|
|
The aim of outdoor education should be to make our contact
with nature, the self, the elements and environmental study a rewarding
experience, so that our school gardens and parks are sustainable and
enriching.
Sandro Cafolla while being involved in the establishment of projects during the European Year of the Environment
1987, and the subsequent Year of Nature in the mid 1990's, has continuously worked
in guiding Educational programs to promote nature.. there is some waffle
in this text but the examples are clear at the end.
Introduction:
The following example is the result of my experience and is not a comprehensive study but a collection of
ideas and guidelines to help the designer in developing a meaningful an outdoor ecology for
education. Before I start, I need to make the following clear,
'environment' is where we live, 'nature' is how we live and the 'elements' are
what we create life with in our own 'ecologies', ecologies being the symbiotic
connector. All are required for sustainability. 'Sustainable' being the buzz
word. The aim is to make our contact with nature, the self, the elements and
environment a rewarding sustainable and enriching experience.
" It is my concern that a number of projects established in Irish schools since the European Year of the Environment have an ad hoc
design and while many of the projects are valid and excellent media for educating children both in the school and in the outdoor environment in
general, these projects do not provide continuity, do not fully related to the curriculum
(and thus are not truly sustainable) nor go far enough, to reach out and effect
'human nature' and our relationship to nature and our environment".
It is my understanding that the design which brought about these outdoor
school gardens and educational centres was lacking the vision, while seemingly
revolutionary at the time, with hindsight we can see, they did not go far
enough and were short-sighted.
To ensure that environmental and nature projects will stand the test of
time and make a difference to the way education effects the required
changes, we must consider the human condition.
If we are to develop real sustainable environmental education projects
they must have one primary objective, to create an enjoyable interactive
experience that stays with the teacher and child which results in the
person being enabled in making choices and actions where the environment
and nature is considered. The school garden or park project should involve
all teachers and subjects and not rely on one or two teachers and only be
related to very few subjects, or else when one teacher or student changes
subject changes the project can fail.
The aims of the ‘1987 European Year of the Environment’
was to show how everyone could contribute to maintaining and improving the quality of our surroundings on an
every day basis in order to retain a clean and healthy environment.
When our children get out of the 'Box' that is the
classroom they go wild, the experience is fresh, free and like sport,
probably the best they get in school. Isn't it true we all remember the
school day trips and outings. If such is the case, can we target the
experience to 'ingrain', 'reconnect', to develop important understandings
in a child's life, at such 'outdoor times'.
Back then, those of us who were working for change, in
many cases sought to change the effects of our modern life to benefit
nature and not just Environment. 'Environment' being where we live,
'Nature' being what we are and who we are, which includes all the earths
species. Ecologists knew that in cities and even festering waste dumps,
evolution was vital, ecologies flourished and rampancy abound. Today, the
environment is cleaner but also more sterile and the challenge is greater.
Sadly, we have taught people to be clean, as long as things are out of
sight and unrelated to anything else. 'Petrol, war and such.....'
We agreed we needed to change our environment, 'clean up'
but we were being told, to do it for 'sanitary' reasons. Anyway we
did not have the money and our environment was in those days called pristine.
Well what did you expect! between toxic waste dumps in the Silvermines and
Asbestos in Athy, it was clean, as long as you didn't swim in the Irish
'most radioactive sea in the world' sea, eat ' mad cow' meat or chemical veggies,
drink toxic pints and sugar filled goodies. there is and was no real
connection.....
A ‘clean and healthy environment’ must have an environmental educational resource linked to the community’s long-term well
being, where all nature is respected, and that included 'live and let
live' for all life forms. The worlds best school garden next to a
toxic dump isn't really an option...
But nature is what is important and not environment,
ecology is the issue, Often nature is confined to parks, wildlife parks,
thats because we also do such stuff to ourselves, let we explain: pubs are
parks, zoos are parks, there is forest parks, and tourist parks, shopping centres and churches are all parks where we are 'parked' to carry out our
nature in our environment, even when we get a break we head for holiday
resorts, foreign parks. All are devoid of real free ecology, we are
removed from our nature and thus have no real respect for our ecology.
