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Learnscapes in Bali - Learnscapes in Australia

Learnscapes Course in Bali

Learnscapes bring the natural world and its ecological processes into education and returns education to the natural world, by creating unique and stimulating learning environments on school grounds and campuses. They transform sterile grounds into dynamic learning environments that inter-relate with curricula in educational gardens, demonstration farms, outdoor/indoor classrooms and multi-purpose facilities.

They improve the ambience of a learning environment with the sound of flowing water, niches for peer groups to chat or lunch in, tranquility zones to read or relax in, colorful and energetic artworks, balances of sun/shade, and cooling breezes. Each learnscape project a wildlife sanctuary, a wetland or a sculpture garden - enhances curriculum development in holistic and innovate ways. For example, Art is integrated with technical drawing & cultural events are integrated with the design of amphitheaters and Playscapes, Food production and preservation is integrated with nutrition and health Sustainable agriculture is integrated with earth sciences.

Learnscape projects benefit all participants - students, educators, parents and local communities, who create with their hands and learn real-life skills. They work with soil and water, grow plants and tend animals. They achieve real solutions to environmental problems by applying design principles that focus on utilizing natural processes, renewable energies and available resources to design eco-friendly buildings.

Learnscaping also improves the social environment participants learn how to co-operate with others and resolve differences, bridge generation and authority gaps, overcome gaps in skills through sharing information, and revive important cultural knowledge lost to modernization. Working together, everyone gains in self-sufficiency and problem-solving skills so the process is itself a learning experience.

Course Facilitators:

Philip Booth, a permaculture educator and designer, with ten years expertise. Philip is currently completing PhD research on the facilitation of Learnscapes. He works with a wide range of participants schools, tertiary educators, grounds staff, students and parents, landscape and architecture designers, trainee teachers and curriculum developers.

· Senior Lecturer & Learnscape specialist Pak Suryadharma, from IKIP University, Yogyakarta.

· Environmental educator Panji Tisna will translate & add a cultural dimension to Learnscaping

Course

Day Schedule:

August 22 - Breifing on facilities / Settle in
August 23/24 - Building a big picture of Learnscapes
August 25/26 - Field trips to design sites - Exploring possibilities
August 27/28 - Learnscaping & Curriculum Development for Indonesia
August 29 - Rest and reflection
August 30/31 - Education for Sustainability and Permaculture
September 1 - Tailoring Permaculture Concepts to Learnscaping
September 2/3 - Return to design sites & prepare detailed concept plans
September 4 - Culminations

Who should attend?
Educators, school principals, groundstaff, tertiary students, environmental designers, facilitators of sustainable land use and development, NGO staff and keen parents - Those who:
Ø Are curious about Learnscaping.
Ø Are keen to experience a design process and devise a concept plan.
Ø Want to develop links between Learnscapes and teaching programs.

All workshop participants will be involved in 'hands-on' design experiences to learnscape a local school ground and prepare a concept plan for another special site. At the completion of two weeks of dynamic learning, you will be empowered to assist other schools and learning centers to develop their own Learnscapes and promote ecologically sustainable development at a crucial moment for this nation.

Location of the course
This course has been made possible thanks to a generous donation from The Bali Hati Foundation for the use of their new "Rumah Hati" in Mambal. All those wishing to stay on site will be able to do so. Field trips will be arranged to Pupuan project location and Permaculture demonstration sites, and the NISBA school project site in Payangan.

Cost of course & further information
Thanks for your support, which will sponsor Indonesian educators and curriculum developers to join in. If you wish to register for this course please make your booking soon, as there are only 10 sponsor participant places available and these are being booked quickly.

Cost for 2-week course is US$500 - payments can be made either by cash to one of the people listed below, or by bank transfer (please fax a copy of the bank receipt) to:
Bank BNI - Cabang Ubud, Acct Name : IDEP/Saffriyanto Hariadi,Ba - Acct# 034.784541043.901

For more information, or to make your booking please contact:
Yayasan IDEP: PO BOX 160 Ubud, Bali, 80571, Indonesia
Tel/Fax: (0361) 977088 - atcha@denpasar.wasantara.net.id

Learnscapes in Australia

Helen Tyas Tunggal from Angourie in Northern New South Wales is the woman responsible for leading the transformation of Australian learning environments through Learnscapes. As a founding member and Program Director of the School Learnscapes Trust, Helen and the Trust's team of specialist consultants are assisting schools, children's centres and educational institutions throughout Australia to develop their grounds for learning.

