This past week was probably my favorite, and I left class feeling refreshed, clear-headed, and ready for the extended period of sitting we’d endure in our next lecture. The time we spent outdoors, as well as our discussions, allowed me to gather my thoughts and help shape my inquiry question. In my question, I’d like to address the many benefits that an outdoor learning environment can have on students and their surrounding environments. After Steve took us into the forest and we discussed some of the implications of outdoor ed, I found myself on a tangent of thought regarding the beauty of such a small area, centered around this concrete beach. Similar to a diamond in the rough, the forest provided a small amount of happiness that lasted me throughout the rest of my seated-day, and I’m sure it can provide students the same.

Based on my experience educating outdoor ed, I’m able to say that students have left with a greater understanding and appreciation for their environment. These changes occur because of their newly established relationships with the back-country. Students learn to conduct themselves within it the same way they would in a friendship, and it forms a bond. Expanding on this thought, if we want future generations to preserve our forests, learn about biology, ecology, and environmental sustainability, then we need to introduce them to outdoor environments in order for them to build connections to such places.

Thanks for reading!

Chris

Hi everyone, I’ve chosen to reflect on Tobi, Emily, and Gemma’s soccer/baseball group teach. First off, thanks for letting us chuck the chicken, I think it really allowed me to release some stress. I never actually had the opportunity to ‘chuck’ the chicken myself, though I lived vicariously through my peers, and was able to run back and forth down the field. The main activity, soccer/baseball, was well-thought out and meticulously planned; I felt engaged throughout the entire activity. There were one or two occasions where we kicked the ball out of the fence, requiring us to use our climbing-literacy to retrieve the ball, it added to the experience. I think the group was really able to take a hall-of-shame game and twist it into something magical, where everyone was included and really engaged in a variety of ways.

It helps that our classroom atmosphere is so close-knit, I feel very included and welcomed. There was one instance where I went for the kick, missed it completely, fell on my rear, and felt great! Instead of laughing at my misfortune, teammates resumed their game-faces and we got right back into win the series.

Thank you to everyone for being so enthusiastic and supportive to our peers, I enjoy the sense-of-community,

Chris

Hi everyone,

I have a couple thoughts that I’d like to share in regards to today’s class. The first topic that drew my attention relates back to our discussion on Canada’s grade in the participation report card. According to the document we received a D-, we haven’t failed, but we do have a lot of room for improvement. This doesn’t come as much a surprise to me as my ability to memorize such an article itself. I’m not very good at retaining any facts, especially little fun facts; it was the way Steve developed his lesson to have us actively share with each other our thoughts that will allow me to always remember the letter, D-. The point I’d like to make is that it’s so obvious that we need to engage students in any subject we’re teaching if we want them to retain information. I’m sure all of us know this; it’s just funny because the theory was put into practice by Steve today, with myself as the participating learner.
Another thought I’d like to bring up is not as academic-related as it is ergonomic-related. I feel like the benches we sit on are not conducive to a healthy learning environment, or a healthy back. I saw that Meghan had the right idea as she stood up to relieve the ache, so I followed in her lead. I believe that if we had mats available to stretch on during the lesson, my attention would be geared more towards learning.

Thanks for reading,
Chris