Natural Learning – Constructive hope in a time of Crisis?
Image credit: Rob Coombe
In September’s guest blog, Paul Martin showed the importance of connecting young people with nature and developing natural literacy. He described working with schools to embed ‘natural learning’ into their curriculum and ethos, and the aim of encouraging in students the idea of constructive hope in a challenging world.
Image credit: Rob Coombe
In a recent conversation with my nonagenarian Grandmother, she described a day where she and fellow teachers decided to just take the children out for a nature walk. Unknown to the staff, the day coincided with a visit from Her Majesty’s Inspector who arrived to discover an empty school. Far from being irate at the wasted journey, the inspector commended the school for using the local environment as a tool for teaching and learning. I expect that a school following that example today would receive a different outcome!
I know I run the risk of being accused of rose-tinting the view of lost halcyon days, but as an environmental educator in the wildlife conservation sector, I find myself deeply frustrated by the confusing messages being presented to young people. On the one hand, they are exposed to news of habitat destruction, climate change and global biodiversity loss, much centred on global ecosystems and charismatic species, and on the other, an education system where opportunities to learn in, about, through and for local nature are continually squeezed out by higher priorities.
Connection to nature, that emotional attachment to place, built through regular contact, has been shown to benefit learning[i] and wider health and wellbeing[ii], as well as promoting pro-environmental behaviours in later life[iii]. If we really want to address the global environmental crises and reduce the growing eco-anxiety in young people, whilst still achieving high quality learning outcomes, there is an urgent need to address the natural world’s absence across all curriculum areas.
At Devon Wildlife Trust, we have been exploring the concept of natural literacy. Homepage | Devon Wildlife Trust, It is based on a simple idea that it is possible to learn to ‘read’ the world around us, whilst recognising our place and responsibility in it. We can also learn how our choices help to ‘write’ the future of the natural world for good or ill. To achieve this, we have been working with schools to embed ‘natural learning’ into their curriculum and ethos. Combining learning with a project to give students a voice for change in their local setting encourages them to develop a sense of ‘constructive hope’, knowing that they can affect change without hiding from the reality of what is happening in the world.
Image credit: Rob Coombe
My hope is that we will see demand for natural learning grow, especially as we have seen encouraging steps such as the announcement of the Natural History GCSE and the growth of movements like Teach the Future. Teach the Future: Campaign for climate education
However, I imagine a future where nature-based (natural) learning is a right and expectation for every child, where school inspections require evidence of children’s progression in understanding the natural world, and a future where there is a statutory leadership role in schools for progressive outdoor learning experiences. A Government-led education strategy where nature and natural learning are seen as crucial rather than peripheral would truly be game-changing for learning and the natural world. It may also provide some much-needed hope.
Image credit: Devon Wildlife Trust
References:
[i] Kuo M, Barnes M and Jordan C (2019) Do Experiences with Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship. Front. Psychol. 10:305. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00305
[ii] Chawla L. (2015) Benefits of Nature Contact for Children. Journal of Planning Literature 2015, Vol. 30(4) 433-452 DOI: 10.1177/0885412215595441
[iii] Martin, L., White, M., Hunt, A., Richardson, M., Pahl, S. and Burt, J., 2020. Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 68, p.101389.
About the author
Paul Martin joined the Devon Wildlife Trust in 2009 after teaching Geography and Sustainability in the Southwest for 13 years. He now leads the Wilder Learning Team. He currently works with over 50 schools in Devon, through various projects including the Nature Based Learning programme developed over the last ten years and the Wildlife Champions project.
Paul is a regular contributor to the development of curriculum-based resources from The Wildlife Trusts as well as contributing to both undergraduate and postgraduate outdoor and nature-based learning at Plymouth University. He is passionate about connecting children to the natural world by equipping and encouraging teaching staff to use nature as a tool for inspiring learning and providing opportunities for students to gain a sense of agency over their environmental futures. Paul can be contacted through wilderlearning@devonwildlifetrust.org