Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / Recent development and adoption of Common Core State Standards has shifted academic
emphasis within public and accredited schools. Consistent, national educational goals have
standardized education and have resulted in a challenge to educators to assist all students in
achieving maximum test scores. The curricular subjects of math, science, and literacy are the
primary emphasis of instruction and achievement. Standardized testing is the dominant means to
determine whether students are reaching acceptable achievement.
“Integrated Common Core Curriculum: Environmental Education Through Landscape
Architecture” explores the potential of incorporating basic landscape architectural knowledge
into a fourth-grade curriculum while striving to achieve learning standards as determined by the
Common Core and the Iowa Core Curriculum. Exploring the application of current educational
criteria, the researcher developed an educational unit that utilizes the process of park design as a
simplified version of a landscape architect’s approach in order to emphasize math, literature,
science, creative thinking, and teamwork. Implementing environmental education through place-based
education theory enhances unit strength by providing enhanced emotional, mental, and
physical health benefits to children.
Created during this study, an instructional unit was evaluated by a convenience sample of
educators. Through the use of an open-ended questionnaire, preliminary review results indicate a
strong potential for the unit to successfully demonstrate the basic process of landscape
architecture design through the use of the local place simultaneously achieving academic
standards. Review results identify a variety of limitations and challenges the unit would
encounter for implementation including a current subject focused instructional philosophy within
the school district verse the thematic focus of the unit. Additionally, ever-evolving standards
would require regular unit updates, although school districts face perennial budget challenges
and educators are limited on time.
As a student of landscape architecture, I recognize that the profession offers a unique
opportunity to model place-based, multi-subject practices realized in the practice of landscape
architecture. Promoting the profession of landscape architecture through a curricular unit
provides an environmental education tool and provides the opportunity for students to explore a
career option within the classroom setting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/17547 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Swihart, Emily |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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