Yes, that is exactly our goal. We will give them the initial inspiration, but we are very happy when the teachers take it as their own and see in it opportunities within their subject or topic. This is excellent, because everyone has different priorities and they then share their way of perceiving outdoor teaching, which is always completely different. If we have dozens or hundreds of teachers teaching outside and sharing inspiration, it is very rewarding. It will reach a much larger group than when the methodologies are devised only by a team of lecturers.
We have already mentioned the Green School and the Garden that Teaches – projects that Živica has under its belt. How does Hurá von combine all these activities into one complex whole?
That was the basic idea behind the creation of the Hooray von platform. In Živica, we had several projects that worked with outdoor teaching. I would also like to mention the Sadovo project, which is dedicated to planting old varieties of fruit trees in school gardens, so that children can learn about natural heritage, taste interesting flavors and strengthen biodiversity. The projects are connected with outdoor education and we try to connect teachers who are interested in this form of education. We offer them various topics that they can work with outside – whether it’s in mathematics, physics, music education or computer science.
You really have a lot of projects, and you are also members of the Alliance of Innovators in Education. Where do you see the biggest innovation in getting kids out and not just a walk in the yard, but an authentic experience?
We are very happy to be a member of the Alliance of Innovators, there are many inspiring organizations there. The innovation that we at Hurá von perceive as the most beneficial is the fact that, given today’s “sedentary” digital age, teaching drives children outside for fresh air and movement.
At the same time, teaching is complex, because in the outdoor environment, children engage a completely different part of the brain and senses. For example, they have to estimate the distance, know how to orient themselves in the terrain, often research, look for things or work in groups. They must communicate and evaluate what they see or research very effectively. These are things that are also innovative in that they connect education with the practical skills they need for life in the 21st century.
Do you feel that after years of your hard work, the view of Slovak parents and teachers on environmental education has changed? Or are you still struggling with the myth that it’s just “collecting paper”?
I believe it has definitely shifted. We can also see it in the projects that schools do with students. Of course, from time to time, first-plan activities appear there, but we see that they are working on much more complex topics – for example, climate change or carbon footprint. Children in the Green School program help to do audits where the school could save energy or water. There are initiatives for walking to school, where parents help, in order to save the carbon footprint of transport. These are very real and current things. At Hurá von, we try to transform it into methodologies and address topics that are current.
If we look at specific projects, I was interested in the mathematical project “Snowmen in percentages”, which took place in Kláštor pod Znievom. What exactly does such a winter hour look like in practice? Do children really learn formulas better when their hands are covered in snow or buffeted by the wind?
A video and a report were also created from this lesson. We have female teachers there who are very enthusiastic about teaching outdoors and have completed our School in the Out project. Already on the course, they were convinced that everything and always can be taught outdoors. They also said in the video that working with snow, when children can grab it, estimate the height and then measure percentages, is a completely different way of dealing with knowledge. It’s practical, tangible, and being outdoors is an adventure for them.
At the same time, it is important that today’s children are not outside as often as our generation. For them it is an experience. They get it partly as a reward. We know that they ask for those hours outside because they enjoy it. Even though they are learning, they don’t even know it – it’s very natural.
Until now, we talked more about mathematics, physics or chemistry, but in Komárno children created unique pictures from ice and natural objects. Is this artistic dimension outside important for children who may not enjoy classical art education?
Certainly yes. I myself have two boys at home who treat art as a necessary evil. But as soon as it is creativity that the teacher can connect with something real that the children enjoy, it changes. Today’s teenagers want to do practical things. In Komárne, the children did something that they saw sense in – they froze ice ornaments, investigated how quickly and why it froze (thus involving physics) and then took it home as gifts, hung it on the balcony. They are simple things that can awaken creativity even in children who normally have no relationship with drawing or painting.
Do you have feedback that during such activities some children discovered another dimension of their skill? Maybe they weren’t the brightest in class, but suddenly a star outside?
We have several quotes from parents of children whose teachers have taken our courses. Parents noticed the change. One wrote that their child was never exceptional in Slovak, but as soon as Slovak took place outside, he became a star in that environment. Children express themselves outside in a different way and show talents that they do not have the opportunity to show in the classroom. It can be about practical skills, learning about stones, insects or plants, which goes unnoticed in the classroom.
Let’s go back to the innovative education of “Schools in the Out”. Is there interest in it among Slovak teachers? Don’t you ever encounter fear or dislike of the unknown?
Sometimes it happens that they ask what awaits them. But with the fact that the project has been running for the sixth year, it is already quite well-known. In the past, hundreds of teachers applied to us, we had to choose. Although we introduced a fee this year due to consolidation, we still have the course completely full and we have a lot of substitutes. The teachers already know approximately what they are getting into – that they will be outside a lot and not always in good weather.
Can this outdoor learning be fully integrated with the standard curriculum?
I think so. At least after the new curricular reform, where outdoor education appears as a recommended form, it has relaxed. Teachers who want to will find those ways. Sometimes we hear that the priorities are mathematics and Slovak because of preparation for secondary schools and there is pressure to perform. However, there are still schools that realize that the well-being of pupils is also important for motivation to learn. They will do it in such a way as to fit outdoor education into the curriculum, which is sometimes difficult because there is a lot of subject matter. As part of the new reform, however, it is more or less up to them, they have recommendations and do not have to strictly take over everything, they can choose their priorities.
How do you perceive the connection between digital technologies and outdoor learning? Taking a tablet into the woods might not be bad, but is it effective?
At Hurá von, we have a positive approach to technology. There are applications that can significantly motivate children to work in the field, for example the PlantNet application for plant identification. It can be used in botany or geography. Working with applications is certainly possible, but at the same time we are also trying to do a digital detox. So that children can be in contact with nature without having a mobile phone or tablet in their hand.
Today’s children, unfortunately, often suffer from anxiety, depression or lack of exercise. Is there data to support that this type of learning helps children manage these conditions?
Yes, there is a lot of research. Last year, we devoted the whole theme of Schools in the Out to the support of mental health. We collaborated with the Canadian organization Outdoor Play Canada, which conducted a survey and shared its results at our festival. It has been clearly shown that even two hours of active movement outside can significantly affect the mental health of teenagers. It improved their taste and joy in life. These were very interesting measurable parameters. Surveys were done by universities and hospitals, they took it from the point of view of mental and physical health. We also know this directly from teachers and children – contact with greenery has a very positive effect. Humanity emerged from nature and needs it for life.
See and listen to more in our VIDEOpodcast.
What else can you learn in Ekocast?
- What activities can be done throughout the year?
- Zaježová is often the center of projects. Why is this location and the school there important for Slovak education?
- What should be the first and easiest thing a teacher or parent should do tomorrow if they want to take the kids outside for at least one hour?
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