The school holidays - time for some real learning ( or is the virtual world winning over the real? )

I caught an interview on National Radio  a few days ago - Kim Hill was interviewing Richard Louv author of 'The Last Child in the Woods'.  After listening I ordered his latest book and searched my copy of his earlier work.

I was so  impressed last time to wrote a blog based on Richard's thoughts.

In the interview Richard was talking about the worry that children in America no longer explore their immediate natural environments as  children did in the 50s and 60s. Today young people all too often experience the world through  electronic media. Something, he believes, is being lost in the process. Children , and in turn adults, are in danger of losing connection with their natural environment.

Richard believes, as do I ,that it is important to help young children connect with the real world. The trouble is parents often do not have the knowledge or confidence to take their children into natural areas and added to this is the growing fear of parents of the danger of young children playing without supervision outside.

The latter is hard to overcome but there are many thing parents can do to help their children become more aware of the natural world

The first thing to get over is the worry about not knowing much about names of plants and animals.

The best advice is to learn alongside their children  deliberately developing awareness and fascination through their  senses. Many child development  experts believe that this is the best way not only to build on  their innate curiosity and sense of wonder but also to develop  their language and vocabulary   This is far more valuable than letting young children amuse themselves with electronic media - it is all too common to find young people locked in their room exploring the virtual world - and who knows what they are exploring!

I have to admit that I have had a life long interest in natural history. My first job in education was as a Nature Study specialist teacher! As a teacher I believed strongly in making full use of the immediate environment  in the classroom and now worry that in classrooms today this is no longer a feature. All

8 year old explore bush through art

to often studies undertaken are all too often about saving whales,  or pollution, or climate change. The message being laid on the young is that their role is to save the world - Louv  calls this 'ecophobia'. Louv believes, as do I, that the way to encourage the young to protect the environment is to help them appreciate  nature - students who do so will  , in the future, protect hat they have learnt to love.

Anyway back to  helping students experience the natural world.

Just simply enjoy the experience of noticing things. Encourage a slow reflective approach to exploring. - as if you are the first explorers - totally unaware of any names or knowledge.

Nature study -age 8

Encourage your fellow explorers to make use of their senses - without overdoing it. Look  for colours and shapes and what they might remind you of..Take photos of interesting things with your 'smart' phones and maybe use these to get children to write their thought back at home or even turn them into imaginative drawings. If children want to know names of things show photos to a local expert.

Look for patterns - many plants have mathematical ideas to discover - spirals etc.

Take time to feel textures and in same cases smells. Now and then shut eyes and listen to sounds from nearby or far  away.

It is a good idea to change perspective. Get children to climb a tree, or lie on their backs to watch clouds or tree canopies.  One good activities is to let children find a place by themselves to 'go solo' for a few minutes and to let their mind's wander.

If children want names get them to invent names to suit - this is how common names were originally given. Later use experts or Google them  to research  and find correct names. Even Latin names often describe features of a plant or animal

Collect up good questions to think about - children will have their own theories to explain things. Later check them out using Google etc

Another idea is to play a game of making poems. Pick an object and ask children to provide a thought - maybe what it makes them think of. Scribe out several thoughts into three line poems - simple haiku poems. Parents with expertise could make them into simple pieces of music..

As parental confidence grows let children explore area by themselves - at first close to home and further afield as they grow older.. Good advice is to apply 'benign neglect'.

Amazing spider web

There are lots of places to explore with your children - or for them to explore by themselves.

Rocky pools and sand dunes.

Bush walks and with confidence small places of bush.

Parks and flower gardens.

And easiest of all  the pants and animals in your own garden.

A favourite of mine is to explore the wild plants growing in waste areas.

Educate

Through such experiences not only will children learn to love nature, and learn names and ecological connections  they will develop their imaginations and best of  all possibly develop life long interests or even a career.  Louv writes that  we are currently in the process of developing children with a 'nature deficit disorder'.

The real world is a far richer experience than the virtual - one that involves physical activity.

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A change of perspective provides new insights

Many years ago when I was a Science Adviser I was taking a class of primary students through a piece of native bush. With me at the time was the art adviser Batch Collins. After listening to me

attempting to help students gain some knowledge of the trees and shrubs my art adviser friend asked me if he could work with the students. Later he informed me that, from his position, a number of the class seem a little bored with my approach.  

I passed the class over to Batch.I thought to myself - what would an art adviser know about the bush? 

He asked the class to lie on their backs  and look up into the canopy and just think about what they could see. He asked them to shut their eyes and simply listen to sounds. Later he asked students to note the various shapes, patterns , movements they could see, and

also to think about the textures they could feel. And the smells the bush gives off. To conclude he asked them to think about the feelings they gained from being in the bush - imagine, he said, if you were here by yourself , or if you were lost.

Later he explained the importance of students exploring experiences through their senses and emotions and that this could be  capitalized on late back in class for language  and art. 

