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- Herausgeber: Crown House Publishing
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Serie: Independent Thinking on series
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Foreword by Ian Gilbert. At a time of unprecedented challenges in relation not only to the climate crisis but also to children's and adolescents' mental health, connecting to nature offers an accessible and desirable way forward for today's learners - especially those living in urban surroundings. Bringing together evidence from psychology, environmental science and education, Alexia aims to support teachers as they provide meaningful experiences rooted in learning about and through nature. The book can be used in two ways: to inspire individual sessions in nature, or to support teachers in building a cohesive outdoor-learning curriculum throughout the school. Featuring practical advice, case studies and discussion of original theory, the book aims to inspire, motivate and stimulate educators to engage with alternative approaches to teaching in the outdoors and with nature in mind - and in such a way that promotes students' learning and fosters a long-lasting relationship with nature. Independent Thinking on Nature-Based Learningshares case studies and examples of good practice from a variety of settings - ranging from kindergarten to secondary. Detailing the physical and psychological benefits of being outdoors, the book suggests ways to help build young people's connection with nature and support their autonomy in naturalspaces. Alexia offersideas on how to weave nature and the outdoors into the very fabric of the curriculum - for example, in relation to art, literature and technology. Suitable for teachers and outdoor-learning leaders in early years through to secondary schools. Independent Thinking on Nature-Based Learningis one of a number of books in the Independent Thinking On seriesfrom the award-winning Independent Thinking Press.
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This is a highly readable, useful summary of why nature matters and its positive impact. It is essential reading for any educator that places health and well-being at the heart of their curriculum and explains why children and staff need frequent and regular time in natural spaces for learning and play. More than that, Alexia explains how to ensure that this time is mediated sensitively to best effect. It is a call to literally ‘green’ our practice.
JULIET ROBERTSON, AUTHOR OF DIRTY TEACHING AND MESSY MATHS
I loved reading this book! Not only is it accessible and engaging, it offers support and challenge to educators in considering, and adopting, nature-based practice. It is an invitation to become part of a conversation; a movement, a culture shift, where we relearn to be part of nature – not apart from nature. Full of provocations, tips and examples, this book is sure to become an essential addition to the practitioner toolbox.
MAIRI FERRIS, THRIVE OUTDOORS FUND MANAGER, INSPIRING SCOTLAND
Every child deserves a teacher who has read Alexia’s latest book, and it couldn’t come at a better time following the global experience of a pandemic. Bringing together her extensive understanding of research related to nature connection and nature-based learning, this enjoyable read is inspiring and practical; relevant for teachers across early years to secondary and for student teachers. The short case studies are invaluable and it comes with activities to help everyone take steps forward in nature-based learning.
DR LAUREN BOATH, SENIOR LECTURER IN SCIENCE EDUCATION (PHYSICS), DIRECTOR OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION & UNDERGRADUATE, UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
BDrawing on her vast experience as a teacher, lecturer and mother, and as the daughter of a committed naturalist, Dr Barrable delivers expert advice on how we can help children cultivate a love for the natural world. Her key message is that we cannot connect to nature just by being in contact with it. She shows how empathy and compassion need to be nurtured whilst also referencing a range of published research that demonstrates the significance of an improved relationship with nature. It is the combination of tried and tested practical examples, linked to relevant academic research, that makes this book such a gem for educators and anyone interested in igniting and developing children’s love of nature. A serious topic and a joyful read that any teacher would be grateful for.
DR DYLAN ADAMS, SENIOR LECTURER IN EDUCATION, CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Alexia Barrable’s timely book concisely takes us through the multitudinous benefits of regular contact with the natural world. The book is aimed at educators of children, but the content contains valuable lessons for us all. This is in the form of citing research on brain function and behaviour which illustrates why these benefits accrue but, just as importantly for teachers, there are many practical examples to show them how and why access to nature is vital, both inside and outside the classroom.
As a head teacher of 20 years, I learned much from this book as well as being reminded about how valuable nature-based learning is and how we ignore it at our peril. If every school adopted its practices in full, the education system would have little to worry about and we would have much less to worry about regarding the education system.
