Classroom is Outside, Knowledge is in Nature

In the education system in our country, there is not much room for out-of-class practices. Subjects such as plants in nature, stones, animals, forests, ecological system, global warming, climate c...

In the education system in our country, there is not much room for out-of-class practices. Subjects such as plants in nature, stones, animals, forests, ecological system, global warming, climate crisis, mathematics, physics, etc. are explained to students theoretically in the classroom. Introducing these subjects physically and using them when necessary will create an important experience for students and provide permanent learning. For example, in the Biology course, teaching the plant and animal biology unit in a natural environment and examining plants in their natural environment will enable the student to learn by doing and experiencing. Students will have the opportunity to learn course topics by experiencing the environment. The plans of all the lessons will be made applicable to the environment and outdoors by the teachers, and at the same time, drawing attention to environmental problems, global warming, climate changes, losses in biodiversity, soil losses, forest fires, depletion in the ozone layer and covering these issues in the lessons is one of the aims of the project.

The activities we implemented in our project are as follows. 1. Nature explorer: Our aim in this activity was to enable the participants to recognize the trees and plants around them. We organized trips around the school and in national parks with the students and learned about plants that they had seen before but did not know what they were. We used the Planet mobile application in this event. At the end of the activity, the students noticed, recognized and had detailed information about the plants and trees they saw around them. 2. Permaculture activity in the school garden: In this activity, students experienced how to build a simple greenhouse, plant plants using the right methods, and how to do water harvesting. They discovered that the knowledge learned in schools was also used in daily life. 3. Mathematics education in nature: In this activity, students learned to solve the relevant topics of mathematics (especially geometry and problem solving topics) with the help of materials in nature. 4. Creating a training curriculum on the subject: In this activity, project partner teachers came together and determined some sample subjects and prepared curricula for teaching these courses in out-of-school environments. sığmadı

Young people learned about the culture they grew up in by experiencing the consequences of unsustainable consumption. With this project, young people learned that education cannot only be in closed areas. They have seen that the courses taught in schools can be taught outside the classroom in accordance with the content of each subject. Students ; They had the opportunity to learn about the environment by experiencing it. They greened the concrete school gardens and turned them into open-air classrooms, and also enabled students to engage in gardening activities. Students learned about how a vegetable that comes to their tables grows. Students who continue their lessons in open-air classrooms have also developed awareness about the changing climate. It has been observed that students' personal involvement in the process reduces stress and increases cognitive functions. Activities in nature have developed children's creativity. It enabled lessons to be taught in healthier classroom environments with fresh air. While the lessons were taught outdoors according to their subjects, the participation of all students was ensured. Students became a part of the lesson and had the opportunity to socialize more with their friends. sığmadı