Blog 3 - What is the value of nature connectivity in Primary Education?

What is the value of nature connectivity in Primary Education?

Theorists today have a high concern that children are becoming highly disconnected with nature (Louv, 2008; Sobel, 2008; Ridgers, Knowles and Sayers, 2012; Bragg, 2013 Waite et. al. 2016; Charles, 2018; Wilson, 2018). Theorists such as Wilson, Faber, Chawla and others have undertaken studies that suggest the wide range of benefits the outdoors has on children and their learning (Faber, Taylor and Kuo 2009; Wilson, 2012; Chawla et al. 2014; Gurholt and Sanderud, 2016; McMahan et. al. 2018; Piccininni et. al. 2018). Following this, as part of the new Donaldson review, nature now needs to be a part of the classroom. Included in Successful Futures Donaldson (2015) outlines 4 purposes that are at the heart of the curriculum. Donaldson writes that one of them as “I wish to create healthy, confident individuals who are knowledgeable about their culture, community, society and the world, now and in the past” (Donaldson, 2015). 

Both Wilson (2018, p. 5) and Erickson and Ernst (2011) believe that these benefits are the most stimulating from contact with nature and by having a sense of spirituality. These are: 

·     Makes children healthier by stimulating higher levels of physical activity. 

·      Makes children smarter by boosting brain development.

·      Makes children feel better by fostering emotional well-being and strengthening social bonds.

·     Allows children to learn and care about the natural world later in life (Chawla, 1998; Wells & Lekies, 2006; Wilson, 2016)

By incorporating and valuing nature in the school curriculum, it is with hope that children’s minds will wonder curiously and develop a positive attitude about the world and its infinite issues (Bullock, 1994). This will allow them to “develop an appreciation of nature and allow them to engage in many repeated and varied opportunities over time” (Bullock, 1994). Bullock (1994) and Waite (2011) believe that outdoor learning is essential in preparing our children for their future jobs. As part of a workshop that allowed us to achieve an outdoor learning certificate, we took part in a mindfulness game led by one of my seminar tutors. My tutor has lay out some camouflaged objects, and some not so. We had to do a walk of the woodland area to try and find as many of the 12 things as we could.  It was strange to realise that the things that I had missed and didn’t notice, were things that should not have been there but I was used to seeing them there. These were things like crisp packets and old bits of plastic. This seemed to give both me and my partner a sense of wonder about the world and encouraged me look into recycling more. 

In the outdoors youngsters are also likely to be much more creative, happy and involved (Waite, 2011; Millward and Whey 1997; Adams et al, 2016; Waite, 2011). I personally, have always felt better after being outside – it is my health and well-being. So, to have our seminar outside was great. From the image, I have provided you can see the joy that can become from a simple activity outside. This in turn can encourage motivation and boost brain development. Children who also have more contact with living things such as plants and animals, have also been known to develop better relationships and understand the importance of having good relationships (Bullock, 1994). All of these benefits can come together an act as an umbrella for health and wellbeing for a child. Nature can have a great value to the wellbeing of human nature, which has now been detailed as an AoLE in Successful Futures. Donaldson (2015, p. 45) “Improving the health and well-being of the nation has been an important feature of Welsh Government policy and support to schools for many years” (School and Physical Activity Task and Finish Group, 2013).

The developmental domains of childhood are listed as adaptive, aesthetic, cognitive, social, emotional and physical (Wilson, 2018, p. 58). All of these are considered to be touched upon when connecting with nature, but some argue that the efforts to connect children to nature will reinforce the false dichotomy between humans and nature (Wilson, 2018, p.8; Elliot & Young, 2016: 60). This generally occurs when “early childhood educators use practices in which nature is no more than a ‘subordinated and objectified other, a resource for play’” (Wilson, 2018, p.8; Elliot & Young, 2016: 60). When planning nature activities for a class, it is important not to de-nature, nature. We as teachers still have a lot to learn in terms of the understanding of how learning takes place in the outdoor classroom (Rickinson et al., 2004; Dillon et al, 2005; Elliott and Young, 2016). Me personally, struggle with how adjust my lessons to outside without replicating the classroom (Bullock, 1994). 