DR DAVID DIXON, EX-HEAD TEACHER, EDUCATION CONSULTANT, AUTHOR OF LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY
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INDEPENDENT THINKING ON ...
NATURE-BASED LEARNING
Alexia Barrable
IMPROVING LEARNING AND WELL-BEING BY TEACHING WITH NATURE IN MIND
FOREWORD
Anyone with young children knows that a ‘lovely walk in the countryside’ is the worst thing you can do to engender a life-long love of nature in them. That mile-long hike to see the stunning waterfall/special tree/amazing view soon becomes a painful trudge accompanied by a regular chorus of ‘Are we there yet?’ and ends with at least one point of agreement – never again.
Then you wake up one morning and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and your optimism, like the sap in spring, is rising and off you go again. If only you stopped and realised that nature isn’t something ‘over there’. It’s everywhere. If only you stopped and realised you can find as much beauty in an overgrown verge as you can in that stunning waterfall/special tree/amazing view. If only you kitted yourselves out for the hike but went as far as the muddy puddle within sight of the house and just stopped there. And played. For an hour.
A love of nature is a beautiful thing. Natural, if you like. But it is fragile. Nature is wonderful but it is also too cold and too hot and too wet and not muddy enough and hard to deal with and easy to hate. If the job of the adult is to bring out the love of nature in a child in a world of quick-fix media and shortening attention spans, then the job of the adult is to find the nature buttons to press. And while the teacher teaching outside will enjoy many benefits, this alone is no guarantee that you are helping that child grow up to love the natural world. As Principal Skinner explains to Bart Simpson as they prepare for a spot of astronomy out in the open one night, ‘Ah, there’s nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being iiquiet, writing down numbers, paying attention … science has it all.’1
My own love of nature, birds especially, didn’t come from being pushed out into the woods at the crack of sparrows. It started when my grandfather gave me a book about how to identify birds.2 I still have it; both the book and the love. With the book as the key, the natural world opened up before me. No pushing was needed. This book by Dr Alexia Barrable is a key too. It is a simple, easy-to-read and easy-to-apply guide to helping develop a love of all things natural in all children. It’s not only about taking them outside into nature – it’s about bringing nature inside to them too. It’s about learning with nature, not just in nature or through nature. It’s about helping children become adults who will love, respect and care for the natural world at a time when the natural world is in trouble; man-made trouble.
We need this book like never before.
IAN GILBERT SOMEWHERE IN CHESHIRE
1The Simpsons, ‘Bart’s Comet’, dir. Bob Anderson [TV series] (Gracie Films, 1989–present).
2 R. T. Peterson, G. Mountford and P. A. D. Hollum, A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe (London: Collins, 1974).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
How do you thank a village? Words cannot express my gratitude towards the inspirational people who have kept the dream alive for me along the way: my colleagues, fellow researchers from around the globe who work in the field of children and nature – and especially Sam Friedman for her time and advice.
To my pupils, who fill me with hope about the next generation of teachers.
A big thank you to two very special mentors who keep opening doors: Professor Tim Croudace and Professor Divya Jindal-Snape.
This wouldn’t have been possible without Ian and the team at Crown House, whose comments and guidance have been invaluable and to the point!
Finally, a big thank you to my family: Duncan, for his continued support and inspirational work with children outdoors; my two boys, Joe and Ollie, whose relationship with nature keeps evolving and deepening and keeps reminding me why this work is important for all children; my mum, who let me get muddy, play with fire and climb trees to my heart’s delight; finally, to my dad, who inspired my love for the natural world and who is now ‘the swift uplifting rush/Of quiet birds in circled flight’.1
1 Both Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905–2004) and Clare Harner (1909–1977) have claimed to be author of the poem ‘Immortality’; its true authorship remains unknown.
