Learning by stepping outside
ASU students work outdoors in a campus garden. A study co-authored by Associate Professor Steven Zuiker, principal investigator of the Step Outside program, explores the role of design in garden-based learning, focusing on how educational activities in school gardens can be strategically organized to support student learning. Photo courtesy of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
By Adriana Maestas
Amid a world increasingly captivated by all things digital, more than 200 Arizona teachers have crafted immersive educational experiences that nudge students to step away from their screens and reconnect with the natural world outside.
Steven Zuiker, an associate professor with Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and principal investigator of the Step Outside professional development program, said it “came from a need to help address the challenges faced by teachers and schools in the post-pandemic era as a significant number of students’ learning and development was disrupted, particularly among students from under-resourced communities.”
Funded through a state grant, Step Outside provided workshops, resources and ongoing support for participating educators to design lesson plans and activities using spaces just outside the classroom. Educators found inspiration from nature, developing projects that combined the sciences and humanities so that students could learn through activities such as creating school gardens, nature journaling and composting.
As the project concludes, Step Outside is estimated to have reached 11,000 Arizona students. Going forward, more than 2,000 educator reports are also being codified by researchers for further analysis and application to create deeper insights into outdoor-learning effectiveness.
“We see this project leading to even more application of outdoor learning experiences across a range of subject areas,” Zuiker said.
Research-based outdoor learning
Zuiker’s vision for Step Outside is rooted in the belief that outdoor learning can do more than fill educational gaps — it can spark creativity, develop problem-solving skills and foster a deep appreciation for the environment, tapping into a deepening interest in sustainability among youths.
Research indicates that outdoor learning carries numerous benefits for students. For example, one such study by the American Institutes for Research indicated that students who enjoyed outdoor education experienced increased standardized test scores, improved attendance and overall enhanced student achievement.
Zuiker’s own research supports this. One study co-authored by Zuiker, “Growing garden-based learning: mapping practical and theoretical work through design,” explores the role of design and how educational activities in school gardens can be strategically organized to support student learning.
The research is based on a fifth-grade classroom case study and uses a theoretical framework called "activity systems" to analyze learning as it unfolds in interactions among students, teachers and the environment. The study found that structured garden activities create rich opportunities for curiosity-driven inquiry and critical thinking, allowing students to engage deeply with science concepts while developing a sense of environmental stewardship.
A statewide focus
Funding for the $783,000 Step Outside project, formally known as Teachers Connecting Campuses and Core Curricula, came from the Arizona Office of the Governor. Zuiker’s other project colleagues included co-investigators Jessica Early, a professor of English at ASU, and Scott Cloutier, an assistant professor with ASU’s College of Global Futures.
Participating educators undertook 30–40 professional development hours over six months as they developed their lesson plans, benefiting from support and insights provided by community partners Blue Watermelon Project, the Mollen Foundation, Hedberg Garden Group, Lifelab Studios and others.
“We wanted to give teachers the skills to use nature around them without having to leave their school sites with their students,” Zuiker said. “Students benefit from outdoor learning in many ways that span the sciences, whether that comes from learning about soil chemistry and plant biology through tending a campus garden lot, or creating a compost station fueled by cafeteria scraps.”
For example, participating educators learned how to use school gardens, which are a common yet often underutilized infrastructure on campuses, as learning resources. Educators developed lesson plans that encouraged students to observe what goes on and grows in the gardens, connecting students more deeply with biology and earth sciences. Zuiker’s colleague Early, who directs the Central Arizona Writing Project, also trained the teachers on how to use nature journaling, which is known to help with processing skills and to help enhance language arts instruction.
Connecting nature with STEM
School cafeterias often produce enough food waste to compost, which can lead to lessons about biology, chemistry, the food system, waste and the ecosystem.
One teacher who participated in Step Outside incorporated lessons about composting and gardening into her class curriculum, and then hosted a family night at the school. Students held garden tours, led presentations about composting and talked about how to test soil for planting and improving nutrition.
“As a teacher, I know for sure that my students did not just improve their communication, writing and vocabulary skills, but most of all, they have found success after hearing their voice, which made a difference in our school community,” she wrote in her submitted project report.
Participating educators also found ways to collaborate across disciplines. For instance, a science teacher and an English teacher who share the same group of students can now collaborate by using outdoor experiences designed by the English teacher to enhance both subjects. This way, the science teacher can build on these experiences to reinforce scientific concepts, creating a cross-disciplinary approach that deepens students' learning in both areas.
Expanding knowledge networks
Zuiker anticipates that teachers who participated in Step Outside will continue to share their insights with colleagues and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations to advance the project’s goals.
Meanwhile, Zuiker has been continuing his role as co-principal investigator on a multinational project that supports and explores intergenerational school and community gardening projects in South Africa. The project involves scholars across eight universities in Canada, South Africa and the United States and leverages localized and networked learning to support community goals for food security and climate literacy grounded in Indigenous and local ecological knowledge.
Learn more:
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College faculty are exploring research and projects that expand educator knowledge of sustainability and environmental issues. Get involved in the following ways:
- Research: MLFTC Learning Futures Collaboratives bring together interdisciplinary teams to share knowledge that contributes to advancing research and addressing community and societal issues. (Steven Zuiker is a member of the Education for Planetary Futures collaborative.)
- Academic programs: Step Outside’s connection to sustainability-related topics also aligns with MLFTC’s expanded offerings in sustainability education. These include certificates in environmental education for ASU undergraduates and ASU graduate students.
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