had animal interaction experiences while Group 2 students did not have the animal interaction experiences.  Two classes of similar population, age group, and grade were included in the study.  Group 1 was comprised of 29 seventh grade students.  These students received animal interaction experiences for approximately 20 minutes each school day, for five days.  Students in this group received the animal interaction experience during the week immediately preceding the administration of their test.  Group 2 was composed of 26 seventh grade students.  These students did not receive animal interaction experiences before the test.

Taft Middle School was chosen due to its diverse community of students.  In the field of humane education it has been observed that behaviors or attitudes towards animals, especially specific dog breeds, may be modeled by family members and peers.  Taft Middle School is represented by several first and second generation ethnic groups, including Filipino, Vietnames, and Chinese students.   However, Hispanic/Latino students formed the largest group of study participants.  Many of the students had been exposed to dog fighting and dogs as “protection” in their neighborhoods. It was not uncommon for them to see dogs, especially pit bulls, as threats and rats as vermin.

On the first day of the study many of the students demonstrated an aversion to certain animals (rats) and certain dog breeds (pit bulls). As part of the study, the students were encouraged to interact with all of the animals, but personal feelings were respected if a student chose not to interact with a specific animal. Therefore, when the pit bull entered the room, three students’ express desire to leave was respected. However, when the same dog returned to the classroom 2 days later, the students who had left previously chose to stay that time. The dog’s handler noted that other students had complimented the dog for his good behavior and happy demeanor. Perhaps the peer reinforcement received by the fearful students influenced their decision to stay and participate in a new experience; an experience they would not have had if a dog had not been present.

At the end of they study, individual student responses indicated that the students who participated in the animal interaction experiences reported a difference in their enjoyment and attitudes toward school while participating in this study. These responses were communicated in a commemorative book and slide show that were presented to the researcher on the last day of the study. The following statements were excerpts from letters written by study participants.

I can’t wait to come to school every day and meet the animals. This experience has been awesome, I will remember this for a long time.

I thought this experience was great . .. this was a wonderful opportunity for us to interact with these different types of animals.

I also liked the animals . . . they were fun to have in the classroom.

Thank you for coming to our special classroom. I felt awesome that you came.

My classmates were grateful because the dogs were so cool.

Thank you very much for the experience that you gave me because I know that my mom and dad would have never got a opportunity like this before in their life and I am sure that when I have my children I know that I will never have a opportunity like this [for them] especially in school.

Due to district policy, the animal interactions could only be conducted for 20 minutes over a five day time period which resulted in no significantly measurable outcomes, specifically in reading comprehension.  The results had more of a qualitative impact as exhibited through the above student comments.  However, other studies have shown evidence regarding the impact that animal interaction experiences have on the psyche of children.  Levinson (1962) indicated that children who have animals present are more apt to communicate in stressful situations.  Chandler (2011) suggested that students who had consistent animal interaction experiences were more inclined to exhibit compassionate behavior toward others.

The diversity of the student population continues to grow and so does the diversity of the educators and instructional strategies.  Districts and teachers are always in search of various strategies improve achievement, and exposure to animals may be an effective strategy to engage students in learning.  There is a need for funding to be able to continue to conduct further research that measure the effectiveness of direct (hands-on) animal experiences; one that is longer than five days. An in-depth assessment of of the effectiveness of animal interaction experiences could result in an increase of public and private sectors for these types of programs and an increased appreciation for animals in the classroom and humane education program educators.  As rapidly as communities transform and shape themselves to fit into the rest of world society, so must the educational institutions within those societies.  It is imperative that educational institutions demonstrate a basic knowledge of their communities and establish groundwork in order to keep up with these changes.  This should include developing a strategic plan to incorporate companion animals into the learning environment.  This plan could include budgetary processes and program evaluation that would involve a school district’s community of staff, parents and committee members to implement and support the plan.  Strategic plan goals should encompass both student achievement and appropriate management to promote successful program implementation.  By incorporating various strategies and means of understanding, the advanced, average, and at-risk student will benefit from the mission of education to help produce a community with the basic knowledge they need for their pets.

Included with the various strategies to improve student achievement is the incorporation of companion animals in the classroom; inclusion of companion animals in the classroom has an influence on students.  On a qualitative level, this was evidenced by student comments and participation during this study.  Students who had shown fear or aversion to certain animals and certain dog breeds at the beginning of the study were more inclined at the end of the study to interact with the animals.  Most importantly, they looked forward to coming to school and participating in the class activities.

Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The greatness of a nation and its moral process may be judged by the way its animals are treated.”    When educators integrate companion animals into their lessons while educating students, they are teaching far more than testing skills and academic success; they are also teaching life skills and attitudes.  Educators’ partnerships with companion animals can be a powerful tool to inspire and engage students.

This article was written for The Packrat newsletter Spring 2012.  For more information on The Packrat (the official newsletter for the Association for Humane Educators) contact http://www.aphe.org

The Effect of Experiences with Animals on the Reading Comprehension Skills of Students in the Seventh Grade (completed March 2008)

A student, with a previous aversion to small animals, spends time with a companion rat

 

Students with Piglet the guinea pig before their Degrees of Reading Power test

 

A bearded dragon lizard is part of the study