Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K through 3rd Grade

$45.00

Written by Patti Ensel Bailie, Rachel A. Larimore, Arianna E. Pikus

Nature-based early childhood education is a rapidly growing trend! Although many schools and programs have incorporated nature-based learning, educators can feel at a loss when trying to evaluate quality in this learning approach. But don’t worry—Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K through 3rd Grade is here to help! Designed with early education practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in mind, the Nature-Based Education Rating Scales (NABERS) for Pre-K and K–3 let professionals easily collect standardized information to measure the quality of education settings in the areas of:

  • Program goals and curriculum practices

  • Staffing

  • Environment

  • Community partnerships

  • Family engagement

Whether you want to evaluate an existing nature-based program or discover how to shift your program toward a nature focus, this book is for you!

Written by Patti Ensel Bailie, Rachel A. Larimore, Arianna E. Pikus

Nature-based early childhood education is a rapidly growing trend! Although many schools and programs have incorporated nature-based learning, educators can feel at a loss when trying to evaluate quality in this learning approach. But don’t worry—Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-Based Classrooms in Pre-K through 3rd Grade is here to help! Designed with early education practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in mind, the Nature-Based Education Rating Scales (NABERS) for Pre-K and K–3 let professionals easily collect standardized information to measure the quality of education settings in the areas of:

  • Program goals and curriculum practices

  • Staffing

  • Environment

  • Community partnerships

  • Family engagement

Whether you want to evaluate an existing nature-based program or discover how to shift your program toward a nature focus, this book is for you!

Evaluating Natureness: How to use the Nature-based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) webinar Evaluating Natureness: How to use the Nature-based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) webinar Evaluating Natureness: How to use the Nature-based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) webinar
Evaluating Natureness: How to use the Nature-based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) webinar
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More about the NAture-Based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) inside the Evaluating Natureness book

While other measures of quality exist in early childhood education (e.g., ECERS, CLASS) this is the first tool to specifically address the features of nature-based education. Nature-based early childhood education is the blending of early childhood and environmental education and the NAture-Based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) tool focuses specifically on the overlap between these two disciplines. As such, NABERS does not address measures of quality related to early childhood in general, but rather those practices specific to the nature-based approach. For example, family engagement is important whether a program is nature-based or not. Thus, NABERS addresses family engagement that relates to nature such as nature-based family events, education related to the benefits of nature-based learning, etc.

NABERS was developed by Drs. Patti Bailie, Arianna Pikus, and Rachel Larimore as a tool to compare different preschool and K-3 settings when looking at the influence of nature on child learning outcomes. The hope, however, is this tool will be useful to anyone looking to integrate nature into the early childhood classroom. It will also be useful for those who support programs that are already implementing nature-based approaches or are looking to shift their practice to include more nature-based teaching and learning.

This tool is for anyone curious how “nature-y” a class is and what opportunities exist to improve the quality of the nature-based teaching. This might include:

  • Individual teachers or teaching teams wanting to reflect on their classroom practices

  • Administrators wanting to identify individual or team professional learning goals 

  • Curriculum coaches and support specialists wanting to support programs interested in the nature-based approach

  • State-level quality rating improvement system assessors looking for a tool to support nature-based programs in their state

In other words, it’s for anyone who would like to begin integrating nature or move to the “next level” in their nature-based practices.

Want to learn even more about NABERS? Check out the article Is the Nature-based Education Rating Scale (NABERS) right for you?