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TIES (Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM) works to advance education and employment outcomes, fostering a more prosperous and future-facing society, making STEM available to everyone, especially under-resourced learners1.
We need to think beyond the current assumptions and facts that define our education systems. Where we are today is not where we want to be. The question is: how do we get somewhere else and what should that look like? And how do we bring the policymakers, institutions, nonprofits, and universities we already have to the table to make this happen?
We don’t have to start from scratch. We have incredible organizations and systems in place—like the National Park Service, Outward Bound, MESA2, and UTeach3—that can help us reimagine education. But we need to challenge ourselves to elevate their roles in the broader system and think differently about what it means to teach and learn.
The Problem with Our Current Systems
Let’s start with the problem. We’ve created an artificial separation between learning and the social and natural world. We treat school as the only institution where learning happens and confine it to four walls, surrounded by concrete. Why? Why is it that we teach physics in a classroom, when you can teach as much (if not more!) physics by building an outdoor ropes course? We’ve paved over the spaces where learning could happen naturally and organically, and it’s time to rethink this.
Years ago, a Geographic Information System (GIS) study conducted by ESRI revealed just how profound this problem is—many schools don’t even have playgrounds. The concrete that surrounds these spaces is a glaring example of how we’ve cut off students from experiential, nature-based learning. If we’re serious about building back better, maybe instead of pouring money into more buildings, we should be removing concrete and creating green, dynamic spaces for education.
Moving from Theory to Action
This isn’t just about the spaces where learning happens—it’s about systemic change. We need to reimagine the way we educate, starting with the fundamental question of what students need to thrive. Andreas Schleicher from OECD made an important point in his talk: learning environments need to support the learner. And learning doesn’t only happen in schools. It happens 24/7, in all kinds of contexts. If our systems don’t reflect that reality, we’re doing students a disservice (see Mr. Schleicher’s full presentation from GELYDA’s inaugural symposium from May 2024 here).
We’ve seen examples of systems adapting to meet new needs before. Take the UTeach program, for instance. Twenty years ago, the University of Texas recognized a problem: graduates from schools of education didn’t have the content expertise needed to teach STEM subjects effectively. They responded by creating UTeach, a program that combines rigorous content training with pedagogy. Today, UTeach has spread across the country, producing thousands of STEM teachers who are uniquely equipped to meet the demands of modern classrooms. It’s a powerful example of what happens when institutions are willing to innovate.
Now, imagine if we applied that same mindset to nature-based learning. What if organizations like the National Park Service4 or Outward Bound5 became partners in teacher preparation? What if pre-service programs included hands-on training in outdoor and experiential learning environments? It seems like a no-brainer to me, but it won’t happen unless we create the right incentives—just as UTeach and Teach for America benefited from funding and support to scale their models.
Global Collaboration and Leadership
This isn’t just a local issue; it’s a global one. Around the world, universities are asking similar questions and making investments to better understand how to integrate holistic learning approaches. I’m reminded of a roundtable we attended at Tel Aviv University, where we discussed STEM competencies and the need for new rubrics to measure creativity in schools and afterschool programs.
Wouldn’t it be incredible if there were a global community of practice to coordinate this work? Instead of every institution navigating this alone, we could create a space to share advances, tools, and understanding. With Andreas Schleicher’s insights that he shared at GELYDA’s inaugural symposium as a foundation, we have a real opportunity to connect globally and make meaningful progress (see Learning as a Holistic Process: Insights Derived from the Most Recent PISA blog by Gil Noam and Ludwig Stecher, here)
A Vision for the Future
The University of California, San Diego study about mid-career professionals “hitting a wall” reminds us why this work is so important. These individuals—brilliant, hardworking, and committed—burn out because they were never taught how to find balance and resilience. If we want to prepare students not just for their first job, but for lifelong success, we need to start teaching those skills early.
So where do we go from here? Here’s what I believe needs to happen:
De-Concretization: Let’s prioritize removing concrete and creating green, nature-based learning spaces.
Leveraging Existing Organizations: Programs like UTeach and organizations like the National Park Service and Outward Bound have already shown their potential. Let’s scale these models and integrate them into teacher preparation programs.
Flexible Learning Environments: We need systems that adapt to how students learn, not the other way around.
Assessment as a Catalyst for Change: As Gil Noam, Chair of Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR), and his team have stated for a long time “what gets assessed gets addressed.” If we expand our assessment frameworks to include creativity, resilience, and socio-emotional skills, we’ll drive meaningful change.
Global Coordination: Let’s build a global community of practice to connect institutions, share tools, and accelerate progress. That is exactly why we need GELYDA as a world-wide organization for practitioners, policy makers and researchers/evaluators
Incentives for Innovation: Just as UTeach succeeded with the right incentives, we need to provide funding and support for nature-based and experiential learning models.
This isn’t just a wish list—it’s a call to action. We have the tools, the organizations, and the research to make this happen. What’s missing is the will to do it.
Learning happens everywhere, all the time. It’s time our systems reflected that. Let’s reimagine education together—because our students, our teachers, and our world deserve nothing less.
1 To learn more about TIES visit https://www.tiesteach.org/
2 MESA USA is a consortium of statewide MESA programs across the country. MESA USA operates collaboratively to ensure that all students in America have access to the courses, supports, mentoring, experiences, networks, and other resources that they need in order to earn degrees in calculus-based STEM fields and pursue careers in STEM. To learn more visit: https://mesausa.org/
3 The UTeach Institute supports the development of highly effective K–12 STEM teachers who stay in teaching and effectively engage all students in meaningful learning of STEM disciplines through research-based best practices in preservice teacher preparation, and in-service teacher induction, mentoring, and coaching. To learn more about Uteach visit https://institute.uteach.utexas.edu/
4 To learn more about the National Parks System visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm
5 Out Bound Outward Bound USA is the leading provider of outdoor education programs that allow young people to explore their personal potential, since 1962. From expeditions in some of the most remote locations in the U.S. to programs in local schools and neighborhoods, young people nationwide are cultivating a passion for learning, and discovering greater success in school, work and life. To learn more about visit https://www.outwardbound.org/
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