Part 1: Evidence of Competency (25 pts)

Embed within your academic/professional on-line portfolio evidence of your competency

to interpret personal interpretive programs (guided interpretation).
Include in your evidence:
a. a minimum 30-60 second video of you delivering a guided interpretive program
(10)
b. updated and completed interpretive program cover sheet and planning worksheet
(5)
c. copies of your certificates of completion (5)
d. peer or instructor evaluations/feedback (5)
e. other items that provide evidence (if available)

Part 2: Written Final (75 pts)

1. Draw/explain the interpretive necklace. Identify each part and explain how it is
related to the other pieces. (6)
a. Introduction
i. This part is mean to engage and capture the audience. Introduction of
the theme occurs during the intro. It is a time to give the participants
the information about what to expect in the body of the presentation
b. Body
i. This is when the theme is supported through evidence. There may be
multiple topics and subtopic depending on the length of the project.
c. Conclusion
i. The portion in which the topics/sub topics are related back to the
theme.
2. Provide two examples of how you can make sure your interpretive program is
content accurate. (2)
a. One way to make sure your interpretive program has accurate content is too
use credible print sources. Credible sources can include scholarly articles,
published books, government websites/publications, educational
publications/websites (Colleges, Universities, Educational Institutions), etc.
There are many credible print resources but with today's internet resources
there is far more no credible sources than credible ones, so "proceed with
caution" when using online print resources.
b. A second way to make sure your interpretive program "content accurate" is
consulting a professional in your programs field. For example, let's say you
were giving a presentation on the impact of the gray wolf on the upper
peninsulas ecosystem. As an interpreter you may not know very much on the
topic but it is your job to educate others about the topic. Seeking a
professional such as a wildlife biologist from the Michigan DNR or a university
professor that studies wolves. These individuals can give you guidance and
can even help you develop your program. Professionals in your programs
field can help drastically improve your interpretive program.

3. Choose one of the following topics and write a theme statement for a potential interpretive
talk (Landmark Hotel, ore dock, iron ore, maple trees, pasties, Bishop Baraga, Lake
Superior, George Shiras III, peregrine falcon). (2).
a. Iron ore is a resources that has impacted the peoples and the environment of Upper
Peninsula in the past, present, and even the future.
4. Identify a current job announcement for an interpretive position. Explain how you are
qualified for this job and explain what you will need to do to meet the qualifications you do
not possess. (5)
a. Job Found: Through usajobs.gov I found a job posting for a Park Ranger
(Interpretation) at Fossil Butte National Monument
b. Qualifications Requried: You have to meet the GS-05 qualifications for the job which
entails:
i.

"A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 level in the federal
service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular
knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position.
Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife
management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park related work.
Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to, Park Guide or tour leader;
environmental educator or teacher; law enforcement or investigative work; archaeological or
historical preservation research work; forestry and/or fire management work in a park,
recreation, or conservation area; management, assistant, or program specialist work involving
the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or
management of park areas or similar operations; or other similar work. -OR-B. A 4 year course
of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related
course work. One year of full time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45
quarter hours. -OR- C. Equivalent combinations of education and experience."

c. Am I qualified for the Postion?

i. I am almost qualified for the position once I graduate college I will have the
"4 years of course study above high school". I will have way more than the 24
semester hours of the related work because my entire major is related to the
field, so that definitely gives me a leg up. This is actually a job that I am very
interested in and the pay is great (15.80 an hour!).
5. Explain what the National Association for Interpretation is and what becoming a Certified
Interpretive Guide entails. Explain how the NAI can be a resource for you as a professional
interpreter. (4)
a. The National Association for Interpretation is a professional organization, which is a
resource for students, educators, and professionals in the field. The organization
seeks to advance the career field through educational resources, conferences, etc.
etc.
b. The NAI describes itself on its website as
i. " The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
professional organization dedicated to advancing the profession of heritage
interpretation, currently serving about 5,000 members in the United States,
Canada, and over thirty other nations. Individual members include those who
work at parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums,
historical and cultural sites, commercial tour companies, and theme parks.
Commercial and institutional members include those who provide services to
the heritage interpretation industry."
c. About a being a Certified Interpretive Guide is a program offered by NAI and is a 36
hour course. The course requires practice interpretation programs, a variety or
reading and research, and a 50 question literature review.
d. The NAI can provide a variety of resources to me, including a certification program,
networking resources (conferences, online forums), and educational resources such
as program ideas.
6. Audiences who attend Interpretation programs are non-captive.

