Teaching and Learning Outside

You in or out or ?

During the last few months we’ve been hearing about moving the classroom outside since it is safer than being inside during the pandemic. Many teachers patched together how to teach online in the spring, the summer studying how to teach online and simultaneously with students in person. Many are holding their breath that the pandemic doesn’t worsen so they are forced to go full time online once again and I see in the news this morning that is happening in some schools across the state of Maine.

In the Maine Sunday Telegram this past weekend an article was included written by Rachel Ohm about what many Maine school districts and teachers are doing to move learning outdoors. The benefit to students learning visual arts outside are numerous. Close observation for drawing, painting, sculpting and actual experiences with a variety of textures are just two examples that make the curriculum more authentic and engage learners at a deeper level.

PORTLAND, ME – NOVEMBER 13: Katie West teaches an outdoor art class to third graders in the woods at Lyseth Elementary School in Portland on Friday, November 13, 2020. (Staff Photo by Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

LYSETH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The article includes how art teacher Katie West is using an outdoor classroom at Lyseth Elementary School in Portland. As long as her students are safe she plans to continue teaching outside. Her classroom includes a tarp with waterproof cushions and stumps for students to stay appropriately space. I’m sure some of you are wondering about the winter elements and learners being prepared with the clothing to keep them warm. Fortunately the school district is using some of their relief funds to purchase clothing for students; 500 hats and 1,000 pairs of gloves have been distributed to students. Six-hundred pairs of snow pants are expected to arrive after Thanksgiving. An order of fleece will be cut up into blankets and neck warmers. Katie has received a $1,000 grant to start a gear exchange for the students at Lyseth.

MORE PROGRAMS

South Portland Schools have created over 90 outdoor learning spaces across eight schools for outdoor instruction to take place. The grades K-5 students in Freeport have the option for remote learning with the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment. In Alna the the PK-grade 5 Juniper Hill School has been teaching and learning outside since it was established in 2011 with the school’s focus on nature. At Sweetland School in Hope (where I teach) over the summer a gazebo was built so teaching and learning can take place in a location protected from the elements. Along with the gazebo they have a greenhouse complete with a wood stove that is used for another outdoor learning space.

PORTLAND, ME – NOVEMBER 13: Third grader Gianna Meas works on her painting of a tree during an outdoor art class in the woods at Lyseth Elementary School in Portland on Friday, November 13, 2020. (Staff Photo by Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

KATE EHRENFELD GARDOQUI

About a year ago Kate Ehrenfeld Gardoqui wrote an article that was published in Education Week called The Irrefutable Case for Taking Class Outside. She told a story about being at a Teacher of the Year event when someone made this comment to her: “Oh, you do the nature stuff, right? That sounds so fun!” As visual and performing arts educators we can relate to that type of comment, right? Kate works with the Great Schools Partnership and is the cofounder of White Pine Programs, a nature-connection organization in southern Maine. She was a finalist for the 2011 Maine State Teacher of the Year. Needless to say Kate is no slouch when it comes to teaching and learning. She included in her article that teachers who simply don’t know what is taught and learned in outdoor education can’t possibly understand the potential of the curriculum. Her story drives the point home about how we not only have to education children but adults as well.

I heard from Kate yesterday and she said how inspiring the work that Maine schools are doing opening the door to incorporating outdoor learning throughout the school day. She shared information about three schools.

• Kingfield Elementary, where teacher Selina Green Warren has spearheaded a vibrant gardening program, and principal Johanna Prince has supported many teachers in exploring the possibilities of outdoor learning. LEARN MORE. Selina’s work was started before the pandemic; when teachers at her school started searching for ways to bring learning outside, they realized what an amazing asset Selina’s garden was.
• Great Works School in South Berwick has also been doing some amazing work on building year-round environments for outdoor learning. Here is an article about LEARN MORE.
• Kate recently published a blog on the Great Schools Partnership page about some other programs that have been inspiring her. LEARN MORE.

