Natural History
About the adviser
Dr Ian Lancaster, Subject Adviser for Natural History
Before retiring I was involved in teaching and lecturing in Biology (with some Geology and some Physical Geography) for about 35 years. My academic background is mainly in Marine Biology, Evolutionary Biology, and Ecology (BSc, MSc, PhD) but there is nothing in the natural world that is not of interest.
I have been Education Officer with a County Conservation Trust, worked with the Field Studies Council teaching fieldwork on the seashore, and have Fellowships with the Marine Biological Association, Linnean Society, Zoological Society, Geological Society and Royal Geographical Society. I am also particularly fond of studying landscapes and the history of natural history (especially the lives and works of such as Hugh Miller and Philip Henry Gosse).
Throughout my teaching career in Secondary, Tertiary and Further Education I have tried to take a practical/project approach to learning and feel that there is a lot of potential for this with groups within the u3a.
What is 'Natural History'?
A question I have been asked many times is what, exactly, is Natural History? Is Natural History the same as Biology? The Cambridge Schools Examination Board is proposing to run a GCSE in Natural History so, presumably, it is seen as different from their existing courses in Biology, but it could lead to an interesting discussion – can you truly appreciate the complexity of the natural world without understanding at least something of how its various components actually work? That is why, to me, the two are inseparable (and also bring in aspects of Geology and Geography).
The Cambridge Board offers a definition of Natural History which includes “seeking to understand the diversity, complexities and interconnectedness of life on earth in contrasting habitats, and exploring how our natural world has been shaped and how it continues to change, both by natural processes and through human intervention”. They claim that studying Natural History “makes an important contribution to understanding the relationship between the natural world and culture, policy decisions, scientific research and technology”. So, a pretty broad brush!
I was involved with curriculum design for the modular A-Level Biology many years ago, representing the then Institute of Biology, and I was pleased that so many of my academic colleagues agreed that the main role of Biology was precisely that – to understand how the natural world worked. You can, of course, specialise in its various parts but none of them, however detailed, exists in isolation. Thus, “Natural History” can be seen as an umbrella term for all appreciation and understanding of the natural world. (Discuss!)
Resources
There is absolutely no shortage of resources for encouraging an interest in Natural History. There are videos/DVDs of very high quality (Attenborough alone could fill a programme of talks and discussions lasting years!), there are some very interesting YouTube clips of programmes made long ago (though sometimes, regrettably, of poor visual quality), and there are podcasts, museum visits, nature reserves, etc. There are speakers who make a comfortable living from giving talks to groups such as u3a and some are very good indeed, though this could be an expensive route to take and risks making the group rather ‘passive’. A good place to check would be the adverts at the back of some of the popular Natural History magazines (of which there are many!).
A recent book which I have encountered would be an excellent resource for discussions. This is Nature’s Memory by Jack Ashby. It deals with the ways that museums display, and select for display, so many of their exhibits. Since so much of what we think we understand about nature is a reflection of how we see nature (or how it is shown to us!), this book is very provocative. A similar case for discussion could undoubtedly be made for the enormous body of natural history documentaries on television.
How I can help
I've created a useful guide below for starting a Natural History Group with your u3a.
Starting a new Natural History group with your u3a (52.84 KB)
If you would like to talk about starting or running a Natural History group at your u3a, or anything else related to Natural History, please contact me via my contact form. I love being involved in designing projects and trying to make them work, however unlikely the setting. Let’s work together to make Natural History a success with your u3a.