School Gardens Can Improve Literacy, Numeracy, Study Says
RSSBy SLJ Staff
Gardening brings learning alive--and in more ways than you think. A new study out of the U.K. shows that growing vegetables and tending flowerbeds at school are vital tools for learning. Not only do they help boost confidence, resilience, and self-esteem, they also help increase scientific knowledge and understanding, as well as improve literacy and numeracy.
Academics from the National Foundation for Educational Research--an independent provider of research for education and children's services--surveyed 1,300 teachers and closely studied 10 schools to examine the impact of gardening on pupils. Although the researchers found many benefits, they identified key areas in which children's lives were radically improved.
Specifically, gardening in schools encourages kids to become stronger, more active learners capable of thinking independently and adapting their skills and knowledge to new challenges. They gained a more resilient, confident, and responsible approach to life. They learned important job skills, such as public speaking, communication, and team work. And they learned to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle.
"As well as helping children lead happier, healthier lives today, the research showed gardening helped them acquire the essential skills they need to fulfill their potential in a
rapidly-changing world and make a positive contribution to society as a whole," says the report, "Gardening in Schools: a vital tool for children's learning."
The research reveals that the practical, hands-on nature of gardening meant children became more "active, flexible thinkers who were better able to meet life's challenges-from the classroom to the workplace." Teachers also reported that gardening improved students' readiness to learn, encouraged them to take greater control of their own learning, and helped them become more active in seeking knowledge and solving problems. It also enhanced their skills in core subjects like literacy and their ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts.
For the 550 mostly low-income, low achieving students at Pirton Hill Primary School in Luton, growing their own Halloween pumpkins helped boost their confidence and motivation.
"Our teachers have to deal with some pupils with challenging behavior," says
Deputy Head Emma Woollon. "But to see those pupils nurturing and protecting a growing plant provides a great sense of achievement." Gardening's ability to change children's behavior, Woollon adds, is due to the fact that it produces a result, especially since formal learning can be "frustrating for those who have difficulty focusing or other barriers to learning."
The teachers at All Saints Church of England Primary School in Chatham, Kent, also embedded their new garden into much of the curriculum. A lesson on World War II was brought to life with a "Dig for Victory" project. And for another class, worms helped students write poetry. "By giving them the chance to see and touch slow worms, teacher Lesley Fielding believes their poems were more creative and contained far more 'wow'
words," the report says. "Gardening's ability to teach multiple skills through single projects was another reason teachers embraced the school's new plots."
School gardens stimulate a love of learning because they can translate sometimes dry academic subjects into practical, real world experiences. "Children were encouraged to get their hands dirty -in every sense," the report says. "Teachers involved in the research said the result was a more active, inquisitive approach to learning that children could apply across a wide range of subjects, in and outside school, to achieve their goals."
The extent that gardening was used as a teaching tool was another finding. "For many schools, the garden was not merely a cozy add-on but was deeply and easily embedded across all areas of the curriculum," the report says.
The report was commissioned by the Royal Horticulture Society, which in 2007 launched its Campaign for School Gardening program, aimed at encouraging and supporting schools to develop and actively use gardens. As part of the campaign, teachers are provided with many resources.
Reader Comments (1)
What a wonderful study with such positively expected results. These kinds of hands-on projects charge our youth with a unique responsibility and promote a timeless lesson - that with mindful care and nurture, one can sprout seeds into a fruitful garden. Can there be anything more symbolic of the universal quest for knowledge? If only these ideas would flourish and take root into the fecund minds of American schoolchildren too.
Posted by Reece on July 14, 2010 10:34:10AM
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