CONTENTS
FIRST THOUGHTS
As we navigate the multiple small and large challenges posed by the 21st century, including enormous ones such as the climate crisis and a global pandemic, many of us are looking for solutions in nature. Nature-based solutions, the sustainable use of natural processes and features to tackle societal challenges, are front and centre in our bid to restore balance and create a sustainable future. It is my conviction that in education, too, nature-based learning is one of the ways in which to creatively tackle some of the challenges we face, but also a way to future-proof our practice. The benefits of considering a turn towards nature-based education, whether it is on a small or incrementally larger scale, are numerous – both for humans, with regard to our well-being and ability to thrive, and for the planet. I propose that we invest in this symbiotic relationship – by fully understanding our place within nature, rather than apart from it – and bring nature back into all aspects of our own and our pupils’ lives. In this book, I will put forward this argument by sharing the current state of evidence from the scientific literature and by putting it into scalable and practical contexts. Furthermore, by sharing examples of how others have put it into practice, as illustrated in the case studies provided throughout, I hope to inspire and facilitate this change for all. Start small and be brave!2
A bit about me
It may sound like a bit of a cliché to start by saying that nature played a big part in my childhood – as it seems that every naturalist and nature lover starts their life story thus. However, in my case, the nature that surrounded my childhood games and first memories is largely urban nature. You see, I grew up in Athens in the 1980s – the capital with the lowest estimates of green area per person, with a mere 0.96m2 for each adult and child according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. To put that into context, the World Health Organization recommends 9m2 per person in order to support health and well-being.1 And yet, nature was everywhere. My father was a naturalist and brought nature into our home in all its forms. We lived in a small flat for most of my childhood, but we had a gorgeous garden of potted plants on our balcony – I still remember growing tomatoes and peppers, and getting excited at the new daffodils breaking the soil in early spring. Actions speak louder than words, and I knew that my parents cared for nature in a very deep way; my dad rescued wildlife and nurtured it back to life. Our bathroom was, at different times, the temporary home of a recuperating common moorhen, a Eurasian owl with an injured wing, a corn crake that had been shot and a hedgehog hit by a car. More permanent residents of our home, when we eventually moved to a ground-floor flat with access to a garden, were two cats and a tortoise. Invariably, my brothers and I were interested in nature, but we also saw it as an integral part of our lives. It didn’t exist as a separate place that we visited at weekends, but was in and around our home. 3
In my early teens I moved to England and was really taken by the accessibility of urban nature. Parks and commons, meadows and canals – I loved being able to explore and immerse myself in a different sort of natural landscape. My first teaching post was in London and it took me several years to start bringing nature into my practice. I remember no input into outdoor learning or any nature-based education at university; most of our training was on phonics, mathematical thinking, child development and curriculum. It was as I found my confidence as a teacher that I wanted to take my pupils into nature and bring nature into my classroom. I have 11 years of teaching experience in varied settings and across the primary age range. The more I became comfortable in my role, the more I tried to include nature in my practice. I started slowly, taking my reading group outdoors, then introduced some indoor gardening. I brought some pets (well, a snail farm) into my classroom and began to plan trips, purely so that my pupils could experience nature – meet it, play in it, start being part of it.
Ultimately, I came into academia with a desire to learn more; to try different things out, to see how things work. My research has been focused on nature connection in childhood and beyond, as well as the exploration of human–nature interactions. What is it about nature that promotes well-being? How can we support our children’s tendency towards connection? The questions are endless and the more I learn, the more questions arise. This book brings some of my accumulated knowledge of practice and research into what I hope will be a useful primer to help you, the practitioner, to bring nature into your teaching.4
What is nature?