a. With that in mind, what are four different motivations an audience member might
have for attending your program? (2)
i. Fun:They want to attend a interpretation because they are looking for a fun
positive experience
ii. Self-Improvement: They may want to further their self by attending the
interpretive program
iii. Passing-Time: They may be at your program because they had nothing else to
do, for example waiting to meet someone so they decide to go on your
program to kill time
iv. Interest- Your participant may be there because they are genuinely interested
in your topic.
b. Knowing these motivations, what will you do to keep this person engaged during
your program? (1)
i. In order to keep your audience engaged during the program you need to
make the program applicable to their personal experiences. If the participant
does not feel related to the program in any way they will lose interest.
7. Choose one of the following resource examples and explain how you would help your
visitor relate to the resource. (2)
i. Natural environment resource: geology
ii. Historical /Cultural resource: mining industry
1. If I was doing an interpretive program I think a great way to connect
the visitors to the mining resource is to provide different mineral
examples of what was being mined, so they can see/touch/smell the
mineral. I would also have the class complete a brainstorming session
as to what the minerals would be used to make.
8. Select one object you can see in your current location and complete the following:
a. Provide a list of 3 tangibles, 3 intangibles, and 2 universal concepts for the object
you selected (4)
i. Tangible-The mine itself
ii. Tangible-Minerals removed from the mine
iii. Tangible-Lunch of the miners
iv. Intangible-Self-reliance
v. Intangible-Comradery between the miners
vi. Intangible-Promise of a better way of life
vii. Universal Concept-Hope
viii. Universal Concept -Death
b. Provide an example of how you can help your audience relate to one of your
universal concepts. Be specific. (2)
i. The universal concept I choose is Death. Death was a common part of life in
the mines and it happened almost every day. I think that the threat the
miners had imposed on them was very really that the best way to understand
their emotions would be a visualization exercise. I would have the
participants close their eyes and walk them through the emotions and
thoughts of miner as they went to work. This would allow them to use their
imagination to sense the fear that the miners had when they went to work.
9. Demonstrate your understanding of each of Freeman Tildens 6 principles by stating the
principle and then providing an example of that principle in an interpretive program. You
may phrase this answer as either an example you have seen or a way that you would
integrate it into a program. (3 points for each principle. Total points for question#10 is
18pts.)
a. "Any interpretation that does not somehow relate what is being displayed or
described to something within the personality or experience of the visitor will be
sterile."

i. The personal experiences of the visitor is one of the most essential

components to an interpretive program. The interpretive program MUST
relate to the visitor in some way in order for them to feel a connection to the
resource being interpreted. In my Ore Dock presentation I attempted to
connect the meaning of the ore dock to the participants to what the ore dock
meant to the Marquette community while it was in use, highlighting the
similarities and differences between the two.
b. "Information, as such, is not Interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon
information. But they are entirely different things. However all interpretation
includes information."
i. Information plays an essential role in an interpretive program; without it a
program could not exist. The information about a topic should be gathered in
such a way and presented that it allows the visitor to play upon their own
personal experiences. Thus creating a emotionally applicable interpretive
program. For example I went to a interpretive program at a old military fort in
Minnesota the program had a lot of information but the information that I
remember is things that they related to me such as what a 20 year old man
would be doing the fort at the time.
c. "Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts, whether the materials
presented are scientific, historical or architectural. Any art is in some degree
teachable."
i. Interpretation is an art. It is an art because the information is presented in a
way that is personally related to the audience. In order to relate something to
an audience on a personal level it is an art. For example a professor that
gives a one hour lecture in which they just talk it they are using words to try
and inform the public but in reality the audience retains very little of the
information. But a national park guide giving a presentation on the Grand
Canyon utilizes multiple sense of the audience, such as touching the
resource, smelling, and sight. Engaging multiple senses is an art in itself.
d. "The chief aim of Interpretation is not instruction, but provocation."
i. To me I interpret this as that an interpretation does not seek to inform
individuals but to inspire a fascination with something; to connect the
individual to the resource and a level deeper than just information. The
interpreter wants to ignite a fire of wonder and imagination for the visitor. For
example for my Ore Dock presentation I did not just want to give information
in a way that was purely just reciting facts and dates, I attempted to ignite
the idea that the ore dock has been a symbol of Marquette and it has been a
essential part of Marquette's culture.
e. "Interpretation should aim to present a whole rather than a part, and must address
itself to the whole man rather than any phase."
i. Interpretation should not just focus on something that is just a part of the
whole. For example for my guided walk and tour I did a presentation on
coniferous trees of the Upper Peninsula. I did not want to just talk about the
trees in the guided talk, I made an emphasis on the ecosystem as a whole
and the role that coniferous trees played in it.
f. "Interpretation addressed to children (say up to the age of twelve) should not be a
dilution of the presentation to adults, but should follow a fundamentally different
approach. To be at its best it will require a separate program."
i. Interpretation
10.You have been assigned the responsibility of explaining interpretation to the RE 191
Professional Development Seminar class. In a maximum of 4 sentences explain what
interpretation is to this group (2)

