Across the country, two worries are rising to the top of every school's list: screen fatigue and the restlessness that comes from long hours spent indoors. More and more children spend their days on devices, and many teachers report that their students simply cannot concentrate. At Riverbank Secondary School, one science teacher decided to do something about it, which is why visitors are often surprised to pass Naomi Clarke's class and find students kneeling beside raised garden beds and testing soil instead of sitting at their desks.
Is it a science class, or is it a gardening club? In truth, it is a bit of both! Ms. Clarke came up with an unusual way to tackle both problems at once: she decided to bring hands-on outdoor work into her ordinary lessons. The idea came to Clarke after something that happened during her own university years. "I was glued to my laptop for months and my focus fell apart," said Clarke. "Once I started studying outdoors between tasks, everything changed. My marks went up and so did my mood."
Clarke implemented the intervention with her students last year to great effect, and it improved both their academic results and their physical health. Although the pupils were enthusiastic and their progress was clear, she met resistance from the school's principal, Gerald Voss, who was not convinced that gardening belonged in a science curriculum. "Fresh air is fine, but I assumed it would only distract restless students further," Voss admitted.
It turns out his reaction is a common misconception. As Dr. Helen Ward, a professor of educational psychology who has conducted several studies on attention at the University of Toronto, explains: "Time spent in nature restores the attention system and supports memory and self-control." Sustained outdoor activity helps young people settle and become more ready to learn, which is precisely what Ms. Clarke found a year into the project. "My students' patience and curiosity have both improved. They are calmer and keen to learn.
Even pupils who once could not sit still have shown far less fidgeting, which has helped them focus." Other teachers in the community have started to take notice, and a few have already asked Clarke for advice on starting gardens of their own. So, when you walk past Ms. Clarke's class and see tools in hand, know that minds are hard at work.