Close your eyes for a moment. Take a deep breath and let your mind travel to the last natural space that you visited. What can you see, smell and hear? Where is this place? A forest? A meadow? A beach? Now, let us think about what nature means to you. What do you think of when you think of nature? Most of us tend to have a very clear idea of what is and what isn’t nature; we often conceptualise nature as something removed from human influence – something different from us. In fact, in many people’s minds there is a very clear dichotomy between nature and human. In research conducted in 1996, Claudia Mausner asked people to define what the term ‘nature’ meant to them.2 Most participants described nature as something different and away from human influence, highlighting this separation that a lot of western people feel from the natural world. Nature was seen as pristine and unspoilt: a virgin rainforest, an untouched stream in the woods, an unspoilt beach with clean, crystal-clear waters. This is definitely one of the romanticised ways of viewing the natural world – as something separate and away from us. I don’t want to get overly philosophical here. What I want us to do, as we embark on this journey towards nature-based education, is to work together to challenge this notion – challenge our view of nature as something remote, and come to a more balanced understanding of what nature really is. A happy side effect of this is that we are likely to become aware of nature everywhere we look, because it is everywhere we look! 5
Finding nature
For the next few days, I want you to look for nature wherever you are – walking in town, looking out of your window, when in a room. What is natural? Start from the understanding that we are part of nature – even if we often see ourselves as apart from it. This is, in fact, the essence of the idea of nature connection that my own research is based on and that I will be looking at in depth in upcoming chapters. The minute you start to notice nature, you realise it really is everywhere; from the bee that flies into your kitchen through an open window and the spider that lives behind your dresser (my dresser anyway), to the moss that covers part of your patio and the weeds that come out from between the cracks of paving stones. This shift in attention is key to changing our relationship to the natural world, but also to bringing nature into our teaching and learning – towards including the natural world in more of what we do in and out of the classroom. We find nature everywhere: in our homes, our gardens, in our cities and schools. Urban nature has been overlooked for a long time, and yet recent research suggests that it can have measurable positive effects on people’s health and well-being.3 Studies have reported benefits of engaging with urban nature on physical and psychological well-being, conservation behaviours and even improved executive functions in children, which are the set of cognitive processes that allow us to plan and execute complex actions, and attention.4
So, although most of us don’t find ourselves with 6unlimited access to unspoilt natural spaces for our teaching and learning (though I am aware that some of you do – lucky you!), we all have natural features in playgrounds and neighbourhoods around our school; a grassy area, a few trees or some raised planters. In my first post in London, the playground consisted of a tarmacked area so small that breaktime was staggered. With the help of the parent– teacher association, we managed to add a variety of sturdy pots around one of the playground edges. This attracted a lot of interest from the children and was looked after by Year 4 and Year 5 classes. It also attracted wildlife, insects and pollinators, birds and sometimes small mammals and other animals (we soon noticed that at a certain time of year a load of ‘two-headed frogs’ appeared around our pots, so we had to – some of us reluctantly – cover reproduction in amphibians).
The tide is, however, changing – and in 2020 the ‘greening’ of school playgrounds became the principle aim of a £6.4 million campaign to improve children’s well-being, learning and care for the environment.5 Through adding natural areas to school grounds, the project aims to bring all children closer to nature and help everyone access the benefits of learning, playing and simply being close to the natural world. But you don’t have to wait – you can start thinking about connecting with nature and its benefits as part of your teaching and learning today. A good starting point is to take an audit of what is accessible to you at your current setting. (See Appendix 1 for the audit form and instructions on how to use it.) Ideally, a few colleagues might join you in this exercise, ensuring that you don’t 7miss any spaces, but also so that you fully explore the possibilities of what your local nature can offer.
What is this book about?
Nature-based education is not a set of activities. It is an ethos and a philosophy that brings nature to the forefront of our minds in all teaching and learning, and it nurtures a relationship between our pupils and the natural world. In this sense, nature-based education does not have to take place solely in natural spaces (although that is an important part of it too); instead, it is about learning with nature and about nature and includes a culture shift that enables the fostering of certain values and attributes, such as respect and empathy towards the natural world.
The term ‘nature-based education’ covers a huge array of diverse settings and contexts, programmes and experiences (for an extensive, though not exhaustive, list of what nature-based education is and can be, please see Appendix 1). Given their diversity and the varied contact with the natural world that each experience offers, their benefits also vary, both in quantity and quality. For example, spending all day in a forest nursery is likely to have very different benefits from taking part in animal-assisted learning. Equally, given that we work in different contexts and settings, we will all have varied access to the benefits described in this book. What I have attempted to do is to inspire and empower you to consider including nature in your work with children and young people. If you work in education, whether it be in formal or less formal settings, this book can offer you the information and motivation to start this culture shift and embed learning in, about and for nature in your practice. In less formal settings this may 8
