Teacher gives online nature lesson on edible mushrooms to 1,500 schoolchildren

“It is not possible for us to physically visit all the schools to give nature lessons, but in this way we can offer live nature lessons to a great many schools simultaneously,” says Ter Bork.

The schools participating in the nature lesson are all working on IVN’s mushroom project. Interactive teaching methods are used during the lesson, allowing pupils to actively participate themselves. This helps them learn more about edible mushrooms. Among other things, they will watch a video about the production process of mushrooms. Pupils who have questions about this can ask them directly to a mushroom grower who is present in the studio.

First lockdown

The idea for IVN’s online lessons arose during the very first week of the first lockdown. Ter Bork: “At the time, we gave live tutoring on wild bees, but to individual groups. So it was still very small-scale. But ideas about what should all be possible soon emerged. Before the summer holidays, I gave my first lesson to 15 different classes, around 400 pupils. We are still scaling this up and further developing it, because we want to continue using this remnant of the Covid era.”

IVN now has a fully equipped studio at its own Field Studies Centre in Orvelte. Although the pupils are now able to return to school, entire school networks can be taught simultaneously via the digital whiteboards. In addition, trainee teachers can learn at the Field Studies Centre how to design and deliver their own online lessons using these digital resources.

Getting out into nature

IVN sees the online nature lessons primarily as a supplement. After all, it remains important for teachers to bring nature indoors themselves—or, better still, to go outside and explore nature with the class. “The online live lessons supplement the existing nature lessons. Through the digital microscope, IVN’s expertise and the extensive network we can draw on, we can tell schools more than they know themselves, but ultimately the class teacher will also have to get to work with nature education in the classroom. They can create the deeper impact needed to bring nature into the hearts of the children.”