Teaching Outside

Outdoor education provides invaluable opportunities for personal growth, collaboration, creativity, and connection with the natural environment. Lessons learned on a muddy portage simply can't be taught in any other way. This Tumblr explores the rationale for outdoor ed, as well as its benefits and challenges. It also examines creative strategies for bringing the tenants of outdoor ed into the classroom in order to build learning environments that foster critical thinking, deep learning, and meaningful, authentic engagement.

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Closure

As my time with the creativity cohort comes to a close, I wonder:

1. Where will I take my research from here? 

2. What kinds of amazing thinks will my peers bring to their teaching environments in the coming years?

3. How can we make sure that our strong sense of community is maintained when our time at Acadia finishes?

4. How will I decorate my graduation cap next spring?

5. How have I changed as a teacher, community member, and person as a result of my time in this program? 

I don't have the answers to these questions yet, but I'm hoping to find them through reflection in the coming weeks. But first, I think I'll take a hard earned nap.

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This is a summary of the learning ecology that I developed for my regional geography field course (which will be running for the first time this fall). The final page of the document includes a reflection with more detailed information about the contents of the three charts. In planning my ecosystem, I decided to focus on building three things in my class this fall: a sense of connection (with Earth, community, and self), a commitment to critical thinking, and a strong sense of student ownership over the learning process. 

[quoteinspirational]

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Our time in the Creativity Cohort is coming to a close at the end of this week. The workload this summer has been immense, yes, but I've always been confident in my ability to get through it. This past winter, though, in the midst of illness and conflict and loss, there were times when I considered throwing in the towel. How glad I am that I stuck it out. Spending time in Wolfville with my fellow creatives is invigorating and inspiring. It will be over before we know it, and I for one am going to miss it.

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Creating a Learning Ecology

In my Instructional Design (Creative Design) course, we are working to develop learning ecologies to implement in our classrooms this fall. We've been asked to assess the Content (what), Structure (how), and Impact (why) of our classes in order to create learning environments that support our personal teaching and learning goals.

I am in a unique position. In September, I will be taking a group of students to Kyuquot, British Columbia for one week to complete 50 hours of a regional geography credit. Upon our return, the students will complete the remaining 60 hours independently. The majority of this work will be completed in a virtual environment, but I do have two 30 minute blocks of face time during the school week. These blocks can be used in any way I see fit, and can take place in any unoccupied space in the school (I do not have a classroom).

In considering the elements of my ecology - the physical, temporal, and virtual environments - I immediately discovered my challenge. How can I create a learning ecology (both in the school and online) that will continue to build on the sense of community developed on trip? How can I ensure that the members of my class continue to work collaboratively, challenging each other to think broadly and critically about important geographic concepts? My head is spinning, but my heart is full of hope.

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The Value of Experience

This weekend, I traveled to the Acadian community of Clare with a friend from the creativity cohort. She introduced me to her family, her history, her culture, and her food. It was an incredible road trip, and I had a great time playing tourist. What struck me most, upon my return to Wolfville, was how much my experience was impacted by the people that I met. I could learn about Acadian culture and history from a textbook, sure, and I could use a cookbook to try and make rappie pie, but what's the point? It wouldn't be the same. Going clamming with Lysane's Godfather was truly amazing. His level of passion and skill was inspiring, and he taught me a great deal about the patience and focused attention required to find my meal, buried beneath the sands. I need to remember, when I'm teaching, to make use of local knowledge and experience whenever possible. There is value in what I do, certainly, and I do have skills and expertise to share... but how wonderful it is to get outside of the classroom and make real connections with wonderful people!

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I do not know whether it is possible to love the planet or not, but I do know that it is possible to love the places we can see, touch, smell and experience.

David Orr, Earth in Mind

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The experience of place by Tony Hiss, 1990,Knopf edition, in English - 1st ed.

 I struggle with how to apply many of these principles in my own school environment. Moving from classroom to classroom (and sharing those classes with between 4 and 7 other teachers), I don’t feel that I have enough ownership over my space to create significant change. I move the desks whenever possible (I prefer horseshoes or facing lines), and work with natural light when the weather conditions are right. Otherwise, my classroom environments are pretty sterile. I like to put up student work, but keep it to one area so that other teachers can do the same… the effect is always a bit odd, though, with so many different subject areas and grade levels represented. The classroom walls are all white, and the floors are all moderately stained industrial carpet. For my final project in my Instructional Design (Creative Design) course, I want to look into the use of music/sound to help build a more inspiring learning environment. I also want to look for ways to bring my field course students back into the classroom and virtual environments while maintaining the learning ecology that we develop on trip.

[bernadettelogue]

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... and never let it stop you from taking advantage of amazing opportunities in the present.

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Today's afternoon class was spent at the Luckett Vineyards, where we made our classroom on the grass between rows of grapes. Our discussion was about providing a strong sense of place in our classrooms, based on "The Experience of Place" by Tony Hiss. The change of venue suited the topic perfectly. I wonder - if the place that I feel most inspired is the natural environment, how can I bring outdoor elements into my classroom in order to create a workspace that embraces the spirit of the Earth?

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Design thinking tools and process pages. Yes, that is a water gun hiding under the page on the left. This was my first time through the process as a student, and I must confess that I loved it. For someone who typically struggles to stay focused in traditional indoor environments, design thinking WORKS. Working through the process with the five stages in mind kept me so focused on the task at hand that I didn't even notice the shenanigans of the play-based learning group! The IDEO toolkit and workbook are must-haves for creative educators. 

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I genuinely believe that no human creation can top the beauty of a sunset. 

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

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I spent this evening swimming across a lake with a friend from the Creativity Cohort. On the way back, we brought a tree with us. Why did we do this, you ask? Why not? Lysane and I went on our first tree swim last summer, and thought that it was only fitting to repeat the process this year (albeit with a much larger tree). Did the movement of the tree serve a long term purpose? not necessarily. But it encouraged teamwork, perseverance, and much-needed silliness. Most importantly, it was fun.

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I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority

E.B. White

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Ride Like a Girl

This article explores cycling as an analogy for being female. It presents the extremes in some cases, but recognizes that position throughout. Could this be an appropriate way to introduce issues of gender inequality in high school classrooms? Could students be encouraged, as pre-assessment, to complete reflective writing on their own experiences as cyclists? 

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A beautiful reflection on travel from an impactful former teacher.

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ARTICLE: Secrets of the Creative Brain

A leading neuroscientist who has spent decades studying creativity shares her research on where genius comes from, whether it is dependent on high IQ—and why it is so often accompanied by mental illness. 

Well worth a read.