The Freelance Condition & Lifelong Learning in Communities
INFORMAL EDUCATION AND THE 'GIG' ECONOMY
The Freelance Condition and Lifelong Learning in Communities project advances the field of informal education by investigating how independent educators in natural resource fields and environmental education work in their communities.
I focus on freelance professionals specifically because of their ability to move through communities and create change in a variety of settings.
Who are these freelance educators?
What do they do?
Where do they work?
How do they lead?
What do they need to be better leaders?
These are some of the questions I seek to answer.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Did you know the average American spends less than 5% of their life in the classroom (Falk & Dierking, 2010)? Most learning throughout one's life occurs outside of the classroom. If most learning happens outside of school, then this means most people learn about plants, nature, and science-related topics outside of school. I assert many people learn from independent professionals working in informal learning environments. Where do they learn from these independent professionals? What do they learn? I hope to find answers to these questions.
Are you an independent professional working in environmental education, natural resource fields, nature and heritage interpretation, or a related field?
Do you create connections between people and nature?
I would like to speak with you.
Please consider sharing your story.
Not sure if you are a freelance educator?
For this project, a "freelance educator" or “freelance environmental education professional” or “independent environmental education professional” is someone who does not receive income as an employee (W-2 income) for the programs, products, or learning experiences they create. Freelance educators, like other independent professionals paid for their services, work one project, one event, or one gig at a time. If this describes you, please consider sharing your story.
Do you have a full-time job and engage in freelance educational work on the side? Please consider sharing your story.
Over the years, I have met many passionate, independent professionals who strive to connect people to the outdoors through their work. I have often wondered how many other professionals like them (and me) are out there in the world. I have also wondered how each of them contributes to the public's understanding of nature and the environment. This investigation represents the first step towards describing this subsection of the environmental education field.
The Freelance Project is an initiative by Talaterra
Talaterra is changing the field of freelance environmental education to make it a sustainable career choice. It fosters an understanding of how freelance educators work in their communities and brings attention to the depth, breadth, and knowledge of those who work in this capacity.
Currently, Talaterra oversees the following initiatives:
The Freelance Condition and Lifelong Learning in Communities Project
Talaterra podcast, a podcast for and about freelance educators working in natural resource fields and environmental education. Guests include independent professionals, researchers, and others whose work helps to facilitate connections between people and the outdoors.
EE Forward, professional development and partnership-building for independent environmental education professionals.
The Talaterra podcast is featured in the Sept/Oct 2019 issue of Legacy, the magazine of the National Association for Interpretation. Read More
Subscribe to The Trail
You are invited to join a growing community of independent environmental professionals. Subscribe to The Trail, the newsletter for freelance professionals by entering your email address in the subscription box at Talaterra.com.
Literature Cited
Falk, J.H. and Dierking, L.D. (2010). The 95 percent solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science. American Scientist, 98(6): 486-493