This brief essay isn’t intended to reiterate the long history of design thinking as best expressed by the brilliant David Kelley, founder of IDEO and the Stanford d.school, as there are numerous resources readily available for educators. Instead, it’s meant to...
This is the second of two stories from GreenNotes part of the ‘Green Schools National Network’ – looking at some of the ways that educators are using literacy to deepen students’ understanding of sustainability and engage them in meaningful...
“Environmental and sustainability literacy is needed to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to create the future we want – one with economic opportunity for all, a fair and just society, thriving ecosystems, and healthy human and more than human...
Sendy, a wonderful Kindergarten teacher, is so committed to the students in her care, that over the summer she acquired a second job to personally pay for additional furniture for her classroom so that the layout could be more collaborative. That’s quite amazing...
The term ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ has been used for some time now, but not by many and not often, so the majority of people are unaware that such a calculation even exists, let alone its terrifying and truthful significance.Earth Overshoot Day is “the point where the...
Join Natural Pod and Green Schools National Network to impact more educators – We have the opportunity to speak on the important topic of ‘SUSTAINABILITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE IN K-12 SCHOOLS’ at SXSWEdu (South by South West Education) but we need...
I talk to a lot of educators about their thoughts around pedagogy and if their ideas align with their school’s overall culture. Unsurprisingly, almost every teacher I speak to is very clear that the previous century’s classroom layout really isn’t conducive for...
You may have noticed for the last few months we’ve been sharing some interesting research by ‘MDR Education’ about how education spaces impact learning. Here we have grouped all the individual research pieces together that make up the complete...
A ‘Green New Deal’ (GND) has been proposed in the US by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey. It has many facets, but one of the main aims of the proposal would be to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions by creating millions of green jobs and investing...
Thankfully more and more institutions and organizations are embracing environmental responsibility and becoming advocates for sustainability. This is fantastic, and not a moment too soon. But how, as educators, can we inspire and motivate our students to take action...
When educators were asked how intentionally planned school construction or renovation projects were evaluated, the largest percentage groups of note, at 30%, said they were evaluated most often for whether they attracted more students. An additional 30% of teachers...
There has been some interesting research carried out recently named ‘Humans Wanted’. It looks at the quiet crisis happening in job markets all around the globe. The research acknowledges that yes, automation is taking over many roles: mostly ones that are highly...
Why, when there is now so much evidence that students engage and focus better when they aren’t stuck in rigid rows of desks, is mainstream education still full of those rows of desks from the industrial era?Well, there are a few reasons. The first is obviously cost:...
‘Intentional design’ means taking into consideration how students learn when designing learning environments to enable their success. The following research looks at whether there should be learning goals associated with planned projects; if pedagogical...
Part Three of this Three Part Series: This is the last section of sharing our manifesto with you, and diving deeper into how it guides our company vision and purpose, and how that can positively impact your work and your students. Manifesto: a public declaration of...
This week we’re diving into a book whose content is very close to our heart: ‘Redesigning Learning Spaces’. It explores how learning-space design can positively impact classroom learning, the culture of a school, healthy communities, and systems and structures that...
Part Two of a Three Part Series: Following on from Part One and the recent interview with our CEO, Bridgitte Alomes and Douglas Magazine – this is the second part of sharing our better learning manifesto diving deeper into how it guides our company vision and purpose,...
Many educational leaders are finding that traditional forms of education are not keeping students engaged, nor assisting students in taking responsibility for their own learning or providing opportunities for students to work together. Equipping learners with the...
Part One of a Three Part Series: You may have read the recent interview with our CEO, Bridgitte Alomes and Douglas Magazine – it has inspired us to go deeper into our story about why Natural Pod does what it does. Manifesto: a public declaration of policy and...
Research shows that ‘green’ schools provide better environments for learning because they keep students healthy and increase their focus, attention span, and memory. When teachers were asked to rate the importance of certain school features regarding sustainability...
Indoor Air Quality: Why it’s Critical for Healthy Learning Environments + Young Learners