KATE’S WISH

” On the whole, my deepest wish is that one legacy of this pandemic is that more teachers will recognize the incredible value of learning experiences that don’t happen inside classrooms. There’s been so much loss, but I’m hoping that this might be one silver lining.“

There’s plenty of resources available for those considering ‘taking your classroom outside’ I certainly agree with Kate and in addition I know that quality education programs in the Arts are not only providing deep meaningful learning but holding the hope in our hearts and minds that we will get through this pandemic and be better people for it!

In Today’s News

Congratulations Victor!

Joao Victor performing on the national stage

Portland Press Herald article written by Mark Laflamme about Maine’s Poetry Out Loud champion Joao Victor. CLICK HERE! 

National Public Radio aired a segment yesterday on the Poetry Out Loud program and included not only this year’s Maine champ but our 2018 Maine champ, Allan Monga. You’ll want to listen to the entire 2 minutes put together by Elizabeth Blair. CLICK HERE!

Allan Monga

Washington Post article from May 1 on Allan and Victor.

Poetry Foundation post from May 2.

 

 

In Today’s News

Fabric Artist

Photo by Gregory Rec

From today’s Maine Sunday Telegram, the Source section an article about an artist who works with clothing and discarded fabric by turning them to other clothing and other items. He started his work in 2008 by teaching himself to sew. This is an inspirational article that you may wish to share with your students about Jared DeSimio.

In Today’s News

Two articles

In the Maine Sunday Telegram, 18 December, 2 notable articles this week:

Rick Nickerson

The first article, written by Bob Keyes, is about Music Teacher Rick Nickerson who is one of 10 national finalists for the music educator Grammy Award. Many of you know Rick who has taught at Windham High School for 30 years and is totally committed to his students and community. I posted the initial story at THIS LINK. From one of Rick’s colleagues: “He brings what I like to call vibrant energy to the building,” said Thomas Noonan, who teaches English at Windham. “His students feed off of it, and it informs the whole school and the community. We’re all very happy for him.” This story paints a picture of Rick and what it means for him being a teacher – its not about him but the important work he does teaching, not only music – but life. The $10,000 prize for the winner will be announced in advance of the Grammy Awards TV broadcast on February 12.

Arthur Fink

The second article in the Sunday paper was written by the award winning writer Bill Nemitz, Photographer’s work with ‘short-lived children’ a personal mission is a story about the heart. Photographer Arthur Fink has been taking photos for a volunteer group called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep for 40 years. Arthur is contacted when an infant is going to die to take pictures for the family. He lost his own infant Sarah, whose heart did not function properly 43 years ago when she was six days old. This article tells the story of the amazing work that Arthur does as a photographer. One mother said afterwards: “Arthur caught some very beautiful moments. That was the first time that any of us were able to hold her,” Nicole said. “We all got to share that moment together. And he captured all of that.” Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep calls it ‘bereavement photography‘.  Arthur says: “I just call it love being shared.” I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU ARTHUR! You can read the article by CLICKING HERE.

In Today’s News

Maine Sunday Telegram

Read the following articles in the Maine Sunday Telegram and Portland Press Herald:

• Student jazz fest a harmonious convergence and yesterday Four high school jazz ensembles judged tops in Maine, both written by J. Craig Anderson at http://www.pressherald.com/2016/03/12/musicians-from-30-maine-high-schools-compete-at-jazz-festival/.
• In the Audience section of today’s paper http://www.pressherald.com/2016/03/13/students-artistic-expressions-celebrated-across-maine-in-march/. Students’ artistic expressions celebrated Across Maine in March written by Bob Keyes. This article covers
  • Poetry Out Loud finals being held on Tuesday, March 15, 3:00 PM at the Waterville Opera House. The competition itself is organized nationally by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission.
  • Eighteen schools competing in the state Drama Festival March 18 and 19, Camden Hills Regional High School (schools with 525 students or more) and at Stearns High School, Millinocket (schools with 525 or fewer students). The Maine Drama Council works with the Maine Principal Association to provide this opportunity for students/schools and the community. For more information https://sites.google.com/site/medramacouncil/home/.
  • Portland Museum of Art Youth Art Month exhibit with 100 artworks by 80 students. For more information http://www.portlandmuseum.org/exhibitions/youth-art-month.
  • Maine College of Art showing the state high school Scholastic Art Award winners.