References

1.     Adams et al (2016) The Importance of Outdoor Play and its impact on Brain Development in Children. Accessed at:  https://education.umkc.edu/download/berkley/The-Importance-of-Outdoor-Play-and-Its-Impact-on-Brain-Develpoment-in-Children.pdf(Accessed on: 23rd November 2018). 

2.     Bragg, R., Wood, C., Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2013). Measuring connection to nature in children aged 8-12: A robust methodology for the RSPB. University of Essex.

3.     Bullock, J.R. (1994) ‘Helping children value and appreciate nature’.Day Care and Early Educ,21, pp. 4-8.

4.     Charles, C. (2018). Leading from the heart of Nature. In The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning (pp. 877-888). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

5.     Chawla, L., Keena, K., Pevec, I., & Stanley, E. (2014). ‘Green schoolyards as havens from stress and resources for resilience in childhood and adolescence’. Health & place, 28, pp. 1-13.

6.     Chawla, T. (1998) ‘Significant life experiences revisited: A review of research on sources of environmental sensitivity’ Environmental Education, 4, pp. 369-382.

7.     Dillon, J., Morris, M., O, Donnell, L., Reid, A., Rickinson, M. and Scott, W. (2005) Engaging and Learning with the Outdoors. The Final Report of the Outdoor Classroom in a Rural Context. Action Research Project. Slough: NFER.

8.     Elliot. S and Young. T, (2016) ‘Nature by Default’, in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability, 32(1), pp. 57-64.  

9.     Faber Taylor, A., & Kuo, F. E. (2009). Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of attention disorders, 12(5), 402-409.

10.  Gurholt, K. P., & Sanderud, J. R. (2016). Curious play: children’s exploration of nature. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 16(4), 318-329.

11.  Louv, R. (2008) Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. New York: Algonquin books. 

12.  Macfarlane, R. (2015). Landmarks. London: Penguin UK.

13.  McMahan, E. A., Estes, D., Murfin, J. S., & Bryan, C. M. (2018). Nature Connectedness Moderates the Effect of Nature Exposure on Explicit and Implicit Measures of Emotion. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 1-21.

14.  Piccininni, C., Michaelson, V., Janssen, I., & Pickett, W. (2018). Outdoor play and nature connectedness as potential correlates of internalized mental health symptoms among Canadian adolescents. Preventive medicine, 112, 168-175.

15.  Rickinson, M., Dillon, J., Tearney, K., Morris., Choi, M.Y. and Sanders, D. (2004) A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning. Slough: NFER and King’s College, London.

16.  Ridgers, N. D., Knowles, Z. R., & Sayers, J. (2012). Encouraging play in the natural environment: A child-focused case study of Forest School. Children's geographies, 10(1), 49-65. 

17. School and Physical Activity Task and Finish Group (2013) Physical Literacy – an all-Wales approach to increasing levels of physical activity for children and young people Welsh Government 

18.  Sobel, D. (2008) Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators.New York: Stenhouse Publishers. Vanderbeck, R., M., (2008) ‘Reaching critical mass? Theory, politics and the culture of debate in children’s geographies’, Area, 40 (3), pp. 393 – 400

19.  Sue Waite (2011) ‘Teaching and learning outside the classroom: personal values’, alternative pedagogies and standards, 39(1), pp. 65-82. 

20.  Waite, S., Bolling, M., & Bentsen, P. (2016). Comparing apples and pears?: a conceptual framework for understanding forms of outdoor learning through comparison of English Forest Schools and Danish udeskole. Environmental Education Research, 22(6), 868-892.

21.  Wells, N. M and Lekies, S. K ‘Children, (2006) Youth and Environments’, Increasing Children's Freedom of Movement, 16(1), pp. 1-24.

22.  Wilson, R. (2018). Nature and Young Children. Young children, 50(6), 4-11. London: Routledge.