Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
5 mins ago
Associate Professor Emily Nelson presented the fourth public lecture in a series: ‘Reconnecting Through Research’, at MTG Hawke’s Bay, organised by EIT’s Research and Innovation Centre (RIC).
The ‘Learning in Nature’ research project at the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre on EIT’s Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale shows the benefits of children connecting to nature, Associate Professor Emily Nelson says.
Dr Nelson, of EIT’s School of Education and Social Sciences, presented the fourth public lecture in a series: ‘Reconnecting Through Research’, at MTG Hawke’s Bay, organised by EIT’s Research and Innovation Centre (RIC).
EIT Emeritus Professor Kay Morris Matthews, also Associate Researcher and Curator at MTG, introduced Emily as a “good academic citizen”.
“Emily Nelson was raised in Hawke’s Bay and has made a significant contribution to growing teachers in our region.”
Her lecture titled: ‘Learning in Nature: Emerging Values, Visions, Cautions and Potential’ focused on the research which began life as a developmental evaluation of the establishment of EIT’s Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre and was conducted jointly by Associate Professor Nelson and Professor Bronwen Cowie, University of Waikato.
The Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre promotes biodiversity management, connection to nature and sustainable futures and was sponsored by the Air NZ Environment Trust and spearheaded by Ngāti Pārau, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the Department of Conservation.
Dr Nelson explored the value gained by educational groups who visited the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre over the 2020/21 period.
The research involved over 40 participants, including contributions of 509 photographs, 13 interviews, 22 voiceovers, and 90 visual data nuggets. This comprehensive data collection highlights the transformative potential of nature-based learning environments.
She reflected on the perspectives on learning and connecting to nature shared by local primary school students and their teachers, particularly those from Bledisloe School who was an early adopter.
“At a time when we are grappling with a global ecological crisis and growing disconnection from nature in our daily lives, the stakes for connecting with nature are high.
“Young people are positioned increasingly as the hope for humanity’s future. But beyond adult-centric agendas, the Learning in Nature research paints a refreshing picture of human and more-than-human agency, very personal connections with the land and its inhabitants at Ōtātara and children’s bespoke visions for their futures.”
Dr Nelson said children’s bespoke connections with the natural world during their visits stimulated their curiosity and care for nature.
“In a time where children’s independent mobility is increasingly limited, they had adventures and free-exploration in a diverse landscape. The questions they asked, the interests they followed up at Ōtātara indicated that they were making the place their place. This care and belonging for nature is identified in research as pivotal for pro-conservation and pro-environmental behaviours flourishing.”
