Learning in Nature

Learning in Nature Creating better learning environment for primary school children aiming at their whole development through research and design of school landscape.

While much attention has been paid to the design and use of the classrooms of schools, little has been paid to the design and use of immediate surroundings of the school building i.e. outdoor environment. However, researches all over the world revealed that the school-aged children (from 7 to 11 years old) learn best when their learning is incorporated with natural environment. In Bangladesh, the rural primary schools having poor infrastructure- insufficiently lit and ventilated, inadequate classrooms usually have large open space available in the school premises. This research examines the prospects of this outdoor open space as learning environment for children. In the rural primary schools of Bangladesh, the average drop-out rate for children (25.2%) is very high whereas Bangladesh has adopted the CRC guidelines of which one is the right of every child to education for his or her total development. In order to check this drop-out, different programmes are taken by the Government to make children’s learning process enjoyable and interesting. Outdoor environment has attracted the attention of the researchers of developed societies for its contribution to improved cognitive competency and as such has been proven its potential as a solution. But few studies have been conducted in the context of developing countries. This study will be conducted through the design of outdoor of several primary schools in Bangladesh and implementation of it followed by an experimental research design. The children will be taught in outdoor to find out whether the outdoors have a positive impact on their learning. The design will use easily available local materials and will try to involve the community and the children in different phases of design and research. Currently, we are working on fund-raising or looking for sponsor who are interested in donating for children's education and play environment.

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Matluba Khan, Cardiff University Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in the UK....
10/03/2021

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Matluba Khan, Cardiff University Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in the UK. Surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018 showed that 28% of children aged from two to 15 in England were overweight or obese. Overweight and obese children have a greater chance of staying obese as adults. They are at risk of developing diseases in adulthood such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and osteoarthritis....

http://matlubakhan.com/2021/03/10/how-gardening-at-school-can-tackle-child-obesity/

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Matluba Khan, Cardiff University Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in the UK. Surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018 showed that 28% of children aged from two…

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the education of at least 1.5 billion school students. That’s more than 90% of th...
27/02/2021

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the education of at least 1.5 billion school students. That’s more than 90% of the world’s children. Although many schools in the west, along with private schools in the developing world, have continued some school activities online, more than 50% of learners worldwide do not have a household computer. The absence of face-to-face learning and opportunities for playing with friends will have hugely impacted child mental health....

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the education of at least 1.5 billion school students. That’s more than 90% of the world’s children. Although many schools in the west, along with private sch…

22/05/2020

The coronavirus and resulting social restrictions have rapidly changed life as we know it in all parts of the UK and across the world.

Many shops and all Schools are closed; we can no longer visit many friends and family and activities we used to take for granted are no longer possible.

We, Justin Spinney and Matluba Khan, researchers from Cardiff University are conducting a research project that aims to understand what kinds of activities children and young people from different countries have been doing at different stages of the Covid-19 pandemic and how they have adapted to a new way of life.

If you are aged between 7 and 14 you could really help us out by completing a 7-day diary of the activities you’ve been doing.

When you’ve completed the diary, you’ll be able to print it out or save it to your computer so when you are older you can remember what you did during Covid-19 restrictions. You’ll also get a certificate to say a big thank you from the research team!

How to get involved:
1. Click here to access an online version of the diary that you can complete day by day: https://ttucasnr.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eg4u4bpSbbViiy1?Q_CHL=social&Q_SocialSource=facebook
2. Help us by getting as many of your friends as possible to complete the diary by sharing the link below. If you do not have access to social media or email directly please ask your parent or guardian to help you with this.
3. If you would like a paper version of the diary please send an email to Justin Spinney ([email protected]) or Matluba Khan ([email protected]) with your name and address and we will post a paper copy of the diary for you to fill in (with a stamped addressed envelope to post it back to us).

Qualtrics sophisticated online survey software solutions make creating online surveys easy. Learn more about Research Suite and get a free account today.

30/04/2018

London's first fully outdoor nursery where children are kept outside whatever the weather has won a prestigious award for innovation. Little Forest Folk, based in five different London parks and woods, was given the Queen’s Award to recognise how it has shaken up pre-school education in the capit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0hQNR5fDKw
19/05/2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0hQNR5fDKw

Finding conformity to be exhausting, Lora Smothers went natural. With her passion for education, she believes that going natural is the secret to teaching ch...

28/03/2017

UNICEF has launched its toolkit for child friendly cities. Here, Louise Thivant, a policy and advocacy specialist with the agency, describes this new resource and its purpose. UNICEF has launched the Child-Friendly Cities and Communities Initiative (CFCI) Toolkit for National Committees, at a time…

06/02/2017

Instead of pumping time and money into exams, we should focus on wellbeing and encouraging children to connect with the natural world

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