Dancing Teachers

 

The article was really interesting. Being a person who does not really like being outdoors. I find comfort in structure and safety of the classroom environment. To this extent, I had not realized how Eurocentric ideas can be expressed and be influential even in the structure of building themselves. I see buildings as mainly “a place that keeps me from being too hot or too cold” and not as a social construct that influences us on a deep intellectual level. Although like the structure and order of the classroom, my preferred organizational method is order in chaos. It might look messy to you, but I know exactly where I left everything. In my teaching, I hope to foster the idea that there are different forms of learning and understanding and one is not necessarily better than another. One key aspect of being in the outdoor classroom is that we would no longer be bound by constructs of a classroom and therefore have the freedom to explore other ways of knowing and coming to different levels and types of understanding than we would in the classroom. As the article states, the garden classroom allows students to be more reflective and learn from more senses than the mostly visual delivery of the regular classroom setting. One metaphor that resonated with was the ideas of classroom as parkour or like swing music. As teachers we often need to go with the flow and within the structures of school, teach in a way that suits the needs of ourselves and our students. I’m not sure if there is anything I really disagree with the article though I don’t know if I would put such importance into the structure of school governing the mindset of the people that work within them. Perhaps I’m not as progressive as some but I take comfort in tradition and structure and although I am willing to try new approaches to teaching as it might be best to support my students.