John Wilkinson
Observations and Connections
On the second or third day of the Mongolian field experience, we were asked to listen intently to the sounds of the landscape for five minutes. For a person that spends most of his time outdoors listening to an iPod, this was a revealing experience. I noticed a few bird noises and the wind, but nowhere near the variety of sounds others noticed. We were then challenged to observe the landscape and its features, looking for an object of inquiry. During the debrief process, I was particularly amazed at how many people noticed the lichens, since I had thought my observations of their variation would be considered eccentric at best. It wasn’t the most profound or even the most interesting moment in the ten day excursion, but it did help me feel early on that I had a deeper connection with the other students than I had assumed.
I am now back in suburban Shanghai and am developing a ten week project based learning course promoting sustainable living choices for my college students. I have organized the curriculum using the five elements from traditional Chinese thought, then linking each to a modern scientific concept. For example, the wood element will be explored first and is linked to biodiversity conservation. The project will focus on permaculture landscaping in order to promote on-campus biodiversity and more sustainable food production.
One of the first tenants of permaculture design is to observe with all senses. As an open-inquiry task, I asked the students to map different patches of ornamental landscape on campus. I gave them some things to consider, such as direction, shade, hard infrastructure, topography, and water flow, but also challenged them to add any other details they noticed. They then presented their findings to the class informally. Next, the students will be asked to propose a sustainability project to implement on campus. As a result of these observations, students have already proposed some ideas such as collecting rainwater to water plants, using stones to block erosion and create swales, increasing the number of edible plants on campus (even in cement cracks), and reinventing our small ornamental ponds as aquaculture experiments.
As a teacher, I have to admit I am a little out of my comfort zone with open-ended project based learning. I have read a good bit about improving sustainability, but have little practical experience. Part of that is my personal disposition, and part of it is that I have never been a home owner. This initiative begs the question how the broader campus community will react. Chinese culture can be very conservative and resistant to change. On the other hand, everyone is concerned about air pollution and at least aware of some of the other environmental issues, and there is a long tradition of gardening for both ornamental and practical purposes. Perhaps I will again be pleasantly surprised by the deeper connections I have with the members of my community. I can only wait and see.
On the second or third day of the Mongolian field experience, we were asked to listen intently to the sounds of the landscape for five minutes. For a person that spends most of his time outdoors listening to an iPod, this was a revealing experience. I noticed a few bird noises and the wind, but nowhere near the variety of sounds others noticed. We were then challenged to observe the landscape and its features, looking for an object of inquiry. During the debrief process, I was particularly amazed at how many people noticed the lichens, since I had thought my observations of their variation would be considered eccentric at best. It wasn’t the most profound or even the most interesting moment in the ten day excursion, but it did help me feel early on that I had a deeper connection with the other students than I had assumed.
I am now back in suburban Shanghai and am developing a ten week project based learning course promoting sustainable living choices for my college students. I have organized the curriculum using the five elements from traditional Chinese thought, then linking each to a modern scientific concept. For example, the wood element will be explored first and is linked to biodiversity conservation. The project will focus on permaculture landscaping in order to promote on-campus biodiversity and more sustainable food production.
One of the first tenants of permaculture design is to observe with all senses. As an open-inquiry task, I asked the students to map different patches of ornamental landscape on campus. I gave them some things to consider, such as direction, shade, hard infrastructure, topography, and water flow, but also challenged them to add any other details they noticed. They then presented their findings to the class informally. Next, the students will be asked to propose a sustainability project to implement on campus. As a result of these observations, students have already proposed some ideas such as collecting rainwater to water plants, using stones to block erosion and create swales, increasing the number of edible plants on campus (even in cement cracks), and reinventing our small ornamental ponds as aquaculture experiments.
As a teacher, I have to admit I am a little out of my comfort zone with open-ended project based learning. I have read a good bit about improving sustainability, but have little practical experience. Part of that is my personal disposition, and part of it is that I have never been a home owner. This initiative begs the question how the broader campus community will react. Chinese culture can be very conservative and resistant to change. On the other hand, everyone is concerned about air pollution and at least aware of some of the other environmental issues, and there is a long tradition of gardening for both ornamental and practical purposes. Perhaps I will again be pleasantly surprised by the deeper connections I have with the members of my community. I can only wait and see.
