Exploring the Power of Nature on Learning: Insights from the Minding Bodies Book Club - Week 2

I'm sitting at my desk, reflecting on how Susan Hrach's book Minding Bodies: How Physical Space, Sensation, and Movement Affect Learning has transformed my perspective on life and the joy I continue to feel after each book club meeting. It's strange how some of the insights were things I was aware of, but the way she presents evidence-based principles is truly eye-opening and compelling.

Did you miss our week 1 post? Dive in to catch up on how our book club is structured!

This week, our facilitator was our Director of Instructional Design and Technology, Mary McGraw Smith and we delved into Chapter 2: Take it Outside.

How Did We Enter?

Slide used to introduce Ms. Caroline Moore

Ms. Caroline Moore, MSW, LISW-CP, a mental health therapist and Program Manager at MUSC CAPS led us on a fantastic virtual nature walk, immersing us in the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of our surroundings. She even shared her "Happy Light," a device she uses in her office to replicate the sun. Though most of us did our walk inside our offices we still explored the outdoors through our senses. "Surprisingly, I found myself more connected to the earth during my walk when I slipped off my shoes and let my feet touch the carpet in my office. Since reading the preface and discovering that “walking barefoot in the grass can ease a rough day as quickly as bourbon on the rocks' (P. xi), I take any opportunity to let my feet touch the ground.

How Did We Engage?

Our engagement began with Mary asking us to “type a quote or 'aha' moment we had in the chat." Our Instructional Design manager, Alex Walters , shared:

"Like the fairly radical adjustments we make to accommodate more movement in our classrooms to improve learning, taking our classes outside involves significant rethinking of our accustomed practices." (P. 66)

Our time together in Chapter 2 symbolized a shift in our accustomed practices in higher education. Traditionally, student services and faculty development or faculty affairs do not often seek to partner. However, we are fortunate that the Office of Instructional Technology and Faculty Resources (ITFR) is strategically a part of the Division of Education Innovation and Student Life (EISL). This reflects our holistic approach to viewing teaching and learning as interdependent components within the educational ecosystem, adopting a bi-directional approach to student support and educational development. Caroline created the Guide to Thrive program to help higher education students achieve academic success while managing their mental well-being. Our experiential activity is an offshoot of a Nature Rx session, with students learning that experiencing our natural environment is akin to brain food. It's a beautiful ecosystem of wellness: our students learn how to ‘mind their bodies’, faculty and staff incorporate these principles into their own lives and classrooms, and our new Director of Student Health Services, Dr. Anderson encourages students to integrate lifestyle medicine into their own lives. It is a remarkable alignment.

Hrach shared that taking students outside requires intentionality and planning for success. She advised us to connect the course content with the outdoor space and plan engaging activities. Importantly, she emphasized keeping equity in mind, as some students may have fears of being outside or medical conditions that make certain weather conditions unsuitable or can't afford extra clothing if needed. As Caroline demonstrated in our virtual nature walk there are still ways to leverage nature if going outside is not possible.

Mary also asked us if we were led to further research anything, Alex was led to read more on Biophilic Design, and I had to find the Nature Pyramid.

Engaging with Sianna

On a ❤️ heartwarming note, most evenings, I take my daughter, Sianna to our backyard to let out her last energies before bedtime. But yesterday, it was raining, so we decided to play on the front porch. Despite the weather, my daughter managed to venture onto the wet grass, and the sheer magic of the moment begged for a photograph 📷 – I had to share in the title image 😊

How did we leave?

The word cloud speaks for itself. We are so grateful for the diverse participation in our book club spanning from teaching and clinical faculty, research faculty, to educational technology staff, and various administrators and leaders across campus.

Word Cloud in Response to "How are you leaving"

How are you leaving? We would love to hear your perspective!

What are your thoughts on taking the learning experience outside, especially for content areas where the connection to the outdoors might not be immediately obvious? Don't forget to keep an eye out for next week's reflection on "Interrogating Sensory Perceptions."