Theme: Service Learning
— Helping Kids and Communities Grow
Planning Learning Landscapes: Students Lead the Way
by Eve Pranis
The advent of the new millennium found Cynthia
Ribish's Elm Grove, WI, sixth graders pondering "What
can we do to leave a legacy — an imprint of ourselves
for future classes?"
An initial brainstorm session revealed students' general discontent
with the "prison-like" schoolyard and an interest
in creating more enticing grounds. "I seized the opportunity
to get students collaborating to set goals and figure out how
to meet them," says Cynthia. First she challenged the
class to develop a guiding question to focus their efforts.
They settled on "How can we make our grounds more attractive
and useful for the school and community?" The next step
was to set some planning goals, then have small groups decide
how to address each one.
Helping Students Plan: The W.H.A.T. of Reaching Goals
To help structure the process, Cynthia created a planning
sheet organized by the acronym W.H.A.T. (What, Help, Action,
Time). The related questions — What are you trying to
work on? From whom do you need help? What is the first step?
When do
you expect to start and achieve the goal? — guided students'
thinking.
A group of students first toured the property, digital camera
in hand, and identified which features they liked and which
they wanted to change or improve.
Recognizing the importance
of getting input from other kids who would use and care about
the space, students created a survey that explained their efforts
and featured yes/no and open-ended questions, for instance
Would you like to have a quiet outdoor area to read and write?
What other types of areas would you like to see? Would you
like to participate in building an outdoor classroom project
or adopting an area?
To address their third goal of deciding on projects to tackle,
students designed a wish list that included an outdoor classroom
area, butterfly garden, observational walk, memorial flower
planting, and so on. They divided it into short-term and long-term
goals, then prioritized based on their time and budget constraints
and feedback from the community. This phase also involved research
via Internet sites, gardening books, and visits to community
gardens. "Students honed their communication skills further
when they contacted the city and the district Building and
Grounds Office to find out if there were restrictions on any
of the proposed features," explains Cynthia. Finally,
the groups brainstormed potential sources of support--botanists,
the grounds supervisor, Master Gardeners, landscape architects--and
created an action plan and timeline to guide their work. Student
recorders kept written logs of planning meetings detailing
project activities, discussions, student responsibilities,
and materials needed.
Finding Funds and Support
"The students discovered that bringing their plans to
life would proceed only as funding and support allowed," says
Cynthia. With an eye toward persuading others to support their
efforts, they created a PowerPoint presentation to describe
their plans in images and text. Donations and discounts from
local businesses, the city, and community volunteers (free
mulch, compost, plant materials, and labor), along with $1,500
from the Student Senate, helped their plans begin to bear fruit.
By keeping the district public relations person informed of
their progress, they ensured that a broad audience would hear
about the project
Assessing Outcomes
And what of Cynthia's goals? No question, she says, that her
pupils' confidence soared along with their ability to work
together in a community, and to recognize and respect their
peers' range of skills and talents. "The students also
gained so much in their ability to set goals and determine
how to reach them," explains Cynthia. But they didn't
stop there. Using a graphic organizer, the kids have to routinely
provide evidence that they are achieving their goals, and if
they are not, to identify what they need to do differently.
Of course, some of the evidence is purely anecdotal. "This
is so cool; I have learned so much. You know how you read in
a book and then you do something. Now I know what they mean
by hands-on learning," said one student.
© 2007
National Gardening Association