Whether for high school seniors about to head off to university, or preschoolers just beginning their educational career, the Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] has been offering a wide variety of hands-on learning opportunities for Bermuda’s students for many years – and all free of charge for the students and teachers who attend.

BZS Educator Sarrah Hamza shows students a lobster skeleton.

The goal of our educational programmes is to inspire students of all ages to understand, appreciate and care for the natural world. We design our classes to engage students and use different activities, field trips and our marvelous animal collection to bring the principles of science to life,” explains Dr. Jamie Bacon, BZS Education Officer.

Each year, more thousands of students attend the wide selection of science- and conservation-based classes that cover numerous topics in the fields of biology, zoology, ecology, marine and environmental science. In fact, in November 2014 alone, 999 students enjoyed educational experiences at BZS.

BZS Education Officer Dr. Jamie Bacon demonstrates to students
how muscles and tendons work using chicken and turkey wings

All of the classes offered have been carefully developed by our team of educators and scientists with Bermuda’s unique environment in mind, and cover key curriculum points from the Ministry of Education’s school curriculums, which are highlighted for teachers to better enhance classroom teaching.

What has been particularly beneficial, especially for teachers, is seeing how hands-on education can help their students, especially those students who are non-traditional learners. Studies have shown that these types of participatory classes – where students are able to see and do experiments first hand, and to touch and feel – really enhance student comprehension.

Teacher Zonique James from Port Royal Primary School loves to bring her students to classes at BZS: “Hands on learning fosters deeper understanding and mastery of content. Many teachers find motivating students difficult, but hands on learning sparks student interest and they love discovering new things through exploration. Students learn best by doing and hands on learning supports that especially in science. I enjoy watching students apply learning in the classroom through hands on learning and utilization of critical thinking skills.”

St. George’s Prep student Jacobi Fox explores underwater while
his class participated in “Water is Me” this past fall

Any school or educational group in Bermuda can benefit from the educational class offerings at BZS.

In addition to the extensive list of classes available, which is growing all the time, BZS’s education team can also personalize or develop special classes to meet specific needs. “In fact, it often is requests for classes on new and interesting topics that inspire the Education Department to expand its course offerings,” notes Dr. Bacon.

Teachers can download brochures highlighting our classes from our website at bamz.org/education.php, or by contacting Dr. Jamie Bacon, at edofficer.bzs@gov.bm.