17. Education: Preparing a New Generation to Live Well
in a Changing World

Research Problems

  1. Go to the website for the National Wildlife Federation. Find out whether any schools in your area have certified Schoolyard Habitats.
  2. Go to the website for the National Wildlife Federation. Find out whether your college or university is a member of Campus Ecology. If it is not, find out what it would take to become a member.
  3. Go to the list of campus case studies from the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology at Select one example that interests you and briefly summarize the goals and strategies of this project for others in your class. Prior to researching, class members may want to sign up for topics by category.
  4. Find out whether your college or university is a member of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
  5. Find out whether your college or university is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
  6. Dockside Green, a 15-acre village in Victoria, BC, achieved a Platinum rating under
    LEED-ND. Find some discussions with photographs of this site. With what you know about green building and biophilia, do you think this development is biophilic? Why or why not?
  7. Find the answers to all the questions from “Where You At? A Bioregional Quiz.”

Projects and Group Activities

  1. Divide the questions from “Where You At? A Bioregional Quiz” among individual students or groups of students. Bring the answers together as a group.
  1. Think of a favorite place you had as a child. It might be a tree, a park, a porch or the space under a porch, a basement, a pond, or any other special place. Create a poster with a collage that helps you illustrate to others what made this place special. The collage can be made of images cut from magazines and other printed items that are destined to be recycled. You can add words, photographs, and other graphic images if you like, or use only collage. Write a paragraph to accompany these images and add it to your poster. Include other information that you think will help others understand what they are looking at. Be sure to include your name, the place, and your age when this was an important place in your life. Schedule a class pin-up day, and spend some time studying each other’s posters. Then have each person briefly explain the place they were illustrating and why they chose the images they did.
  2. Create a bioregional map of the place where you live, without political boundaries. Show your watershed, plant and animal communities and their interconnections, energy flows, the foodshed, transportation, and other economic or cultural elements that you think are significant. You can draw simplified pictures with markers, cut and paste images from recycled magazines, or use another graphic method of your choice.
  3. Write a report on the application of biophilic design in health care settings.
  4. Schedule a class day to share examples of natural playgrounds and learning environments. Each student or group of students should prepare a brief presentation of a successful example.
  5. Schedule a class day to share examples of places that teach or places that reveal process. Each student or group of students should prepare a brief illustrated presentation about one such place. Schedule the day far enough in advance to allow time for research; finding examples may take a bit of digging. You may find interesting places for learning in school playgrounds and yards, school buildings, city parks, zoos, botanical gardens, and natural history museums, among others. You may want to consult with a reference librarian or local design professionals.
  6. Find an example of a successful experiential learning project for elementary age students. Research how the program operates, what approaches have been successful, and what lessons could help to inform efforts in other places.
  1. Imagine that you are part of a team of teachers setting up a school for sustainable living for 10- to 12-year-olds, or another age group of your choice. Develop a plan for teaching a unit on “Soil,” or another science topic of your choice, in which students learn by doing.
  2. Imagine that people in your class are consultants in an organization specializing in natural learning environments. Find a local preschool, elementary school, or multifamily housing complex with a conventional playground, and develop a proposal for an evidence-based natural play area to support learning and healthy development. Write a report for your clients explaining your design and the principles which guided your choices. Present images for your clients to help them understand the general layout and what this learning environment will feel like for the children who will be its users. You may want to include pictures of other play areas as examples.

© 2014 Margaret Robertson