Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the scientific complexity of issues, such as climate change and habitat loss, have mag-
nified (Magntorn and Helldén 2007; McBeth et al. 2008; Balgopal and Wallace
2009). Schoolyard outdoor experiences can help avoid what Pyle (1993) described as
“extinction of experience,” and Nabhan and Trimble (1994) call the “the loss of wild-
ness where children play.” Similarly, Louv (2005) describes the effects of depriving
children regular contact with nature as “nature deficit disorder.” Many environmental
education researchers fear the trend toward less fieldwork and less time outdoors will
contribute to environmental illiteracy (see chap. 22, this volume). Stephen Kellert
(2005) and others argue that depriving young people of intimate interactions with the
natural world can have detrimental intellectual, biological, emotional, and develop-
mental impacts.
Earth Partnership for Schools/RESTORE schoolyard, riparian, and natural area
restorations provide a powerful context in which students can engage in learning that
is relevant, not only to these global issues, but to their everyday lives. In EPS activities,
students get to know individual plants and animals and how they fit into ecological
concepts such as biological diversity, adaptation, and the “web of life.” Moreover, stu-
dents experience science, math, language arts, social studies, art, and music within the
context of nature. The EPS restoration process builds a mental and physical space for
learning that makes sense to students. They study site history, measure physical and
observe aesthetic features, analyze soil, and learn the biology of native species and
communities. They read literature, write journals and poetry, and incorporate species
and structures—benches, stepping stones, water features—into areas that are used for
restoration, research, and pollution prevention as well as for play.
Because it operates in this way, EPS appeals to a wide range of learning styles and
reaches kids who are considered at risk or in need of new educational strategies,
which, as many educators know, is a growing part of the school-age population. Here
is but one example from an EPS-trained teacher:
On a beautiful July morning under hazy sky, ideal for flower photography, I was
standing in a lovely prairie when a beat-up car pulled over, and a somewhat
scruffy-looking young man climbed out. He leaned into the backseat, pulled a
professional-looking camera over his head and with a wide grin, began stepping
carefully across the prairie towards me. “Hey! Remember me? I'm Pete, re-
member?” Many years before, I had hiked with Pete and his special education
teacher to this very spot from our elementary school. It was the first of many
restorative walks here with this nature-loving, observant boy. The calming
woodland trail ending at this vibrant prairie was Pete's favorite classroom. This
young man was now a nature photographer, on assignment for university pro-
fessors who needed specific photographs to illustrate academic papers or topics.
“I still don't read that well,” he confessed, “Just enough to get by, but if some-
body needs a photograph of a swallowtail on marsh milkweed or something, I
know where to find it for them.” Pete may never sit in a university classroom,
but his literacy in nature's topic is enabling him to have a productive life.
(Georgia Ibaüez Gomez, unpublished, 2009)
