Orchard Teachers Travel To Purdue For Professional Development On Connecting Students To Nature

Melissa Jackson (preschool teacher) and Teressa Hart (middle school teacher) attended professional development designed to help teachers focus on science, the environment, and the ability to get students connected with nature. The Nature of Teaching workshops were held on June 26 and 27 at Purdue University.

 

Progressive Education Tenet: Orchard teachers lead by example, and model a willingness to grow, a deep knowledge of best practices reflecting current research and a passion for learning.

 

Read more about the workshops from our teachers!

 

"The Nature of Teaching Workshop focused on the importance of spending time outdoors with students and ideas for bringing nature into the classroom. We learned about many resources and activities for expanding our teaching and learning about wildlife, health and wellness, and food waste. So many important skills that children need - social/emotional, scientific thinking, physical development, art, literacy, math, and more - can be connected to nature. There are also wonderful ways we can connect learning and students across grade levels with nature-based activities. 

 

It was great to have the opportunity to connect with other professionals and share ideas over the course of the two-day workshop. We are so fortunate to be teaching at Orchard, where "Nature as Teacher" is a promise we live every day, and as teachers we are encouraged to be lifelong learners. The workshop further reinforced the nature-based approach that is the foundation of our Early Childhood program. I'm so excited to share all that I've learned with my colleagues and students!

 

I plan to implement ideas from this workshop to turn our EC food waste into compost for our gardens. Also, I would love to do more in-depth research of the wildlife in our Orchard Woods, utilizing hands-on experiences and technology to enhance our nature discoveries.

 

Being a '96 graduate school grad from Purdue University, I also appreciated the opportunity to return to the area and visit new and familiar places on campus and around town."

 

"Attending the Nature of Teaching workshop confirmed what I already knew about how beneficial it is to get students (and teachers!) outside. I'll use what I learned to bring the natural world into our study of indigenous people and early settlers. It is also important to take advantage of the calming effects of a walk in the beautiful Orchard woods when academic life gets demanding."

Teachers,
Thank you for using summer break as a way to build on your knowledge, in order to provide the best possible learning opportunities at Orchard.