Kids and Critters in Class Together

Abstract

The authors describe their continuing inquiry, which aims to document how human/animal interaction shapes - and possibly improves - children's learning in the classroom and elsewhere. A FEW winters ago, our local newspaper sponsored a competition for children in area schools, which asked them to send in their favorite stories about pet animals. The paper received 75 entries and published several of the best stories. Out of the 75 entries, 38 were stories about dogs, 23 about cats, and 14 about other pets, such as guinea pigs, chameleons, and horses. Many of the stories illustrate just how close and complex are the relationships that children have with companion animals.1 For instance, one youngster wrote about Sunshine, the family dog, who was described as the first of the parents. Some stories were sadder. After having been sick for just a few days, Tickles the died at the feet of the child who wrote about her. The interactions between animals and children are neither random nor rare. Children spend a disproportionate amount of time with animals. They are intensely, perhaps naturally, interested in animals.2 For instance, dog and cat are the two most frequently looked up entries in World Book Encyclopedia.3 Children voluntarily read about what is interesting to them, and companion animals top the list. Pets, Child Development, And Classroom Learning There is growing evidence that interaction with animals has important implications for child development, especially in the areas of social growth and communication.4 One study demonstrated that animals facilitate social interaction no matter whether they are cats, dogs, birds, or spiders.5 There is even evidence that the mere presence of animals alters a child's attitudes toward him- or herself and improves the ability to relate to others.6 In addition, caring for a pet is a particularly effective way to teach our children how to be nurturing and respectful of nature.7 The role pets play in the physical and emotional well-being of their owners has received considerable attention in the popular media, as have studies of the use of pets in hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities.8 However, the presence and use of pets in schools has not been as widely studied or publicized.9 Pets are common in classrooms, particularly at the elementary level, and a number of programs exist to encourage their use.10 Here we offer a glimpse of our ongoing research, ending with a call for collaboration in the further study of human/animal interactions in classroom settings. Our Findings As we began our research on companion animals in classrooms, we reviewed the scant research literature in the area. Our research questions are documentary (What is out there?) as well as analytic (How are pets used?). The analytic question splits into cognitive and moral dimensions. We are particularly intrigued by the interplay of learning about pet animals (involving questions in biology) with learning about their care (involving issues in ethics and economics). For instance, we have noted that teachers use pet animals to teach such biological topics as the life cycle of birth to death, while also teaching about proper care of the creatures, including the financial and human resources necessary to keep a pet animal healthy. In the fall of 1996 and 1997, we conducted a pilot survey that documented the presence and roles of companion animals in the classrooms of 150 teachers in seven local elementary schools. Seventy- six teachers responded (50.66%); of those, 29 (38.15%) had pet animals in their classrooms. The range of pet animals was wide: turtles and guinea pigs were the most common, though there were some exotic pets such as chinchillas, spiders, and birds. At the end of 1998 we sent out 1,999 surveys to elementary school teachers in a cross section of school districts in Indiana and received 428 responses (21. …