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| JSMS’ outdoor education pilot program students bird watch as one of their recent activities. This program not only meets science standards and encourages life building skills, but the outdoor activities make learning fun and engaging. Photo by Lorraine Glowczak |
At Jordan-Small Middle School (JSMS), teacher Jed Bloom’s science classes no longer end at the classroom door. This fall, sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students are stepping into the woods on district property as part of a pilot outdoor education program that blends science instruction with nature-based exploration, hands-on projects, and plenty of fresh air.
Bloom said this outdoor education approach reflects a growing body of research showing that outdoor learning increases academic achievement, strengthens critical thinking, and supports students’ personal development.
According to the North American Association for Environmental Education, outdoor, hands-on learning backs up Bloom’s own research on the subject, adding that “personal growth and life-building skills including confidence, autonomy, and leadership” becomes an essential part of their lives.
Bloom said these findings inspire him to bring science outdoors in a meaningful way.
Outdoor education naturally encourages the core practices of science: asking questions, making observations, forming hypotheses, and testing ideas.
“You can certainly do that inside a lab, in a classroom surrounded by four brick walls,” he said. “But outside, there’s so much more to observe. You see it, you hear it, you smell it — it activates all the senses. That sensory experience leads to more questions, deeper thinking, and better science.”
Sixth grader Jack Sawyer’s curiosity was sparked during a routine visit to the Frog Pond across the street on the Raymond Elementary School’s campus. What began as a simple observation quickly grew into a bigger question about the natural world. “The first day when we went to the Frog Pond all the grass and cattails were standing up, but through the year they started to fall down. I wonder why they did that.”
Part of the pilot’s design, Bloom emphasized, is that both he and the students are learning together.
Bloom said that this program is a work in progress, adding that he and the students are figuring out what works and what doesn’t. “The students get to see that learning is a collaborative process. We’re exploring, experimenting, and improving the program for next year.”
In addition to meeting science standards, JSMS outdoor education program meets all of Maine’s 21st century standards - skills that the State expects students to have upon graduating high school. These include:
Self-Directed and Lifelong Learner “Applies knowledge in new contexts”
A Creative and Practical Problem Solver, “Frames questions, makes predictions, and designs data/information collection and analysis strategies”
A Responsible and Involved Citizen, “Demonstrates awareness of personal and community health, wellness, and the environment around them.”
An Integrative and Informed Thinker, “Gains and applies knowledge across disciplines and learning contexts to real life situations with and without technology.
A Clear and Effective Communicator, “Demonstrates organized and purposeful communication in English and at least one other language. (i.e.journaling, the language of nature.)
For many students, it goes beyond curriculum and standards set by the state. They recognize that being outside blends learning with play while observing the natural world. Whether that is observing birds, trees, wind, or frogs hopping or singing at the Frog Pond, being outdoors and the lesson it teaches is beginning to take hold.
Seventh grader Carly Herman said that she finds the hands-on, outdoor activities makes learning engaging.
“The best part is going out and having fun,” she said. “Right now, we’re making a fire pit and building forts. When it gets really cold, the fire pit will help keep us warm and the forts will keep us dry during rain and snow while we do our observations and journaling.”
Classmate Jamar Banton agreed, adding that the outdoor journals the students keep while on their exploratory adventures have helped him notice things he never paid attention to before.
“When we sit and listen, we take notes on everything happening around us,” he said. “One time I heard a buzzing noise, and it turned out to be a bee nearby. I even heard cars in the distance — sounds you don’t think about being in nature, but they’re there.”
While JSMS academics are the heart of this pilot program, Bloom said there is another component that is just as essential to the lives of JSMS students, and that is the art of playing.
“Twelve and thirteen-year-olds need to move their bodies and play together,” he said. “They’re learning social skills as much as science skills. Many kids today have packed schedules filled with school, sports, and evening activities. Add in the pull of cellphones, and there’s not much unstructured time outdoors.”
Outdoor education, he said, gives students space to breathe, move, collaborate, and reset.
As the pilot program continues, Bloom hopes this new initiative will become a model for future outdoor learning at Jordan-Small Middle School, and hopefully the whole school district. For now, students seem more than happy to trade fluorescent lights for sunshine, textbooks for field journals, and worksheets for the rustle of leaves, and very soon, the snow beneath their feet. <
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