The Garden Classroom
The Garden Classroom, also known as Sustainable Schooling, is an innovative method of teaching children for the future. Goals of this method reach farther than merely surviving and trying not to make a degraded planet worse. Children learn to support healthy communities for present and future generations. Curriculum nurtures respect and honor for physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual diversity with recognition for the need of justice.
Smart by Nature, motto of the Center for Ecoliteracy predicates that Nature is our teacher and sustainability is a community practice. Co-founded by Fritjof Capra, physicist and systems thinker authored “The Web of Life” in which he defines life as the integrative actions of living organisms. By exposing children to more information about themselves, their peers and their environment, their integrative actions become more conscious with a greater reward for all. For students showing interest long-term projects are supervised by educators. As more students come to find interest in a project, say a chicken coop expansion, students can teach others thereby reinforcing their own knowledge and passing it on as equal and engaged learners.
Children learn science, math, english, social skills, culture and more using real life activities in and out of a classroom. Teachers create an atmosphere of meaningful conversation where creativity and problem solving can grow. Information retention is high because the learning environment is tailored to child development. Projects are phased in stages so that kids can learn to stick with projects until a stage is completed giving them the pride of accomplishment. Working together teaches patience, team work, understanding of people’s strengths and tolerance for difference, and due process.
A goal is the recognized need for justice. A system involving student run government, elected positions and case hearings have worked well. Student officers enforce the voted in laws and when they are broken cases are heard in front of an elected student jury and judge. There may be civil cases or criminal cases between students. Overseen by educators, the kids learn to respect authority and to become political participants in their world. What an inspiring way to reinvigorate patriotism in today’s youth.
Thousands of educators across the country are recognizing the benefits of this method of teaching. The quality of life is raised for the children, parents, faculty and neighbors. These methods bring people together strengthening the character and values of the community. For instance, an ongoing project to restore a watershed in Sonoma, California, brought students together with government and ranchers to be more accountable and take better care of the creek. Teachers, parents, ranch owners and politicians were in awe at the power of the children to bring about such profound change.
Change is something we can learn from the children who will be our future. It is important to nurture in them a strong sense of responsible stewardship toward each other, their community and their planet. What they achieve will be extraordinary.
Lauren Bell is a Green Consultant and the founder of GLOBellConsulting.com. Advocating for education, Lauren is working toward implementing these methods in our local schools.
References:
Capra, Fritjof. The Web of Life, A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems. Anchor Books, Doubleday. New York. 1996.
Co-founder of Center for EcoLiteracy. www.Ecoliteracy.org