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Guidance Inquiry Paper

How Can Teaching Core Curriculum Through Nature Enhance Students Learning?

Laura van Bree

Weber State University

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Introduction

Question: How can teaching core curriculum by integrating nature enhance students learning?

I am interested in this question because I in the last few years, I have had a lot of

experience in nature and with outdoor education. I spent six years working at a Girl Scout camp

in various positions. Because learning took place primarily in outside, the focus was on learning

through nature. Entering into a traditional classroom setting, I noticed a significant lack of nature

in the classroom. To me, education without nature seems to be a trend that has grown over the

last few decades, and has only recently started to be remedied. An environment-based education

movement--at all levels of education--will help students realize that school isn't supposed to be a

polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world (Louv, 2006). Nature teaches by

using all of the senses, not just one or two. Almost everything we teach is rooted in nature, so

why cant we present it that way?

What I Already Know

Before researching this topic, I knew there are some schools whose classrooms do have a

significant emphasis on teaching curriculum through nature. Even in schools where nature is not

a direct focus, I have seen elements of nature in the classroom. For example, my field experience

classroom has a decomposition center. The center is placed outside, and in it are several organic

items such as pumpkins, leaves, and dirt. The children are encouraged to observe and investigate

the decomposition process. I also know that it is impractical to teach every lesson outside. There
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are technological parts of lessons that would be nearly impossible to bring outside, as well as

distracting factors in the environment.

What I Expect to Find

I expect to find information about how the integration of nature into the curriculum can

benefit the students in the classroom. I also expect to find articles that will give me strategies to

implement outdoor education in my own classroom.

What I Learned

One study of a third grade classroom (2012) gave an excellent example of

cross-curricular learning through the creation of a class garden. To the students, it may have

seemed like they were only planting flowers and vegetables, but in reality they were gaining

knowledge in multiple subject areas. During the planning and implementation of their garden,

the students were able to gain interest and autonomy in their own education. The project gave

them hands on experience and connections to real life in many different subject areas:

Math: Students learned about volume as they calculated how much dirt the garden

would require.

Art: The students were able to track the progress of their plants by painting

pictures of the plants at different stages.

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Science: Students gained knowledge about the decomposition of organic and

inorganic materials in their compost bins.

Language arts: Students wrote predictions about the garden and the progression of

the gardens development (Eick, 2012).

There are several drawbacks perceived by teachers to teaching out of door. One issue is

that they may not be as comfortable with the material and environment in which they would be

teaching (Scott, Boyd, & Colquhoun, 2013). This could be solved by taking some time to go

outside and study nature themselves. Another problem many teachers see is the amount of time it

takes to prepare an outdoor lesson. To me, it seems that with a proper knowledge base, planning

a lesson outside would take no more time than any other lesson.

Conclusions and Next Steps

While researching this question, I found that there are many ways in which nature can be

integrated into the core curriculum. In the traditional classroom setting, the curriculum is

separated into various subjects such as math, art, science, and language arts (Eick, 2012). This is

not the case in nature. All subjects are assimilated, and need only to be identified by the teacher

when planning a lesson. While many parts of the curriculum require the use of indoor resources

such as textbooks, projectors, or whiteboards, these are not necessary for all components of

instruction. The outdoor classroom is a powerful tool for motivating students to learn in the

context of authentic inquiry that is real for children (Tatarchuk & Eick, 2011). Students are
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more likely to be engaged when they can see the real-life application of what theyre learning.

Discussion Questions:

How can nature be brought into the classroom in addition to taking the class into nature?

How does classroom management transfer from the traditional classroom to an outdoor

classroom?

How can families be involved with the outdoor perspective of the classroom?
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References

Eick, C. E. (2012). Use of the outdoor classroom and nature-study to support science and literacy

learning: A narrative case study of a third-grade classroom. Journal of Science Teacher

Education, 23(7), 789-803. Retrieved from:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0642c20c-9801-49f2-b429-3

8edafb1f38b%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125

Louv, R. (2006). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder.

Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Scott, G., Boyd, M., & Colquhoun, D. (2013). Changing spaces, changing relationships: The

positive impact of learning out of doors. Australian Journal Of Outdoor

Education, 17(1), 47-53. Retrieved from:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=83b5d9e4-7b93-40e9-84f8-8

10da62b34a5%40sessionmgr115&vid=11&hid=125

Tatarchuk, S., & Eick, C. (2011). Outdoor integration. Science & Children, 48(5), 35-39.

Retrieved from:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=62382875-32f5-45d7-871e-7

d12ce0a320e%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=125