a. Interpretation is an art that connected the resource to the individual's experiences.

Thus creating a program that is personally applicable and relevant to the audience.
11.Explain how each of the following must be taken into consideration when designing an
interpretive program: Agency, Visitor, Resource, and Interpreter. (4)
a. Agency- It is essential that the goals and mission of the agency is reflected within
your interpretive program. The mission must be reflected in your interruptive
theme.
b. Visitor- The visitor needs to be taken into consideration because they are noncaptive. Attention needs to be paid to them because they are there by choice. The
visitor's emotions need to be taken into consideration because the program needs
to be reflected by them as a positive experience.
c. Resource- The resource needs to be preserved and protected. Interpretation seeks
to bring respect to the resource. It is essential the interpretive program highlights
the priority of protecting the resource for the future generation.
d. Interpretation - Interpretation is the method in which the resource is taught about.
The method in which you interpret the resource can be reflected in the audience's
experience.
12.Describe how to create an interpretive program using the Interpretive Equation: (Ka + Kr)
x AT = IO (3)
i. KA=Knowledge of audience
1. The audience is essential to the program. Understand what the
audience is seeking and their characteristics For example age,
captive/non-captive, interests, background, etc.
ii. KR=Knowledge or resource
1. The knowledge of the resource is important. The interpreter needs to
find reliable information from varying sources. Libraries, primary
accounts, archives, online research.
iii. AT=Appropriate technique
1. Using the appropriate technique with the knowledge about the
resource and audience is what "makes the magic" of interpretation
happen. The interpretation technique could be a guided walk,
characterization, personification, etc.
iv. IO=Interpretive opportunity
1. The interpretive opportunity is the ability for the audience to connect
their own personal experiences to the resource being in interpreted.
13.Using a ven diagram, show how an interpretive talk, guided walk & tour, and
characterization/personification are similar and different. (6)
Characterization
-Takes the role of the resource
-The interpreter seeks to engage
the individual through acting
-The interpreter plays attention
to very small details which
makes a huge difference

-The program is
typically shorter
in nature

Interpretive Talk
-The program is typically
shorter in nature
-The program takes place in
one location
-the participants may come
and go as they please

-The program
may take place
in more than
-They are all
one spot
methods of
connecting a
resource to
the
Guided walk/tour
participant
-The group is walked though

-The resource is
interpreted from
an objective
view point

the resources
-The risks involve movement
-The interpreters program is
based on the surroundings;
buildings, outdoor area,
historic battle field, etc.
-the group can be moved
using buses, trains, airplanes,
etc.

14.Create a timeline which includes:

a. At least three people who have contributed to the development of interpretation,
explaining who they are and how they have contributed to the development of the
profession. (6)
b. Significant events, developments, and/or organizations that have contributed to the
development of interpretation as a professional field. (4)
i. *See Below Timeline*