The 'parking' of subject, ideas, people and changes is 'human condition'
typical response to the unknown of ecology, it could also be a male
response, it could be we are still running away from the primordial life
in the ocean, or up the tree. whatever, in post 2000 its easy to see that the
post 'techno-industrialism' of the 'celtic tiger' is fast becoming a
reality, and we need to explain ecology, environment, nature and the
elements, to a new generation. The truth is clear, environment cannot in
itself effect the inner self, we are cleaner but more stressed, richer and
less fit , fatter and less satisfied..
In my work I see that wildlife management if for people to
benefit and understand from it, in all situations requires a regular management program by which the wildlife can time it’s natural feeding and breeding
activities to the environment, the seasons and the elements, in which we
can observe, learn and interact. The school garden is no different.
It goes without saying that most wildlife 'parks' are concerned with ecology and wildlife
and habitat creation. From my experience I can say that good environmental management is borne out of maintenance and restriction of rampant vegetation and other species.
School gardens are similar, management for and of children while
encouraging wildlife, plant growth, a clean safe environment are all
similar.
Thus in the well designed 'park' where careful nature considerate management helps the education process, the design will be sustainable, all be it, semi
wild, designed to allow for the elements, enable ecology, encourage
nature.
Otherwise it is likely that within a few years due to 'excessive management' a
clean up occurs to sterilise the 'park' and people, unknown to themselves will lose interest and the park will fall into abuse and decay and eventually
might even shut down.
People while respecting a clean 'park', also require that nature is present in that
'park' even if nature does not require 'sterile clean', 'nature' if it is
to visit your school wildlife garden or park requires an inherent 'chaos'.
The ducks and the people in St Stephens Green are the chaos in the order
of that park. In the school garden its the event of the butterfly, the
unknown flower blooming, the Song Thrush catching the snail, that makes
the difference. When nature arrives, we respond naturally, our 'inner
nature' lights up and we reconnect, at that precise moment, everything
makes sence, and or we inquire. You want proof, much or our inspiration
for the arts comes from such moments in contact with nature, you know
'Shall I compare thy, to a street pidgeon?' sort-a thing.
The aim is to make our contact with nature, the self, the elements and
environmental study a rewarding experience, so that our school gardens and
parks are sustainable and enriching.
Example: (Out of context but because its what were suppose
to do), It has been decided, that today, seven year old children are going to be shown what happens when nutrients are added to water. On
its own the experience is valid, but is it what we want our multi billion
education system to give our kids?
There is another way, that is linked to historical
respect, scientific understanding, good design and continuity, the basic
of sustainability....
Take those seven year old kids again, in their past year, when the children
were six years old, they may have cut hay from their meadow in their
school garden or park, added it to water to rot down and then composted it
to make the nutrients used when they become seven......... The hay is added to the water and
real deep ecology 'biological' activity commences in more ways than you
can imagine.
Indeed when the children were five and four years old, they saw the meadow flowering and possibly they even sowed some of the seeds.
The example tries to show how each year the children are involved in stages as the project
develops and in the elements and plants in the park or school garden, so
that when they do add boring old straw to boring old plain dull water they
are a we bit more interested.. indeed they may even have recycled
the water.
In the later years in secondary school, this very same example can be
repeated and used to show how children could grow flora and fauna in
enriched ponds and these can be measured and further scientific evaluation can commence. So in designing for this example in the small school project
or park, nutrients and clean water are required and it is the student that should supply these.
Yes, sewerage is a major problem so why not start getting the 'fellas' to
'pee' and recycle it into clean water, if 1 million adults save 1 litre of
water in washing there car each week, thats two weeks water conservation
and saving in the reservoir.
In fact this life is real, inter connected and continuous, that effects effect
all is an attitude, and that this 'ingraining method of education' should be applied to all the situations
so that at each stage of development, the child has been connected from the previous stage of development.
That is what sustainable really is. That is the only way we will get real
'political' citizens for the future.
In my work I see many ad hoc situations where the approach to planting for education only works well in very closed situations or controlled situations where little interference is
guaranteed and one teacher is responsible, hence the reason for good early design and furthermore the school
should demand a fluidity within the educational project so that materials are ready at hand and when
needed, so all teachers can use the resource for all subjects. I shall quickly run through
an example.
