Our Learning Approach
I was a poor student. The kind of kid who stared out of windows and couldn't connect with anything teachers were droning on about. And then in 5th grade I went on a field trip and got to churn butter while looking out over the plains where that history actually happened. I remember every detail of that day. I have no idea what happened in the classroom before or after. But that day lit me up.
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That's place-based education. It's what happens when your feet and your body and your heart are physically there in the place you are learning about, and the things you learn find their way into your soul instead of evaporating the moment you close the textbook.
Experiential learning is what makes it stick. You aren't reading about the Indian Removal Act. You are standing at Sleeping Bear Dunes listening to a historian point over his shoulder to the exact bay his ancestors canoed out of on their way to negotiate a treaty. My girls would not have heard that history anywhere else. I am positive of that.
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The national parks make this possible, over and over, at every single site. That's why we took our kids on the road for a year.
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Learn more about these approaches below.
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Place-Based Learning
Place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other concepts across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens. Community vitality and environmental quality are improved through the active engagement of local citizens, community organizations, and environmental resources in the life of the school. (Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms & Communities by David Sobel, 2004).
A project of the Center for Place-based Learning and Community Engagement, this a a rich resource that offers links to place-based education opportunities around the country.
While this is a website that caters to teachers, we are using ideas and resources from Edutopia.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning is an engaged learning process whereby students “learn by doing” and by reflecting on the experience.
Regularly updated experiential learning blog and resources.
One of the most important parts of experiential learning is the reflection that comes after an experience. Aela and Eva will update their reflections regularly and share their learning on their blog. Check back often for updates.
