Comments from Participants

Most worthwhile. The activities are fresh and eminently workable. They also generate an amount of enthusiasm for science I felt before was not possible. Thank you for the most enjoyable inservice course I have participated in for quite a number of years.

—South Coast Teacher

If I can impart half of what I learnt during this course, I will be very happy.

—Western Region Teacher

This was the most practical (and certainly the most enjoyable) in service course that I've ever attended - maximum participation, maximum communication and maximum usefulness -congratulations. My only regret was that it was too short.

—North Sydney Region Teacher

The most "feeling" course I have ever been to, given by a true person of nature. No one, especially children, who feel so much, could fail to learn and love our world when taught in this manner.

—Metropolitan West Region Teacher

Joseph Cornell conducted a series of inservice courses for teachers, and community workshops for park rangers and the general public throughout New South Wales, and in Victoria and Queensland. In the brief period of one month he met with 700 people and conducted 12 teacher inservice workshops and 7 community workshops. During Joseph Cornell's Australian tour approximately 600 copies of his book "Sharing Nature with Children" were sold.

Joseph Cornell has left a lasting impression in Australia. A number of people have likened Joseph Cornell to a modern day St. Francis owing to his love, care and sensitivity towards the natural world. His nature-awareness workshops were enthusiastically received by all that attended. Many people discovered a deeper sensitivity about nature that they had overlooked or forgotten when teaching children to understand and be aware of the natural environment.

The practical, intensive, realistic, helpful, enjoyable, worthwhile and sensitizing activities presented through gaming techniques provided teachers with valuable resources to use when teaching science. Many felt this type of science was real "applied" science in which actual learning through feeling and first experience occurred in a realistic manner. One teacher remarked that it was the first time in 40 years that she had really felt confident in teaching science to children.

In conclusion I feel that Joseph Cornell's tour to Australia challenged many people to reconsider their approach and feelings for the natural work. By sharing nature with Joseph, many Australians have now richer lives to share with others. It has definitely been Australia's gain to have a sincere and sensitive Joseph Cornell showing us many things about our own country of which we were not aware.

David Tribe,Environmental Education Consultant,
Department of Education, New South Wales