It was a lesson well learnt.

From this time on I always took the time to encourage students to take in any experience through their senses and their emotion before moving on to sorting out plants and their ecological relationships with each other. On reflection it was how I originally learnt my

own knowledge of the bush - the names and ecological relationship came later. 

Sometimes , as teachers, we rush in and in the process do not give our students time to take in the experience.

Altering ones perspectives is an important means to develop more interesting learning.

A while ago. while working on the roof of my house , the same thought came to me. From the roof my garden took on a new perspectives  , and to capture the insight I took photos.

A change of perspective is vital in any learning..

Educational Journey:A voice from the edge

Time for a new creative revolution.

Principals - time for action

A quote by ‘an 18^th century divine’ Sydney Smith in the Jan 2015 NZ Listener’s column by David Hill caught my attention. He wrote, ‘few men have the fortitude to endure being forgotten’.  Maybe this explains why I hang on writing blogs about education!

Richard Gerver

Another quote that also caught my attention comes from the latest NZPPF magazine (Nov 2014) came from a presentation by Englishman Richard Gerver who warned those present ‘not to be obsessed with data and statistics’ and instead education is ‘about human beings and about passion, strengths, beliefs purposes and achieving dreams’ and added ‘education should be a celebration of life, of living, learning and laughing.’ This reminded me of another quote ‘education is too important to be taken seriously’.

 Gerver's vision was to create a school ‘that they would cue up to experience the fun of learning…an environment which was relevant and empowering to them’. Sounds a bit like the 60s revisited!

In New Zealand we were heading in this direction until the neo-liberal ideology  ( Tomorrows Schools) hit our schools in the  mid 1980s.

Observation a key skill

It is now time for some moral courage from our educational leaders to escape from the current audit and surveillance culture and take Gerver's advice before it is too late.

Study booklets 1977

Assisting in this revolution is why I hang on. Now that I am increasingly  at the edge of the debate, limited to blogging , as all the school leaders I once worked with have all but retired. The only consolation is that all true revolutions begin at the edge.

I continue because I have worked for decades with teachers who would've been encouraged by Gervers’s comments and  because we have lost so much and gained so little.

At this quiet time of the year I have been thinking of my own educational journey so this blog, a small indulgence, fills in a gap until the year begins seriously.

Elwyn's well used book.

When at training college in the late 50s I was intrigued  by a book written by Susan Isaacs about the   of child centred activity based learning - it seemed a contrast to classrooms that were part of my training. I spent a third year  training as a Nature Study Specialist (later transformed into a Science Adviser) my task, when appointed to a position in Taranaki,. was to visit every class, three times a year, taking lessons for teachers. In those days specialist teachers were appointed in areas most teachers had little experience of – art, nature study and PE. My position, as it turned out, was a wonderful opportunity to visit classrooms of some very creative teachers – the freedom of the 60s was spreading to schools particularly encouraged by the art advisers and junior school developmentally oriented teachers. The art advisers were at this time  running integrated learning courses which I also attended and later replicated with other local advisers. At this time the most innovative teachers were to be found in small rural schools – again at the ‘edge’.

Inspirational in the 60s

In the 60s I became aware of the Nuffield Junior Scienceapproach (with links back to Susan Isaacs). The Nuffield approach was based on students following up their own interests and questions; an emergent curriculum. Often there were several studies occurring at any one time. It became a popular resource for teachers I worked with.

Determined to learn more  about the approach I arranged to teach in progressive English  school and through the creative teachers I worked alongside met  Leonard Marsh whose book, ‘Alongside the Child’, was later to become our ‘bible’ for  the teachers I worked with  back in NZ.
 Marsh wrote ‘there is only one starting point for the teacher – the individual experience and needs of the

UK teacher Marion Keeble

children’ and that teachers ‘are mediators, or midwives, acting with the child in the making approach by which the child seeks meaning for his world’.

Len Marsh's book

Back in NZ I worked with a small group of teachers  ( Robin Clegg, Bill Guild and John Cunningham ) to implement ideas in their classrooms. As well we met up with Elwyn Richardson and were inspired by his  inspirational idea of a classroom as a community of scientists and artists exploring their personal world.

 Elwyn Richardson, following his work in the 50s, had  published a book ‘In the Early World. Elwyn’s which was quoted in Marsh’s book as an excellent example of creative teaching. Elwyn's book has recently been reprinted by the NZCER.

As a result of ‘our’ own work in the 1970s I published a small booklet to share our ideas. Later we were invited to present our ideas the Auckland NZEI Centennial Conference.

Published for Auck NZEI Conf.

In 1976 to 1978 I spent three years in a classroom to implement the ideas myself; always a good experience for an adviser! During this time I was asked to share ideas at a National TV programme on education.

My  experience as ateacher

Later I was appointed District Art Adviser. During this time I had the opportunity to learn about and implement ideas about a process approach to art which was a movement away from the ‘non-interference’ approach of earlier days – but an approach that valued the individual creativity of the student in contrast to much of the formulaic art seen in school today.

