By: Melissa Troutman

When I feel overwhelmed, some unseen force draws me outdoors. Invariably, I turn my gaze upward. When I can look past tree canopies swaying in the breeze into the great beyond, where my eyes cross no barrier, then I begin to feel better.  When I am distracted, I watch clouds move.  My favorites are the puffy cumulus that skate across the atmosphere, flat on their underbellies as though moving over a sheet of glass. After a few moments, my mind is always clearer and my nerves are calmed.  

There is little that a dose of the outdoors can’t overcome.  This is one of the reasons I love porches—they are cozy extensions of the home that allow for intimate enjoyment of the outdoors.  They also provide great places for observation, conversation and reflection.  I have learned a lot about myself as well as the world while sitting on porches, listening to the wind or to the words of family, a friend or neighbor.  

Learning is visceral; it happens automatically when unimpeded.  This natural fact should be the cornerstone of any learning environment, however it seems our country’s compulsory education system often ignores this for the sake of an allegedly more efficient, mass-produced kind of learning.  This system of learning has failed learners and our country as a whole.  Students need more places for meaningful, relevant learning to happen naturally, as well as more individualized curriculum options.  There must be fewer barriers placed before a person’s natural learning processes.  

In 2004, Governor Mark Warner put into effect a business plan to establish outdoor classrooms at every school.  I don’t think he had much success implementing the plan, as I don’t know of many schools that have outdoor learning spaces. But big porches or pavilions can be built relatively cheaply and can even be shared by several schools.  Simply removing physical walls from around students opens them up mentally and emotionally to new learning experiences.  I saw it every day when I taught Outdoor School for Penn State University’s Environmental Center.  After a week living and learning mostly outdoors, the kids that teachers warned us about (the ADHD trouble-makers, the devious geniuses, the young gangsters) all adopted better social skills and a new interest in both activities and the group as a whole.  

Kids participated in almost every functioning part of Outdoor School, from leading activities to preparing meals.  Teambuilding was a major proponent of our daily lessons, and each person was held responsible for the wellbeing of everyone else while we were in the woods.  Kids learned to work together, conduct explorative studies of nature, and to watch and listen more than they spoke.  In just one week, kids that came rolling their eyes left with tears rolling down their cheeks.  They couldn’t quite put their experience into words as they hugged us goodbye, but I know that they were overwhelmed with joy for the trust we gave them.  We expected them to really be responsible, not just for themselves, but what occurred around them.  And we believed that every single one of them could be.  On top of that, they had completed a unit of study for science class and loved every minute of it, even the challenging moments.     

Can such programs be established here?

Virginia Beach City Public Schools held an open forum on September 22 to discuss their strategic new plan to shift out of teaching test-prep and into teaching critical thinking skills. Among other things, the city’s plan calls for student ownership over their own learning, rigorous, relevant curriculum and an increase in community involvement.   There were few specifics, and I left the open mic unsure about how these goals would be met.   I’ve tried to contact committee members to learn more and volunteer to help, but I haven’t heard back from anyone yet.

If what the city really wants is meaningful, relevant, community-involved, self-initiated and self-regulated learning, I recommend considering outdoor classrooms.  I also suggest making portfolio-based assessments, hands-on projects and workshop-style classes the norm.  An increase in the number of electives available to students wouldn’t hurt either.   

When I asked how much ownership he had over his education, James Hall, a senior at Wilson High School in Portsmouth and former student of mine, wrote this:
    
I barely have any opportunity to decide what I learn and when I learn it at all. In the past week I’ve heard at least 3 of my teachers saying something along the lines of "we won’t be able to get too deep into this because we have to go over this, this and this before your midterms." I know the school system’s just trying to make sure we can learn ALL of a class’s subject matter within 18 weeks, but it’s a really big flaw because teachers have to rush through things all the time.

The problems of our school system will not be easy to correct.  In order to ensure that the right solutions are being sought, schools need to initiate community discussions about what teachers, parents and students need and want out of education.  If it’s student engagement and ownership that are desired, teachers need to have time and resources to do project-based assessments, schools need to strive for more parent responsibility and community involvement, and students need to have more opportunities to decide what, when and how they learn. If every student, not just a special needs student, was allowed to create an Individual Education Plan to include academics, internships and electives, imagine the increase in student engagement!

The barriers between the interiors of school buildings and the ‘real world’ outside could use some bulldozing too.  Give kids greater access to the larger community and vice versa.  There is a need for traditional classrooms for academic study, but that’s only part of the formula.  The power of nature is infintite…divine even…and often it can be the perfect setting for learning.  If given time, no trauma or bad habit can overpower it.