Nature Conservation Foundation’s Nature Learning Framework for Schools project supported by Wipro Foundation aims to work closely with schools and teachers to develop exciting and locally, culturally relevant nature learning modules that can be woven into the existing school curriculum.
For children to experience and learn from nature, it is important to facilitate nature immersion and exploration opportunities for them and their school teachers. With this in mind, we have been conducting workshops, observing classroom sessions and facilitating discussions that have enabled teachers to reconnect with the natural world, and learn about the fascinating creatures that share our world with us and phenomena in nature. In the past year, we have been collaborating with other nature educators and educationists and developing, offering concrete ideas and exploring a creative pedagogical approach to take both within and outside the school classrooms. Our work with primary school teachers is based on the philosophy that nature learning should be age-appropriate and locally, culturally relevant with an emphasis on a gradual progression from developing empathy and experiencing wonder, to exploration and building a connection with their natural environment.
To ensure that our ideas and interventions are pedagogically sound, appropriate and contextual; we are partnering with education groups, professionals and individuals who have experience in nature education. We are working closely with designers to create low-cost, easy to use and replicable nature learning material that can be used by teachers and children.
To know more, visit https://www.ncf-india.org/education-and-public-engagement/a-nature-learning-framework-for-schools
CLIENT
Created while employed as the Visual Designer for the Education and Public Engagement Programme at Nature Conservation Foundation
Created while employed as the Visual Designer for the Education and Public Engagement Programme at Nature Conservation Foundation
TEAM
Roshni Ravi, Teacher Educator
Vena Kapoor, Ecologist and Primary Investigator
LOCATION
Bangalore, Karnataka
SCHOOLS
1. Government Lower Primary School, Tarabanahalli
2. Parikrma Centre for Learning, Nandhini Layout
3. Parikrma Centre for Learning, Sahakara Nagar
4. Government Urdu Higher Primary School, Ganganagar
5. Geddalahalli Government School
PARTNERS
Following are some activities that have been trial-and-tested as part of our resource pack :
ACTIVITY 1
Colours in Nature :
This is an activity aimed to develop children’s observation skills and awareness of the natural world around them. It uses colour as a means of filtering the natural environment and beings around. Children go on a nature walk looking for different things in nature of that colour.
V.1 : In the very first version we created 3 colour cards (primary colours-red, yellow and blue) with images of elements from nature of that colour at the back of the card.
* All photographs taken from Secondary Research - contact for photographers names.
V.2 : After a preliminary trial with an EVS teacher, we felt that we needed to create more colour cards. Our next version had 7 colour cards with new colours like brown and orange included as well as photos of elements in nature of these colours.
* All photographs taken from Secondary Research - contact for photographers names.
V.3 : Our current version is designed like a colour based nature hunt, with 9 colour cards. Children go on a nature walk looking for different things in nature of that colour. For example: children with an orange card could find flowers, butterflies, millipedes and leaves that match their orange colour card! These expeditions are followed by a discussion and reflection with the teachers and children.
ACTIVITY 2
Sense and Sense Organs - Teacher Learning Material :
This topic has been visualised in a way where children can learn about the 5 senses through different ‘animal senses.’ It consists of 5 anchor charts, with an icon of each sense in the centre. There are zoomed in photographs of 2 kinds of beings from each category - reptiles, mammals, birds and insects. There are line drawings of the entire bodies of the beings that have been included as to give context about the following visual body part.
*This activity is currently being trialled and tested in classrooms.
* All photographs taken from Secondary Research - contact for photographers names.
ACTIVITY 3
Which Tree do I Belong to? :
This matching game helps bring students’ attention to the trees and plants in their neighbourhood and bring them closer to nature through observation and memory.
Aim :
To use sight, observation and memory to identify local trees and bring focus to their characteristics - how they look, feel and behave.
How to Play :
- There are 5 cards in total. In small groups (4-5 students), students can pick one card per group.
- Each card has a visual of a leaf (front & back) which students need to match to the tree it came from.
Discussion Prompts :
Once students find the tree, encourage them to draw and describe the leaf as well as the tree.
Students can observe, record and discuss where the tree is growing and the birds, insects and other animals that visit it.
Samples of cards -
L-R : Pongam Leaf (front), Pongam Leaf (back), Cluster Fig Leaf (front), Cluster Fig Leaf (back)
L-R : Pongam Leaf (front), Pongam Leaf (back), Cluster Fig Leaf (front), Cluster Fig Leaf (back)
ACTIVITY 4
Nature Mapping Zine :
This is an activity aimed to develop children’s observation skills and awareness of the natural world around them. Created in the form of a ‘zine’ - an A4 sheet folded into a mini booklet - this proves to be a useful tool where children learn to filter their environment by focusing on one sense at a time and document their observations as they experience them.
ACTIVITY 5
The Story of the Fig Tree and the Fig Wasp - Classroom Learning Aid :
This is a natural history story that has been designed in the form of an accordion/‘zig-zag’ book. To be used by the teacher as classroom learning material, this book has been created keeping its advantage of a two-sided panel in mind. On one side, it illustrates the stages of the journey of the fig wasp and how it pollinates the fig tree; while on the other side it explains these stages with corresponding text.
*This publication is currently a WIP.
WHAT HAS WORKED
Schools and school teachers we have approached and engaged with over the last year have been extremely welcoming and are cognizant of the need for a focus on nature learning in schools. Many teachers have been enthusiastic and generous, coming to
workshops with open minds and attempting to take some elements back to their classrooms.
CHALLENGES
Negotiating school systems with constraints of time and syllabus completion pressures has been a challenge for us. With a small team, coordinating across five schools and each teacher’s specific needs has led to us firefighting at times and often this is time consuming.
Many questions arise when we think of the assessment of our work; How do we measure the wonder a child experiences as she watches an ant make its way across the classroom? How do we quantify the connection a child feels to a cluster fig tree and all the life it supports in the school campus?
Some of the impact of this work is likely to remain dormant for a while and only manifest after a few years when students begin making decisions and expressing themselves in different groups at school, home and in their communities.
