| Author |
Post |
|
|
|
|
From today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2015/08/23/Send-children-outside-Nature-is-the-best-training-ground-for-STEM-careers/stories/201506170016
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a great idea! I liked how the article discusses the benefit of going outside. Some students don't learn as well in a 'normal' classroom setting, and it can be nice for a whole class to have a change in scenary! This can give students an opportunity to spend more time outside (especially when it's nice out) and can help students who can be easily distracted get some extra movement in their day!
|
|
|
|
|
|
I really like this activity too! I too feel that sometimes students just need a change of scenery or maybe it helps to get up and get their blood flowing. I had a friend recently suggest going on a 'nature walk' where students can learn the difference between qualitative and quatitative data (I would do this at the beginning of the year). They can observe different things by describing their shape, color, texture, smell (qualitative), and then describe the number of them (quantitative). Also, I heard of another cool activity if and when you teach ecosystems where students could walk around outside and put together a energy web with what they observe outside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I really enjoyed this article! I completely agree that the foundation for creative and innovative thinking is outside! I will definitely take every opportunity possible to take my students outside and learn with hands on activities. It is true that when students are engaged, they are more inclined to ask deeper questions and are able to remember information better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I love this idea! Students should be given the opportunities to explore around them, this could enable students to fully engage in memorable experiences for learning science.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for sharing this artcile! It really emphaised the benfit of going outside and being enaged with nature in a learning setting. I strongly agree that the foundation for craetive and innovative thinking takes place outdoors. Bringing students outside will benenift those who dont learn well in tradition classroom settings. Outdoor education provides movement and allows students to explore in the real world. I remeber when I was in 3rd, my class created a garden outside where we planted flowers and vegitables. we were able to provide the necessary resources in order for these plants to survive. This enagement provided us with real world situationa and taught us lesson we would surely use in the future. Overall, this was a great artcile that will motivate and enhance stratgies for educators to use when incoprorting outside learning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research in Science Education - Teach STEM outside. Getting students up close and personal with their subject of study can create excitement and interest from the students. It is a great way to change the scenery for the students to get a fresh insight on science. It gives the students a break from traditional textbook learning. Teachers can also combine outside learning with technology through apps such as 'plant identifyer' to get all the details of the specimen in front of them through a quick snap of a camera.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott,
I enjoyed reading this article as it provides another perspective on how to improve our science teaching practices. I am a special education teacher for 4th graders and I would be interested to try out some of these ideas with my students. I believe connecting what we are learning in the classroom to processes that students can observe outside will definitely help students to engage and better understand the content we are teaching. I found another article discussing this: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2016/may/01/nature-nurture-pupils-special-educational-needs-outdoor-education
It appears that many educators utilize outside learning time to help engage their students. I am looking forward to trying this technique with my students. Thanks for sharing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incredibly important!
One of the biggest benefits of outdoor STEM education that this article briefly touches on is the ability of outdoor education to benefit students who don't learn well in traditional classroom settings. Especially for students who tend to be distracted/restless/listless in a traditional classroom environment (such as I was in elementary school), outdoor education provides an opportunity for movement, kinesthetic learning, and more focused investment of energy!
One of the biggest difficulties with outdoor education, however, is accessibility. How can we get our students (especially inner-city students) to experience outdoor education in lesser-funded districts? A one-week trip is great, but this is something that ideally could be incorporated on a regular basis.
