The 10th day of the Orchard Garden CFE took place at Tomekichi Homma Elementary School in south Richmond. It was here that students and members of the Orchard Garden community met with Megan Zeni, an outdoor classroom (not to be confused with outdoor education) educator who has seamlessly adapted BC’s new curriculum in a way that fosters growth via an emergent, place-based and skills-based curriculum. So what does that mean in English? Megan’s classroom in entirely outdoors and takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that nature provides. This can, of course, include learning through the garden, but the curriculum also takes advantage of emergent ideas and opportunities presented through place. As an example, students learned about science, geography, water, plants and animals through “Ditch Jumping” and exploring the wonders of Richmond’s ubiquitous drainage ditches. In a sense, Megan’s program is transformative and empowering, educational, experiential, and of course lots of fun.
Megan prefaced our tour and observation of her classes by highlighting the importance of process over product. Although the gardens appeared to be growing marvelously, she mentioned how planning with learning in mind requires that things like late planting for a September harvest (instead of during the summer when students are on break) take precedence over maximization of the growing season. As many a teacher has probably found out, classroom gardens require an awareness of the continuity, change, and maintenance required of tending to growing, living things. Similarly related to planning ahead, Megan advised that developing a similar curriculum in our schools would require commitment to the idea that things won’t always turn out the way that you had planned, and that teaching is as much about sales as it is about pedagogy. All teachers should be able to justify their methods and practice as there will inevitably be those who doubt your motivation or the eventual educational outcomes of your program. Speaking from experience, I can definitely relate to the idea that you need to be able to justify and defend not only what your students learn, but how they are learning it.
Although Megan’s work connecting students, the curriculum, and nature through the garden was truly inspiring, I was most impressed by her approach and support for risky play. Anyone who has read the literature (or observed the ever-changing shift towards safer playgrounds) will know what I’m talking about. In the rush to prevent children from hurting themselves, studies are showing that policy makers have hindered much of the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of children. On any given weekday in Megan’s garden you’ll find children playing among, in, and around a stack of old tires, boards, mud, and sticks. The learning opportunities from play in the real-world with others are immediately evident when you stop to observe how children engage with each other in these kinds of environments. As Megan amusingly put it, “being hit with a 2”x4” builds empathy”, something not easily developed in the classroom and, dare I say, something we appear to need more of as we continue into the 21st century.
I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to get to see not only Megan’s classroom, but the wide-range of gardens and learning environments the CFE has exposed me to over these past 2 weeks. Through these experiences and the theory they’ve been accompanied with I am slowly but surely beginning to develop a sense of how I can best incorporate nature into my classroom. While many of my ideas about what I’d like to implement are contingent on administrative support, funding, and the needs of the school community, I’m developing a sense of the small but meaningful changes available to me that can spark growth into the much more ambitious projects (perhaps like Megan’s) I would eventually like to see. In the same way that a plant begins with a tiny seed, through small, meaningful, and thought-provoking lessons a truly inspiring and transformative learning environment can be developed.
For those interested in learning more about Megan Zeni’s work (or if you’d like to hire her as a consultant) go here:
No comments:
Post a Comment