During this time I assisted large number of teachers from other areas of NZ to visit local school to admire the teachers work and, also, the Palmerston North Teachers College Art Department brought their students for

Junior science Vogeltown 1980intensive studies of programmes.

 Taranaki schools by now had gained a reputation for achieving quality work centred on integrated studies, making use of the environment, art, language and impressive room environments.

Pub. when Teaching Fellow

From 1986 to 1993 I was appointed principal  of Vogeltown School and, along with a few other local schools , developed a whole school approach. During this time ‘Tomorrow’s Schools was introduced
and all schools made ‘self-managing’ and competitive. It was to be the beginning of the end of teacher creativity and school collaboration.

 In 1994 I was made a Teaching Fellowat the then Palmerston North Teachers College (now Massey School of Education) and shared ideas throughout NZ.. In 1994 I published ‘Towards a More Informed Vision’ based on the beliefs underpinning my time at Vogeltown School.

Based on TOD programmes

Up until 2011 I worked as an independent educational adviser throughout New Zealand focusing on helping school develop their own visions and guiding beliefs – and the teaching strategies that applied them in classrooms. During this time I published ‘Quality Learning and
Teaching’ book to share ideas with a wider audience. Also during this time I presented at a number of regional Primary Principal Conferences and ran numerous Teacher Only Days.

A highlight was working at the Bali International School and presenting at a Principal’s Conferences in Sydney, and International School Conferences in Indonesia, Bangkok, Korea and Japan.

In 2011 my last presentation was at the Inspired Teaching Conference held in Palmerston North – I agreed to this because one of the co- presenter was to be Sir Ken Robinson who I admire greatly. Unfortunately he was ill and presented via the internet.

Bill Guild's educational journey

Now I just write blogs just for fun to encourage NZ schools and teachers to  develop a creative approach to teaching and learning to once again make NZ schools world recognized for their creativity.  I believe it is important for such ideas not to be forgotten so it was great to read about Richard Gerver telling attendees to bring passion and fun back into our schools – but sad because we were once well on the way.

In 2007 the ‘revised’ NZ Curriculum was introduced but unhappily it has been all but side-lined.

Philip Harding

As Philip Harding, the past Present of the NZPPF wrote in the November NZPPF magazine, it is time to leave ‘the toxic legacy’ of past policies behind and that we ‘need now, as never before, ethical leaders with strong moral purpose, direction and courage…. It is only such wise people who can resist the reversion to the mean, to the National Standards, to the league tables and the test. These are the leaders who can ensure that what is best for children is what guides their every decision.’

I just want to do my bit. 

We need to work towards replacing compliance and conformity with creativity. I know there are still exciting ideas being created at the edge that have the power to change things for the best – ideas that will see the creativity of the 60s once again  but this time we need to do it properly.

Classroom Vogeltown 1988

I will call it a day once this ‘market forces ‘government is voted out. At this time I hope to have developed the ‘fortitude to be forgotten’.

Bill Guild's room environment 1980s

Edutopia's Top Posts for 2014

A site that regularly supplies us with interesting ( and practical ) links is Edutopia. Edutopia is a site set up byGeorge Lucas of Star Wars fame. I recommend you joining their  newsletter – add your e-mail on theEdutopia site.

George Lucas visiting a classroom

George and Darth Vader

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) documents and disseminates the most exciting classrooms where these innovations are taking place. By shining the spotlight on these inspiring teachers and students, Edutopia hopes others will consider how their work can promote change in their own schools

Visit an earlier blog where we featured Edutopia

View Online  |  Update Your Preferences Edutopia’s Top 10 for 2014 6 Scaffolding Strategies Some helpful (and awesome!) strategies to try in your classroom. 7 Apps for Teaching Children Coding Use this list to teach problem solving, creativity, and critical thinking. DOWNLOAD Dipsticks: Efficient Ways to Check for Understanding Discover 53 short and simple ways that you can use formative assessment. 30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class Try these helpful attention-grabbing strategies, organized by grade level. 8 Myths That Undermine Educational Effectiveness What myths would you like to see exposed? Some may surprise you. Doing it Differently: Tips for Teaching Vocabulary This fan favorite is packed full of quick tips and free resources to make vocabulary memorable. 10 Steps for Avoiding Teacher Burnout Put a pep in your step in 2015 with these teacher-recommended ideas. VIDEO Tips and Tricks to Redesign Your Classroom This teacher remade his class for better collaboration. Watch the big AFTER reveal and get tips of your own! What I Wish I’d Known as a New Teacher Hear this veteran educator’s reflections on the six things she would’ve done differently. Classroom Management: The Intervention Two-Step How do you deal with classroom disruptions? Learn this two-step process. As the year comes to a close, Edutopia wants to thank you for all you do to improve education. On behalf of everyone here at Edutopia, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday!