For many of us, the world feels uncertain. There have been a lot of changes.  We are both flooded with an overwhelming amount of information and at the same time a lack of information about what those changes might mean for us, our families, and our work.  It’s hard to look ahead.  It’s hard to plan.  And it’s really hard to dream about what we want the future to look like when we are bombarded with so much happening in the present.

But… as educators, we have always been future focused.  We have a vision of what the world will look like when ALL people of ALL ages have learning opportunities that foster the skills needed to be problem solvers, innovators, and caregivers for our communities and our planet.   We work to ensure that everyone can reach their potential, so we all thrive.

Dr. Ayana Johnson, author of What if we get it Right, wrote, “To envision the world we want to create, it helps to know the many ways we’re already creating it.”

As an educator, YOU are already working towards creating the world we want.  Even when it’s really, really hard and feels like an uphill battle.

As educators, we have a toolbox for unleashing the natural creativity, curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking that will help learners of every age build a better world both in the present and in the future.  Tools that can be used in formal learning environments or that can be used by parents, teammates, colleagues, and more. These tools are often not complicated and are easy to incorporate into many different settings.

Let’s re-commit to using all the tools in our toolbox.  Let’s re-commit to building a world a where everyone cares for the people and places around them.

Here are a few of the tools we use every day as environmental and outdoor educators, that are resonating with me right now.  Tools that are already helping us build the world we want…even when we run into challenges.

1.    Nature
While I would describe nature as more of a gift than a tool, it does help us do so many things.  Research shows that time spent in nature can improve physical and mental health, boost creativity, and improve concentration.  Stepping outside, touching the grass, feeling the sun on your face, and making a connection with nature can be grounding; it can help us refocus.

Time in nature is good for us and it’s good for our learners.  We can have complex conversations outside.  We can have walking meetings.  We can let kids explore.  We can read outside, do art outside.  Even if we can’t get outside- bringing nature inside can also provide some of the same benefits.  

2.    Giving Learners the Freedom to Explore and Make Sense of the World
Learning to innovate and solve problems is a skill that needs to be exercised and developed.  As outdoor and environmental educators we have countless opportunities to give our learners autonomy to make observations in nature and try to explain what might be happening. 

When learners discover something interesting outdoors or share something with us, we can foster their curiosity by asking:

• What’s your explanation for that?
• What evidence are you basing that on?
• What do others think of that explanation?
• Does that explanation fit all the evidence we have?
• Where did you learn that?

These types of questions are not only deepening curiosity, but they are also teaching learners valuable skills that they can use later when they are trying to understand environmental and community issues.  They are exercising their skills in how to process information, identify misinformation, and have discussions with multiple perspectives.  (These skills and strategies are adapted from the BEETLES Project Evidence and Explanations Professional Learning Session)

3.     Fostering Open Mindedness
As educators, we don’t always have the answers.  Science doesn’t always have the answers.  We can model that for our learners.  Demonstrate that there are sometimes multiple ways of thinking.  Using language like:

• “Maybe…”
• “It seems to be…”
• “I wonder if…”
• “The evidence seems to show…”

We can use exploration and discovery in nature to coach our learners and support the development of habits that may be useful days or years later when they are discussing something controversial or exploring something that has competing values.

“Did you notice how Edgar just changed his mind about why the plants are growing here? That’s hard to do, but it’s important in science to be able to adjust our explanations when we find new evidence or a better explanation.” 

Other example habits that you can use coaching strategies with:

• Disagreeing respectfully
• Using evidence
• Citing source
• Asking someone else for evidence/source
• Asking follow-up questions

Imagine what the world would look like if everyone had well developed skills in disagreeing respectfully or using evidence to form explanations.  Learning these skills while exploring in nature or learning about the environment is a low-stakes way to exercise these skills.  How can we be even more intentional about fostering these skills?  (These skills and strategies are taken and adapted from the BEETLES Project Promoting Discussion Professional Learning Session.)

There are so many ways YOU are already creating the world we want, as an educator.  These are just a few of the tools and strategies that we have been focusing on over the last couple of months with our EE Teaching Practices Cohort.  They stand out because they not only help us explore the world around us, but they help us build the skills that we need to prepare for whatever the future brings.  Let’s re-commit to using all our tools to build a better world.

What are the tools that you use in your outdoor and environmental learning programs that are helping build creativity, curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking?

Katie Navin is the Executive Director at the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education.  She has been active in the field of environmental education for over 20 years.  Katie has served as an educator and developed curriculum at organizations ranging from museums to residential outdoor facilities in seven different states.  She joined CAEE in May of 2008 and is active in the environmental and outdoor learning community both in the state and nationally.