DELIVERY TRANSNATURA Experience

Hello!
Today I would like to reflect on Transnatura which was a fieldtrip we did to Núria's Valley. It was an opportunity to discover this incredible place and to meet new people but also to learn about the environment and how to apply this knowledge as teachers in our lessons.

 

 

First Part: Sketching
When we were in the train I saw this incredible views I wanted to sketch. I did not have too much time to do so and netiher space. However, I consider I could show it quite similar in paper. I liked the background because seems to be, at first, a cloud but they are mountains that we see like in blue color. I also wanted to show the way of the train and the impact that has it on nature.

Second Part: The light image. At the begining I did not understood how to do this kind of images and then I moved very fast my hand with the light for doing a photo with the camera. At the end, I could do a house which was supposed to be the place were we stayed and a abstract figure which had the letter N because of my name. I found this proposal very enjoyable for us but also for kids and I would like to apply it anytime.

Thrid Part: Experience of walking. Although I reckoned it was going to be the most interesting and challenging experience in Núria, it became the one I enjoyed the less due to wind's problems. I felt scared and it made me feel upset because I really love walking and much more when I am in contact with nature. Nonetheless, it was a moment I remember gratefully in which I was comming back from the second to the first mountain in which a friend took me a photo (the first one). This image is the one I like the most and really shows what I feel when I am in contact with nature:"There is only me, just my soul with the Earth".

                             

My Reflections on my role as a student and future teacher

After having experienced “Transnatura”, a lot of ideas have come to my mind about how I could apply in a future what I have learnt in Nuria’s Valley as a teacher to my students. Indeed, I have reflected on the benefits that the natural environment had in me and then I understood that being in contact with nature has positive aspects in students but also in adults. 

Regarding the advantages of learning in nature, in natural spaces we can play but also learn using all our senses; in nature we can touch and feel, then we can say this kind of learning is linked to handle-activities and to experience. Moreover, this conception of learning implies somehow playing which is essential for whole brain stimulation (cognitive development) improves the capacity for observation, creativity and reasoning. Actually, many things we can find there such as sticks, stones, leaves, trees, rivers or mountains can be used to learn entertaining Sciences, Mathematics, Geography… and are a way to improve students’ motivation by changing the standards methods of study. It gives freedom to students and contributes to their autonomy, reduces stress and suits better to the real needs of children: they want to play, to feel part of a community and to study without having a strict schedule. Besides this, there are other benefits of nature with are closed to the people’s health, for instance, the not polluted air reduces the risk of suffering from breathing and brain problems and cleans our lungs.

With reference to activities we can perform in natural environments, it is necessary to point out schools should prioritize doing activities in their nearest natural spaces, which is mainly translated into parks and school’s vegetable gardens. We need to create a bond of harmony between nature and humans. For doing so, I imagined some activities I could do in my sorroundings such as  exploring the climate, plants and animals of the Natural Park Sant Llorenç del Munt i de l’Obac and doing some gymkhanas to then in class doing altogether some discussions and construction of knowledge about what they have seen and experienced. Another task could be to spend some reading time in parks or in the playground to change the traditional method or even doing some lessons and homework in these open spaces.