Background and IssuesOver the course of Western human development, societies have aligned themselves with technology and not nature. As a consequence of this action, children are more dependent on technology and the unnatural world, which leads to an adult with decreased compassion and respect for nature as well as a lack of motivation to protect it. As a child, I was lucky enough to attend an environmentally focused school. This school engaged its students in hands-on, student-centered learning, mostly outside in a natural setting. The experience of learning outside was life changing, in part because my and my fellow classmates' interests directed the lessons we learned. This environmental education made me into an environmentalist who cares deeply or the natural world around us and all the beings within it. The educational experience that I had is what inspired me to give back to my community through continuing place-based, hands-on, student-centered environmental education.
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Teaching Philosophy and Core Values
My core values as an educator is to create a place-based, hands-on, student-centered learning environment. My goal is to act as a guide, learning along with students and encouraging them through the art of questioning rather than lecturing them. This creates an environment more conducive to student growth, because they have some say in their learning experiences. Through guiding students by asking them questions and helping them develop their own questions, their interests can be discovered. Through this inquisitive process, they can learn about what they are truly interested in, creating an enjoyable and focused learning environment. While this does not mean the students create the curriculum, it does mean that the curriculum is dictated by student-centered learning.
This is built into the Restoring Connections curriculum I helped create through self-directed activities for students, such as nature bingo for kindergarteners and seasonal question quests for first graders. Nature bingo is structured for kindergarteners to explore native plants and in turn find the which plants they would like to know more about. The Restoring Connections Seasonal Question Quest is structured around students observing wildflowers and then creating their own questions about them. For instance, students may wonder what plants can be used for medicinal purposes, or why some plants are more common in an area than other plants. By letting the students ask their own questions, the rest of the day can be full of information about cultural and historical uses of plants or invasive versus noninvasive species. |
Having the opportunity to learn in a natural setting is something I wish more students had. Attending a school where I got to learn in local outdoor areas, where I got to interact with what I was learning about, and where my interests were taken into account was inspiring. My classmates and I became motivated to learn and motivated to protect the environment. While I was on the Restoring Connections field trips, I saw that same motivation and inspiration in my students. Students who couldn't keep still or focus in the classroom were mesmerized by turkey vultures, camas, and the little creek. Students who were apprehensive about leaving the classroom in the rain left Mount Pisgah saying they never wanted to leave. This inspiration and connection to nature is what I aim to spread throughout my future.