Any thoughts?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you have any outdoor space at all? If so you could try container gardening, set up a weather station, and conduct some shadow experiments. I do agree being outside is beneficial to students.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Starting a garden and observing the solar eclipse are some great ways to get students engaged in science outdoors. I sympathize with teachers and students whose schools have a limited amount of outdoor space. This calls for extra creativity on our part to diversify students' experience with science. Here is a link with many ideas for outdoor STEM activities... https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/outdoor-stem-activities-science-kids/
Some ideas include making sun prints, building a solar oven or heater, or creating your own balance with objects from nature. Ideas for designing and building pulleys, catapults, sundials, and waters clocks are included, as well as simple experiments with rocks and bugs. STEM is so broad and encompasses many topics that can be explored in real life, outdoor experiences!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Jordan! Thank you for posting that link with all of those great activities. I will soon have my own classroom and having some activities for students to get up and move around outside and experience science has been one of my goals for my classroom. I will be using some of these activities to get my students more engaged in science and show them that science is all around them all the time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you Jordan for sharing this link! As a pre-service teacher I found the link very beneficial and interesting as I would love to incorporate many of these ideas into my future teaching. There are many great ways to incorporate STEAM into the classroom in general, but this link provided great ideas and fun projects for students. I love the idea of starting a classroom garden and having students learn how to maintain and take care of the garden. The link shared many great ideas that I would love to incorporate into my future classroom! Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
|
|
I have worked in STEM schools before in my student teaching placements, and one that really impressed me was one that had a partner farm that the students got to go to on field trips and interact with the animals and crops. The farm set aside a section that was not used frequently for the students to complete projects. They would brainstorm issues that the farm or the school was having, and then they would come up with solutions to help using the land they were provided. It was a really cool year long project for the students. You could tell they all really enjoyed their time there as well, and they took a lot out of the experience. I do like all the ideas presented in the links throughout the feed that will help me as a teacher get my students outside if there are limited opportunities for STEM growth in the school.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks for sharing the article. I've always felt the need and follow methods to involve nature in science learning. Natural sciences do not operate in vacuum. It is important to establish or re-establish communication between the natural environment and learning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you so much for sharing this information! I would be a great idea to have class outside and get to see STEM from a hands-on experience!
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's a pretty great idea, thanks! I hope I'll be able to teach in normal conditions again this September, and I'll try to apply this advice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taking students outside is so very important! I believe that the 5E Instructional Model can help to offer a guideline for a quality outdoor lesson. The Explore portion is good for taking the students outside, using Interactive Science Notebooks to guide their thinking and modeling, and letting them use all of their senses. In using the outdoors for explore, students can observe and model and sketch in their science journals, and they can take charge of their own investigations. Teachers can ask probing questions, along with guiding students along the way. This is a good resource to explore their school ecosystems, organisms within the ecosystems, and relationships and interconnectedness within the ecosystem. Getting outdoors can also provide quality authentic experiences, along with beginning conversations about how students can help their neighborhoods, communities, and protect the environment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Given the choice, I'd rather break out of the four walls of my classroom and learn outdoors. Check out the selected articles from NSTA below. So many benefits and opportunities to learn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I started my teaching career by putting up a MATH CLINIC, using a MATH PORTFOLIO and a MATH LEARNING CAMP. I am a physics and Math teacher. Since 2000, when I started teaching, I always love game activities outside the classroom. I have MATH BASKETBALL, MATH BASEBALL, MATH RELAY, MATH DOMINO, HUMAN MATH GRAPH, and other MATH sports. I also have physics sports for science camps.
Now that I am promoting STEM, as a coordinator, we design STEM Camps so that students will learn STEM outside the classroom and they will have more opportunities to combine these STEM ideas and create new ideas by collaboration and investigations.
I have STEM camping ideas, if you are interested with my STEM Camps, let us collaborate. Please contact me at my email [email protected]. Thankyou
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for sharing this. It is encouraging to hear others talk about taking science outside of the classroom. For me, when I teach content such as 'clouds', the best way to make it stick is for us to go outside, observe, and discuss the types of clouds in the sky. I will hear my students for the remainder of the year classifying the clouds in the sky.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good Evening!
I really enjoyed reading this article! I completely agree that the foundation for creative and innovative thinking is outside! I will definitely take every opportunity possible to take my students outside and learn with hands on activities. I have found out that the kids are more engaged and want to learn more about the concept when they can have the space of the outside to learn.
|
|