She was recently awarded the prestigious 1999 Gold Banksia Environmental Award in Melbourne. Her efforts were described by the awards' organisers as depicting "the importance of empowering future generations to become competent and involved caretakers of the planet for the next millennium."

Helen emphasises that "Essential to all learnscape development is the active involvement and contribution of students, teachers, parents and other groups within the school community during the planning, preparation and implementation of a design."

As well as responding to requests in NSW, Victoria, ACT, Queensland and South Australia, sharing ideas across the Tasman and currently facilitating learnscape projects in 40 schools, the Schools Learnscapes Trust has also attracted interest internationally including; a request for curriculum materials that could be translated to aid the process of learnscape development in Indonesian schools, a request by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment for permission to translate "Learnscape programs in NSW Schools"; and a request from Vienna for copies of the Hands On Learnscapes Video for each of the five country co-ordinators participating in the "Train the Ecotrainer " Course of the European Commission.

Already this year successful Learnscapes awareness workshops organised by Environment Centres have been attended by more than 100 interested teachers, parents and students at Gosford, Royal National Park, Warrumbungle National Park and Dubbo.

Below is a small excerpt from a paper presented at Southern Crossings, The Australian Environmental Education Conference held in Sydney in January, which highlights common features of successful school learnscape projects:

The Learnscape Process
C is for:
Commitment from principal, staff and parents
Culture of readiness in the school
Communication between stakeholders
Consultation with appropriate expertise
Cumulative planning and design processes
Curriculum development
Coordination by the committee at all levels
Collection and Collation of data, ideas and opinions
Collaborative decision making
Community spirit and Cooperation
Conservation, Creativity and Change
Celebration
Copyright H Tyas Tunggal 1998

Indonesian Rice Paddies at Teven-Tintenbar School

One school project which has benefitted from the support of the School Learnscapes Trust is Teven-Tintenbar Public School in Northern NSW. The brainchild of teacher Bert Berghius, this amazing project was started 5 years ago as a way to learn about rice farming in Indonesia and to create an Asian influence extended outdoor classroom. The small-scale fully operational model rice farm includes an irrigation system, hut and rice paddies. The rice is planted, irrigated, harvested, threshed, milled, cooked and tasted by the students.

Here are some comments from Year 4/5 students who helped to create a little piece of Indonesia in the Australian countryside;
"Our main aim was to get some rice growing and see what we could learn about it. We learnt about growing rice and how its grown in Indonesia. It grows very well there because its very wet. Our main problems were getting the ground level and getting the hut finished. But when it was finished it was really worth it." Glen Barnes

"The Rice Farm was a great way to learn and it was heaps of fun! For most of us it was a new experience. While learning Indonesian throughout the year, we planned the farm early in the year. A few weeks ago, we opened the farm. The first crop has been harvested and more has been planted. It was lots of fun!" Lisa Perkins.

"I think if you were doing it all the time it would be very hard. We had to do a lot of stuff and we had lots of problems like rain and mud. There were rocks in the dirt when Grade 5 started digging the hole." Aaron Griffiths.

The project was recently assisted by the School Learnscapes Trust in establishing an outdoor classroom as part of the South East Asian Area. From the Schools Learnscapes Trust Newsletter; "Teven Tintenbar School is the first to officially fulfil the criteria of the NSW Dept of Education and Training and the Schools Learnscapes Trust for the successful completion of an accredited Learnscapes Project. With meaningful involvement from staff, students, parents and the community in the planning , design and development of the new Outdoor Learning Area, officially and affectionately named 'Bert's Backyard'( in recognition of Learnscape Co-ordinating teacher Bert Berghius) the project truly exemplifies the Learnscape process."

This project has got to be one of the most exciting, innovative and impressive Indonesian cultural projects to be undertaken in an Australian school. Congratulations Teven-Tintenbar and Selamat Makan!

Contact:
Schools Learnscapes Trust - phone: 61 (02) 6646 1844
Email: helet@nor.com.au
Teven-Tintenbar Public School - phone: 61 (02) 66878210
Email: d4578pn1@ozemail.com.au