Weekly Reflection #3 – Trip to Finnerty Gardens
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Today, our class took our digital learning outdoors by exploring the Finnerty Gardens at UVic. We were joined by Kristen Pierce, who is an experienced teacher who has taught Kindergarten through Grade 8, and currently teaches at Monterey Middle School. She encouraged us to keep an open mind about teaching different grades and to “take everything possible” when it comes to teaching opportunities. Pierce also touched on her observations about the role of technology in education and how it has changed over the years. She explained that digital education has shifted from teaching students how to use technology to students now being already familiar with many of these skills, and teachers are trying to keep up with them. I found this quite interesting, although not surprising, as children are becoming familiar with and dependent on technology at younger ages. I remember when Chromebooks were first introduced into my elementary school in Grade 4, and our librarian taught us the very basics on how to use google docs, slides, and classroom because they were all new to us. She was the expert then, but that would likely be very different now.
Following our class discussion, we were given time to explore the gardens and find QR codes scattered throughout the beautiful nature that surrounded us. Olivia P, Ella, and myself managed to locate 5 QR codes out of the 6 codes. Upon scanning, we were able to access various resources that will be beneficial as future teachers to reflect back onto. I especially enjoyed how this simple activity encouraged cross-curricular learning. We were able to get physical exercise while exploring the gardens, learn about the natural environment through science, engage with Indigenous ways of knowing, and develop our technological literacy by using QR codes to access digital resources. We are truly so lucky to have a beautiful garden like this one accessible to us at UVIc, and I was amazed by the variety of plants and trees throughout the gardens. Finding bamboo trees was especially unexpected, and I was surprised that I had never visited this place before!
Altogether, this experience reminded me how fortunate I am to call this place home, and how grateful I am to be surrounded by the natural beauty of BC. I believe that learning outdoors is so important because it gives students the opportunity to explore their surroundings, engage with nature, and learn through hands-on experiences like this one. I also love how outdoor education can be incorporated into almost any subject, and how learning activities are often cross-curricular in outdoor ed. As a future teacher, I will make a strong effort to go outdoors with my class as much as I can, and maybe one day I can take my students to Finnerty Gardens for an outdoor field trip:)