I have been trying to build a basic curriculum for the research process itself which is why I have been trying to expand my research from simply encouraging more community involvement. Along with community involvement, a place-based education should also include a good amount of environmental submersion. Nature is very much a part of the place that children grow up and they should learn and interact with that through academic avenues. I found a great book that talks about “ecophobia”, Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart of Nature in Education. Although the title would have one believe that the book is about eliminating a fear of nature, the book talks a lot about how to make classroom lessons more tangible/interactive.
The basis of the text refers to the way that children are to young to understand abstract concepts. So in the classroom, when a teacher is teaching students about the weather, plant growth, forests, oceans, etc, it will be difficult for them to fully absorb the material because they cannot physically touch it or see it with their own eyes. Children in younger elementary still learn best by experience. Teaching abstract thought to this age range of students is like teaching to a wall. It, of course, isn’t impossible to teach students the different shapes of clouds or types of weather, but without the hands-on experiences, students will only learn to memorize facts.
The information I find in this book will be especially helpful in creating the very basic curriculum/ units that I would plan on introducing to a select group of classrooms for observational research. I will use this book to enhance my knowledge on various methods and ideas that will create a more interactive classroom environment and, hopefully, create a greater understanding of subject matter. Not only will this aid in the absorption and application of subject matter by students, these methods will help ELL students (English Language Learners). Because of their lack of English language skill, it can be very difficult for students to grasp concepts. Lessons with a more interactive component greatly help ELL students because they don’t necessarily need a strong English vocabulary to succeed in the lesson.
Overall, this book was a great find for me and I am looking forward to delving deeper into the information to learn more about how this can aid in my research.
Sobel, David. Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education.
Orion Society, 2013.