Plants in classrooms

Plants have super powers!

During my PGCE I focused one of my essays on the effects of plants & animals in classrooms.

I first became interested in how environments affected engagement following my very first observation. using live animals and plants in a drawing session with Illustration degree students proved successful in a variety of ways.

The use of animals and plants in sessions seem to create a positive atmosphere that learners respond well to. This influences me to continue developing my learning environments for future sessions. The process of cognitive learning is gaining knowledge from our surroundings, and I feel that environments even from birth, influence the rest of our lives. For example, it is suggested that children who grow up in crowded cities learn to relate to space and other people very differently to a child who sleeps or plays alone in a rural area.

Some of the reasons plants can be beneficial in a learning environment:

1. Broadbent’s (1958) attention theory suggests that “the unusual, the novel or anything that seems out of place to us is always worthy of closer attention.” Live plants in classrooms can certainly qualify as unusual stimuli, resulting in students becoming increasingly intrigued about the lesson ahead.

2. There is research to suggest that live plants in classroom environments could be considered appealing stimuli and can have a positive effect on learner engagement. As well as increasing oxygen and simulating the brain, the physical colour of green plants in a room can be seen to be visually engaging for learners.

3. An appropriate atmosphere in a classroom should appear to be calm, meaningful and safe, the addition of plants can contribute to these conditions.

4. Rooms with plants can lead to “30 to 60% reductions in feelings of stress, anxiety and low spirits of staff."

5. When students are able to see the effort and care needed to grow plants, they develop a sense of ownership for these living beings, they can increase responsibility especially for the younger generation.

6. Having plants to study first hand is the best way to teach students about living things and plant biology.

I'd love to know about the benefits of plants in your own experience, please contact me to share your stories!