What is it about?
Students are oftentimes asked to learn about the natural world from a confined location. This article talks about imbedding curriculum into the local area and tasks students with the philosophical questions surrounding the idea "what is nature?"
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Why is it important?
With an increased focus on environmental impacts, it's necessary for the students to see themselves as beings of nature rather than separate in order for them to take ownership of their local surroundings. It can also deepen learning by removing the abstract nature of curriculum by imbedding it within a known and present location.
Perspectives
After spending a summer in Wyoming, I started to feel a connection to the surrounding location. Not only was I more in tune with my environment, but I noticed a significant change in my emotional ties to the land. I looked upon the geologic outcrops, some of which had been defaced and lined with anything from old mattresses to broken-in tv's, and wished the greater population had felt this same connection. My goal as an educator is to bring about scientifically-literate students who demonstrate the Nature of Science skills emphasized in the NGSS. I believe that if students are to demonstrate these skills, they need to share a love with their local land, species, and waterways; which is article helps foster.
Mr. Kean Roberts
Drake University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Repairing the Relationship between Students and Nature, The Clearing House A Journal of Educational Strategies Issues and Ideas, January 2019, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/00098655.2018.1547265.
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