Example: Young children measuring (maths) a modelling clay (art) (physics)
while older children use the clay for building (history) and
modelling. Clay is also a good medium to learn about organic materials
(biology) (chemistry) and how these materials break down and also about the action of frost. Children can learn the differences and the needs for good planting and management of
soils, when using clay, something which affects their interaction in all
future situations, as they observe growth.....
Clay can be made into potting composts or form the basis of beds for seed sowing especially where the clay has been
mixed and worked. The same type of example applies to the raising of trees. Willow and Poplar
trees, love clay, cuttings can grow to 1 metre plus height in six to eight months in the summer season.
The sustainable continuous example, would be to first identify these plants, then to cut them, then to produce the propagation beds, to plant
the cuttings, usually through black plastic in well manured beds to allow for growth and then to develop the planting of the outdoor
plantation, and make baskets, fuel, paper and recycle it all back to the
earth. the children can be involved in all the stages of this action, be
it in Maths, science, home economics, history, geography, language studies
all fit this activity. It's no longer isolated from another subject, every
teacher can get involved, and if you really want too, do it all at once..
The objectives for the children learning science is to develop an inquiring mind and a scientific approach to
problems, to enable them to learn about life and living it. The following titles are
recognised objectives in Irish schools. It is through the design process primarily, finding out your objectives and secondarily, designing the
garden/park to achieve those objectives is what I am now concerned with.
1. Interpreting Findings Correctly
In measuring tree heights in unfertilised and fertilised beds.
2. Appreciating Patterns and Relationships.
Placing bare hands against a cold north facing wall in winter and then moving quickly to south face and finding any difference in temperature.
Apply this to plant placement and growth against south walls.
3. Communicating
Painting scenes from the garden, writing essays using the garden as a base suggestion and taking the responsibility to tell other students what is happening in a particular place in the park.
4. Acquiring Knowledge and Learning skills
Tree names, soil types and the fundamental basic principal of the elements can be explored
in the park. Touch is all important. So too is the working together physically while not in a sporting or classroom situation.
Specifically the design here would suggest that there were varied trees, varied soil types and all the elements can be found in the garden.
5. Posing Questions and Devising Experiments
What mediums would plants grow in? Water, sand, soil, sawdust, compost, wet paper. Why do they grow? Add nutrients and see the changing results.
6. Developing Basic concepts and Logical Thinking
While horticulture and agricultural training benefit from early contact with nature, my view of basic concepts is where the fundamentals of community are under stood by working with nature. Logical thought follows.
An example is to establish plant systems which benefit each other and others which are antagonistic to members of that community.
Experiments would include the growing of plants at widely spaced intervals without weeds. Plants would then be grown with symbiotic species and in grasslands and weeds which would most likely restrict the growth of specified plants.
7. Observing, Exploring and Ordering Observations
Exploring and observing is the basic necessity for continuing research in my work and in the work of many environmentalists and I would certainly like to pass that skill on to others and stress its importance, through observing and exploring experiences is gained.
8. Developing Interests, Attitudes and Aesthetic Awareness
While prizes for projects can be used successfully, I prefer the direct responsibility given to children in developing their own play spaces which can often be as small as 100cm. The range and variety each child produces is fascinating.
As this essay is by example only, it is up to you the designer and teacher to work out your own examples and relationships, the objectives and use them for each age group so that each project will follow on from the last. The procedure is as follows:
a) Define the objective
b) Define the lesson
c) Develop the lesson from the younger age groups to the older age groups so that at each age the child is aware of what went before and is aware of the new materials as they are introduced into the project.
Assessing the size of the class and this bears a direct relationship to the quantity of materials needed.
In conclusion I return to the objectives for children learning science. it is up to you to sit down , using the eight objectives, and place them in to to develop a pattern which follows through the entire
garden and park for each class.
Given the number of days we have to actually get out in the winter months, I would suggest keeping the number of lessons to a simple ten to twenty minutes and developing them over the years so that the
program itself is established and continues. All other activities while on the periphery will enhance the basic educational value designed into the
garden or park.
|
|
SHOP