From the Portland Museum of Art’s Youth Art Month exhibition, “Teenage Angst” by Caitlyn Duffy, a 12th grade student of art teacher Chris Crosby at Gorham High School. Courtesy photo

In Today’s News

Gibson Fay-LeBlanc

Recently named Portland’s Poet Laureate Gibson Fay-LeBlanc is not only a poet but a hockey player as well. Read about him in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram Audience section in an article written by Bob Keyes at http://www.pressherald.com/2015/06/28/portlands-newest-poet-laureate-writes-about-playing-hockey/. The Maine Arts Commission Poetry Out Loud program has been fortunate to have Gibson participating during the last few years.

Photo by Whitney Hayward/Staff Photographer, Maine Sunday Telegram

The Arts Connect Naturally

STEM/STEAM and other connections

Recently a comment was posted to the blog that was made by a person who is not trained as an arts educator nor an artist. It was in response to the post called Reaching Students Through STEM and the Arts which was posted on January 11, 2010. Not sure why the individual didn’t comment on the several other STEM/STEAM posts that have been made since that date. The comment made me pause since I have seen two other articles of note this week. One that connect the Arts to STEM in Education Week and one from the Maine Sunday Telegram about students at Waynflete School in Portland collaborating to create 23 – 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide trees.

First a look at the Ed Week article called STEAM: Experts Make Case for Adding Arts to STEM written by Erik W. Robelen. Mr. Robelen provides examples of schools across the country where the arts are connecting with STEM. One example is “the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, with support from a $1.1 million Education Department grant, is working with city schools to help elementary students better understand abstract concepts in science and mathematics, such as fractions and geometric shapes, through art-making projects.”

“Educators are finding where the arts intersect with the STEM fields to enhance student engagement and learning, and educators are finding that it helps unlock creative thinking and innovation.”

Doesn’t sound like anything new to me or to arts educators who have been connecting curricula to deliver arts education in practice for years. In fact, arts educators understand the connections and our understanding is much greater than just to other content as stated in the Maine’s 2007 Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction.

Standard E – Visual and Performing Arts Connections:

1. The Arts and History and World Cultures
2. The Arts and Other Disciplines
3. Goal-Setting
4. Impact of the Arts on Lifestyle and Career
5. Interpersonal Skills

The work at Waynflete this month is a great example of the value of connecting content. The outcome is an exhibit called “Arboretum”. This is taken from the December 4th article written by Bob Keyes: Students conducted all kinds of research about trees, including their environmental impact, their ecological value, their role as habitat for animals and the sacred nature of trees in certain religions. Jeff Tarling, the city’s arborist, came in to talk to the students about trees in Portland, and why some survive and others do not.

As part of the process, Waynflete art teacher and gallery director Judy Novey challenged the students to create something artistic from their research. She urged them to think about the form and rhythm of trees, and to visually represent their research through their work.

These students did not approach their work as an art project at all. It had more to do with science and culture than anything with a creative quality. But as they worked through their tasks, the students said they felt their creativity willing itself to the fore.

When I reflect on my teaching the most successful and memorable work was when students had no idea what classroom they were sitting in nor what subject they were focusing on but it was the magic of learning that was taking place. Life-long learning that becomes embedded in the way we think. The culture of the classroom and school is transformed.

So, I ask you… should we be connecting with the STEM movement currently taking place in education, should we encourage our students to think beyond STEM to help them think and create artistically?