Promoting school grounds as sites for learning : a case study

Abstract

Children are naturally curious and are always trying to learn and discover about their surroundings. Thus, the importance of educating them about their environment through first-hand experiences is broadly highlighted in research. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was recently included in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) as a cross-curricular theme and certain initiatives such as Eco-Gozo, EkoSkola and LEAF are trying to promote ESD in Maltese schools. The main aim of the study is to explore the importance of Learning through Landscapes (LtL) while identifying appropriate strategies how it can be effective on students’ learning. It adopted a qualitative research approach administered through observations and face-to-face interviews. This study reveals that the majority of the stakeholders questioned in the interviews are in favour of implementing LtL and believe that the teacher’s role is to empower students to appreciate the environment by questioning values, attitudes and opinions. Thus, it confirms that when implemented, LtL leaves a positive mark on the students’ development and education, and students who attend EkoSkola meetings gain greater knowledge; are inspired with new ideas that change their behaviour; and experience an enhancement in language. Yet, conflicting with these benefits, the results also show that the school’s open spaces are not used to their utmost educational potential and LtL is often underutilized due to a number of limitations and challenges. Thus, in this thesis, the researcher provides practical recommendations and suggestions on how LtL can be further enhanced and implemented in the Maltese curriculum.