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Why teach in the field?

4/10/2016

 
Teaching in the field takes more staff time, funding, logistical support, and energy than teaching in the classroom, but field courses also have more educational power than classroom-based courses.  Experienced educators know that novelty is one way to make learning fun and “sticky”, so leaving a traditional classroom, where students know what to expect, and heading into the field, where anything could happen, increases the chances of facilitating a transformative educational experience.  In the simplest of terms, field-based education has more power than traditional education for three reasons:

1.  Field-based learning allows for meaningful connections among humans.

There is something about a group of humans traveling for an extended period of time that evokes our primal social instincts.  People in modern cultures live increasingly isolated lives, even though we are “connected” through online social networks and cell phones.  Modern humans in developed countries spend nearly five hours per day on their cell phones.  Much of that time is spent texting, selfie-ing, and interacting with other people but without the human contact, which can leave us feeling isolated. 
 
When you take student into the field, they leave behind Starbucks and Chipotle, Verizon and AT&T, Snapchat and Facebook.  They complain at first because they are terrified of being disconnected, but after the classic symptoms of withdrawal are gone they start to engage with one another.  For young students who have grown addicted mobile technology and older professionals who have experienced the out-of-control feeling of runaway email, this technology break may be the first one they have had in years.  In the presence of skilled facilitators who help cultivate a supportive learning environment, students can make some of the most meaningful friendships of their lives in just a few days in the field.  Field-based programs can encourage these human connections by creating a safe learning space, facilitating discussion and reflection, and gently pushing students out of their comfort zones.

2.  Field-based learning eases us out of our comfort zones.

Modern people have an unprecedented ability to hide behind an image. People have always hidden behind carefully coiffed hair, stylish dress, and expensive shoes, but now we can Photoshop our image and post a carefully curated version of ourselves – and our lives – on social media.  When we take students in the field, especially into the wilderness, we ask them to leave part of their image behind by leaving their styling products, town clothes, and wifi access at home.  Asking student to away from their images is the first step away from their comfort zones, asking them to live in community for several days is another step, and asking them to take intellectual, emotional, social, and physical risks is yet another.

I’ve seen teenage students have breakthrough moments on field-based courses during which they realize who they really are and what they really care about because they finally had a chance to look.  What’s even more amazing than realizing who they really are realizing that they like themselves – and the other students like them for who they are.  The experience is transformative.  Field-based learning pushes students just outside their comfort zones so they can see the world with fresh, new eyes. They become curious.  They start to wonder.  They begin to learn – about the world and about themselves.
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3. Field-based learning brings out our innate human curiosity.

When students step out of their comfort zones and into a supportive learning community, they are able to get in touch with their innate curiosity.  Students can engage with the subject they are studying in the first person, rather than having their experience filtered through a textbook or PowerPoint presentation, which provides a richer learning experience.  Especially on extended wilderness trips, students’ lives slow down.  They start to see the stars.  They wonder about the names of bugs and plants. They notice patterns and details, which can prompt questions they couldn’t conceive of in the classroom.  They feel the presence of the other humans around them.  They have meaningful conversations.  They have transformative learning experiences, which is what we set out to do in the first place.
Franz Plangger link
4/12/2016 12:32:19 pm

Hello Angie. Good article. I agree with all that we find in there. That being said, I would love to see a rationale explaining why outdoor education is good at curricular achievement. Two out of three points focus more on personal development. The third one does have a connection to achievement, but it is a bit tenuous. In my experience working with schools and school systems, there is a lot of focus on "cover the curriculum and pass the exam". Although I live in Canada, I am pretty sure it is the same in the U.S. In my opinion, the fact that we may, or may not, agree with this is irrelevant. That is where the focus of decision makers is and that is where we find money for programming. The thing is that outdoor/experiential education IS beneficial for curricular achievement, we just need to be intentional about it and explicitly demonstrate it. Thus, I would like to give you a challenge by choice ;-) Can you write another beautiful article that covers this? Feel free to contact me directly. I would love to create a stronger narrative about this in my country (and yours).

richie Hamilton
4/13/2016 06:18:44 am

Just by way of answering your comments regarding O.E. and curricular achievement there is a great study by the Hamlyn foundation called' Learning away' It is the culmination of 5 years of data collection and it will leave no-one in any doubt as to what the benefits are for schools, colleges, Universities and communities alike. So far every Head or Principal that I have shown it to have been convinced of the merits of what we are doing. So have a look I hope that it helps you in some way.

Franz Plangger link
4/13/2016 08:59:34 am

AWESOME! Is this the document you are referring to? http://www.evaluationroundtable.org/documents/UK_RT_TeachingCase.pdf
or this?
http://learningaway.org.uk

Thanks for the pointer. I find myself in the funny situation of knowing that EE and OE help with curriculum (as long as it is good design), but cannot create references (not a PhD) or dot know of any. All I see is people studying + promoting the impact on personal development. Believe me, I think this aspect is crucial (that is why I started my EE and OE career). However, it seems that people with money and the general public opinion (not specific individuals) don't give a damn about personal dev. It's too touchy feely. My hope is that within a few years, we can build a solid discourse supporting EE and OE. We are already building a network of teachers here in Canada. This network will likely be the kernel inspiring such a discourse.

Thanks again.

Angie @ Educate Wild!
4/12/2016 09:41:53 pm

Hi, Franz. One of the biggest challenges of experiential education is explaining the learning value of our programs to administrators, funders, politicians, and governing boards. I completely agree with you that outdoor / experiential education is good for curricular achievement, content acquisition, and “passing the exam”. I think that field programs can be most effective at meeting these goals if they are transparent with students about the course learning outcomes and describe to students how the field activities will help them build stronger skills and a deeper level of understanding than when they are learning in the classroom. I appreciate your challenge and will post an article as soon as I can articulate my thoughts on the topic. Thank you for your interest.

Bobby Acworth
7/5/2016 12:13:27 pm

Great article Angie. Yup. Meaningful connections and enhanced self esteem and image are vital and both enhanced by teaching in the field. I also agree with the potential to foster innate curiosity.

Two key elements that you haven't mentioned are authenticity and ownership. Done in the right way students understand the learning to be real and to matter. Engaging in genuine dialogue and allowing the students to exercise power and choice allows them to feel that the learning matters to them. This is a particular challenge to outdoor educators in our litigious society as they tend to remove elements of risk and uncertainty for health and safety reasons and thus make the experience too comfortable. The adventure becomes mundane and the magic doesn't happen!


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    Angie Moline, Ph.D.
    Founder of Educate Wild!

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