Related Topics & Resources - not specifically related to School Gardens (During Covid-19)
School Garden Support Organization Network
- Distance Teaching/Learning (During Covid-19)
- ways we are continuing to provide instruction to students
- Maintaining Fiscal Stability of your SGSO (During Covid-19)
- ways organizations are dealing with budgets, payroll and potential loss of revenue
- School Gadens in the time of COVID19 - Pending re-title of Garden Care & Managment (During Covid-19)
- ways we are caring for and harvesting from school gardens
- Running your SGSO / Supporting Your Staff (During Covid-19)
- tips and ideas for managing your SGSO, such as scheduling staff, professional development opportunities, running evaluations, HR implications, etc
Shital Parikh
How to Teach Children in an Outdoor Classroom
Ideas from Taking FOSS Outdoors
Students will be a bit wild and unaccustomed to learning outside. Outside typically means recess for children. With practice students will understand how to behave and how to learn while in an outdoor classroom. Expect better behavior outside with repeat experiences.
Outdoor Classroom Rules
Setting rules before going outside is important. Have students help decide the rules.
Create a document with rules, call it a contract and have students sign it.
If rules are broken, the student is given a warning. Next time student is returned to the classroom and taken out of nature.
Boundaries
Define for them where they can go and what they should be doing.
Timing
Travel - Consider travel time when planning a lesson outside. 10 minutes to prepare, line up, and arrive in the garden depending on the distance.
Instructions - When outside, review the rules, describe boundaries, describe the challenge and give out materials.
Investigation time - break into pairs or groups and work on the project. Break a classroom into 3 groups with 2 more teachers/volunteers to lead the other 2 groups. Rotate groups after 20 minutes or as long as attention span. Example: 1 group does main lesson, 2nd group does weeding, 3rd group does tasting or bug hunt or watering.
Wrap-Up - Discuss the learnings as a group to reinforce lesson.
Materials Needed for Students
(giving the students something to hold can help remind them of their purpose outdoors)
Clipboards with writing utensils attached
Magnifying glasses
Measuring tape
Collection cups/vials
Sun protection - hat and sunscreen
Teacher Materials
Shaded area for discussions
Extra clipboards, magnifiers, tapes as above
Attention signal
Tissues/paper towels/hand sanitizer
First aid kit
Cell phone
Student class list
Water
FLOW OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
The natural flow of a outdoor activity is slightly different from that of a standard indoor activity. The steps of a typical outdoor activity are listed below. This list may be helpful if you want to teach more than the handful of outdoor activities in the Investigations Guide, or if you want to adapt an indoor activity for schoolyard use.
Prepare for the outdoor activity.
• Determine the best location to teach the activity.
• Check the weather forecast
• Make sure students will be dressed appropriately.
• Prepare materials for distribution.
• Check the site the morning of the activity.
Set the learning objective.
• Present the focus question.
• Discuss procedures.
Go outdoors.
• Gather at the predetermined location.
Model or describe the activity.
• Organize students.
• Define boundaries.
• Introduce/distribute materials.
Monitor the activity.
• Check student engagement.
• Check student recording.
• Ask questions.
Share the experience.
• Form a sharing circle to discuss experiences.
• Share thinking.
• Share answers to the focus question.
Return to class
• Make connections to the related indoor activity.
• Display student work and collections.
On Apr 5, 2020, at 1:32 PM, School Garden Support Organization Network <school-gar...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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John Fisher
7 Tips For Managing Virtual Meetings With Care During A Pandemic
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