Sept. 19 Entrance Slip - Thinking about teaching + learning gardens

What is the central purpose of the university, as an institution? I have moments of optimism when I say they are sites of education, research, and innovation for global change. And I have moments of cynicism where I say higher education is a business like any other. I see this tension at UBC. In particular, as we sit in the Orchard Garden and look at the towering structures of the Orchard Commons Residence, where a much more expansive outdoor learning space used to exist. My cynical side usually wins out. 

Outdoor learning is so far removed from my own educational experience that I have difficulty conceptualizing its addition and more importantly its integration into curriculum learning. As stated in the article, the garden cannot be seen as a mere add-on for decorative or leisure purposes if it has hopes of standing against the growing demand for urban development. And yet, I don't see the core Math curriculum in an outdoor space. Of course, I could bring my class outside to do the regular math coursework in an outdoor space, but this feels like a disservice to all of the offerings of the learning garden. I especially appreciated the coining of the garden and all its living things as co-teachers. This idea offers a more holistic approach to teaching that I find admirable and worthy of critical engagement, but I feel like I am still lacking the tools needed to make the garden a central part of my math classroom. I was definitely intrigued by the idea of "mathematical sculptures" on p. 108 and I'd be very interested to hear more about the explicit ways an outdoor learning space can teach core math skills and concepts.