Right Side Box:
A Safe Place for Expression
An Australian study that evaluated the effects of school gardening on ESL students' learning about good nutrition reported positive gains in student learning and feelings of belonging to the school community. One ESL teacher described how the freedom of learning outside the classroom allowed ESL students – some from war-torn countries – to explore concepts in a place where they felt safe to express themselves. “The researchers observed that ESL students contributed as fully in the garden activities and were just as eager to describe what they were doing as were their classmates,” said the report. According to teachers, “the students felt a sense of purpose to ensure the plants did not die and in doing so created a bond with fellow students and teachers who shared in maintaining the garden.”
When students learn within an engaging context, they are more apt to feel comfortable and confident, grasp language structures and vocabulary, and build listening, reading, and communication skills. In schoolyard gardens, language-building activities grow out of concrete experiences, hands-on investigations, and natural events. These – and good teaching strategies – motivate youngsters to learn.
