Outdoor Classroom: A Biology Learning and Exercising Field

Abstract

Recent research has indicated that the three most pressing issues confronting New Zealand’s education system are “the need to shift the focus to studentcentred learning, the need to knowledgeably implement a responsive and rich curriculum, and the need to use assessment information to know about, and plan for students learning.”1 How can we as architects, use architecture as an instrument of education to promote a new approach towards student centred learning as well as to improve the quality of the learning of biology by students at school? This thesis explores the use architecture as an interactive tool which allows students to attain knowledge about nature and the environment from their surroundings, and to engage with academic biology learning. Through the use of architecture as a catalyst to enhance student centred education an outdoor classroom for biology could be designed in order to promote a synthetic method of teaching which combines creative play with academic learning. Kids love to get outside, they usually get more excited about occasions like field trips and group activities than they do about study in classrooms. This phenomenon is called the ‘teachable moment’, it is defined as a specific period of time where students’ interest and concentration are at a peak, in another words, this is the most efficient time for them to learn. Hobsonville Point School is an example of an existing school in Auckland that provides and encourages an outdoor education system. The architecture proposed is a system which can be applied in many educational settings. Taking advantage of a CNC router, instant construction panels can be created which users without prior construction experiences can assemble. The proposed system will be tested in three different locations, the design for Henderson High School will be a full scale experiment, presented as a real life example to ensure that both the structure and the system are reliable. Critical Question: How to use architecture as a catalyst to shift teacher centred learning to student centred learning and at the same time influence students to participate in the process of learning in a way that improves the quality of biology education?