Why take students outdoors to learn? The reasons are many and varied. In the 1970s children spent twice as much time outdoors as they do today. How this affects us is increasingly understood as medical professionals see the impacts on human health of increased sedentary time indoors. We incorporated field-based time as one of the critical components of our FieldSTEM Model for two reasons:
- In order for teachers and students to care about the health of the ecosystem, they need the capacity and confidence to spend time outside, paying attention to the lessons that come from other living organisms and making observations that they can use to increase their understanding and make sense of the world around them.
- Some students come with a complex understanding of the natural world and excel in outdoor learning environments. If they are only taught indoors, they may never be seen as community contributors or as knowledgeable and with gifts to share.
If our education system does not work to build an understanding of and appreciation for natural systems and how they are impacted by and sustain our social and economic systems, our communities will not be sustainable.
Read research related to the importance of field-based learning.