|
|
PEOPLE
OF THE LAND
Nature in education |
THE
BACKGROUND
|
In order to give an introduction to the conceptual and experimental
background that underly the benefits of nature (in its many guises and
approaches) to education, here are some excerpts from Ray
Chapman-Taylor, 1975: Education and National Parks, Published
by the Department of Lands & Survey for the National Parks Authority,
National Parks Series 1976/1:
"No doubt different teachers have different aims in mind
when they take children to parks. They
may describe their aims in wards such as aesthetic, spiritual, relaxation,
relevance, conservation, or appreciation of the environment, but,
whatever they go for in the first place, they all agree that one purpose
always achieved is the personal and social development of the children.
The more experienced teachers become in this work the more they see
it as affecting the totality of every child's education, and the less
anxious they are if a moment of classroom study or an item of knowledge
is missed." (Chapter 3: Education and the Parks, p. 12).
"One acute observer, a chief ranger, who has seen more
children in a national park than any ten  teachers,
remarked that children don't come to learn about the park, they come
to learn about themselves. To carry this thought through: education
is a process of becoming; by learning about the park - its beauties,
its challenges, its terrors, its development, its life - children also
learn about themselves, and in doing so, become new and better selves.
(Chapter 3: Education and the Parks, p. 12)"
(Photos
courtesy of Project K)
"Another major reason for educating children both indoors and
out of doors has to do with their development as individuals and as
members of society. Here again, unless they have the right experiences
they cannot develop well. For example, often neither the home nor the
classroom supply adequate opportunities for children to satisfy their
need to be needed, their need to be members of a group, their need for
challenge, adventure, and success, for the respect of others and, above
all, for self-respect. The class journey, and especially the long
visit to a field centre or camp often meets needs of these kinds. For
some children such an experience may mean social salvation. "(Chapter
3: Education and the Parks, p. 15)
Personal
Development
"From the reports it appears that, faced with a new situation
where they cannot rely on family or the usual supports, and with
others depending on them, many young people discover in themselves
unsuspected qualities, not always admirable. They come to know themselves
and other people as they have not done before. This often results
in successful efforts to reconstruct values and behaviour and to
improve their bases of judgement of others. Lecturers reported:
"These new situations often call for quite different qualities
and skills from those needed and admired at home or at college -
Quite often the student who was of little account in the classroom
proves to have what is needed in the field or the cookhouse, so
success comes to many who need it, and esteem, and therefore self-
respect -Students learn, because there is a need for it, to take
responsibility, to cooperate, to defer to group opinion cheerfully,
to be tolerant and helpful, to accept other people, to be more sensitive
to other people, to deliberately get on with other people - They
develop a sense of humour - They learn to use leisure well - They
have opportunities to think, to express their feelings, to listen,
in a relaxed and unthreatening place - Gains in confidence lead
to more voluntary work - Students become more deeply involved in
what they are doing - They show more independence in solving problems
- But, warned one lecturer, these experiences need more than three
days." (Appendix 4: Reports from Experience, page 94) |
|
| |
|
Social
Development
"It is not easy to separate personal from social development,
but under this heading many lecturers pointed to the fact that a
field trip is a much more 'shared' experience than is work in a
classroom because it involves cooperative planning from the start
and the grou6 must provide for such basic needs as shelter, food,
and warmth for everyone. They said: "Students have to learn,
and do learn, to operate in a group - Qualities of leadership develop
as a result of group needs - A better relationship develops between
staff and students, between older and younger. (One informant mentioned
fourth and sixth formers.) - A web of developing friendships appears
- Some isolates become happier - Competitiveness gives way to a
stronger feeling for the group, and work is done because it needs
to be done and not for any kudos it may give." (Appendix 4:
Reports from Experience, page 94) |
|
| |
|
Physical
Development
"Surprisingly there was more difference of opinion on this
question than any of the others: Many field trips make considerable
physical demands and vitality, stamina, fitness are important for
enjoyment - there is a challenge in tramping which helps to develop
leadership (seen as a physical capacity), the ability to endure
and to accept bad weather. Some informants claimed that after a
week students came back stronger, fitter, healthier; others that
the time is too short for this but that it does help students to
be aware of their own physical situation and some of them determine
to get fit. Some develop greater confidence and show courage; others
find they are not as physically superior as they thought. One lecturer
said: Exhilarating for the fit, devastating for the fat." (Appendix
4: Reports from Experience, page 94-95) |
|
| |
|
Academic
Achievement
"Here opinion was almost always enthusiastic: Field work in
natural places... gives a broader understanding of the whole situation
of man in the environment - There is a great sense of intellectual
satisfaction - It has led to a high level of achievement in some
students - The environment is more fully explored by students on
their own because of good planning by rangers and good preparation
- When you have climbed a pass or walked on a glacier you understand
your books - They develop skills in observation and interpretation
that are as transferable as anything can be -Develop lifelong interests
- Show students how little they have got from books, and how much
there is to get from books if they also have practical experience
- Vocabulary enlarged and more fluency - Visits to the parks are
an important base of our art work - Academic achievement is very
marked: reading was encouraged and much that was not taken very
seriously before was taken seriously now. Nevertheless I believe
this to be the least important of the benefits of a trip."(Appendix
4: Reports from Experience, page 95)
|
|
|
