Barbara Mertin (Austria)Barbara Mertin (Austria)

Senior Ranger & Beaver SpecialistSenior Ranger & Beaver Specialist

Danube Floodplain NationalparkDanube Floodplain Nationalpark

Varna / BulgariaVarna / Bulgaria

20.4.201220.4.2012

Definition of Interpretation

Principles of Interpretation

Learning Concepts

Props

This & that

An educational activity which aims to

reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original

objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than

simply to communicate factual

information.Freeman Tilden

Interpretation is relevant to the experience of the visitor

Interpretation is revelation based on information

Interpretation is an artInterpretation should provoke not simply

instructInterpretation should present a whole, not just a

partInterpretation for children should follow a

different approach

INSIDE : The experience happens in INSIDE : The experience happens in your visitors‘ perceptions, seen your visitors‘ perceptions, seen by their point of view, created by by their point of view, created by a combination of their feelings, a combination of their feelings, sensations and prior experiences. sensations and prior experiences. You can‘t control this!You can‘t control this!

OUTSIDE: An experience is made up OUTSIDE: An experience is made up of many seperate pieces outside of many seperate pieces outside the visitor. You can control nearly the visitor. You can control nearly every aspect of this!every aspect of this!

To understand the parts, we must first see the whole.

Unless helped, we often fail to find, see, or comprehend. Discovery makes learning fun.

Props

PropPropA physical aid that A physical aid that strengthens or strengthens or supports an supports an interpretive interpretive messagemessage

real objects

are taken from nature

such as feathers, antlers,

bones, etc.

Models and replicas appear for the

more or the less real such as

animal sculptures made of plastic , wood or synthetic

resin, puppets, cast of animal

tracks, etc.

2 D-Art Design

such as maps,

pictures, diagrams,

documents, etc.

Instruments & Audio examples

such as bird whistles, CD/MP3-

Player for demonstrating bird calls, instruments

for imitating natural sounds ,

bat-detector

Didactical material

Mirrors, magnifying glasses, blindfolds,

ropes, rubber stamps, etc.

Guided imageryGuided imagery

A mental journey that is facilitated, A mental journey that is facilitated, led or described led or described by the interpreter to help visitors by the interpreter to help visitors experience a situation or scenario that experience a situation or scenario that they probably would not they probably would not be able to experience in personbe able to experience in person

DramaDrama

Understanding your Understanding your audienceaudience

International GroupsInternational Groups

Knowing your audienceKnowing your audience

Researching the ResourceResearching the Resource

Connecting Tangibles to Connecting Tangibles to IntangiblesIntangibles

Defining Universal ConceptsDefining Universal Concepts

Providing people with new Providing people with new perspectivesperspectives

Landscapes have histories and these are Landscapes have histories and these are contained contained

not only in the soils and fauna, and in the not only in the soils and fauna, and in the traces of traces of

human life, but also in the history of the human life, but also in the history of the ways of ways of

seeing the Land.seeing the Land. Bernard Bernard

Cohen 1997Cohen 1997