Teaching and Learning

Our vision for the Branching Out outdoor program is that it will be:

• Student-Centered

  • Students will be doing most of the work of learning - observing, exploring, collecting data, writing/drawing, discussing, arguing from evidence - Instructors are facilitators of this/guides on the side vs. sage on the stage

• Nature-Centered

  • Whenever possible, lessons will revolve around direct interactions with the natural world vs. games or activities

• Grounded in a Sense of Place - with acknowledgment and appreciation for all that this means. Lessons should be directly connected to the local environment and will be more relevant to students in that way

• Meaningful and Memorable

  • Learning should connect to them personally

  • Adventures should be had!

• Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) performance expectations

  • In NGSS, using science process/scientific thinking is key, vs. memorization of facts

  • To begin to address NGSS in outdoor education, regardless of the topic, make sure students are engaged in practices, exploring science ideas, and figuring things out during science instruction. “In order to be fully engaged in the practices, it’s simply not enough to merely learn about the science idea, however creative and hands-on the task may be. To engage in the practices, really participate in them, a student has to frame the task as an exploration. The intellectual work [of the classroom] has to be centered on figuring out how or why something happens.“ — Cynthia Passmore, UC Davis School of Education

• Integrated with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with scientific ecological understanding by including Native guest speakers, docents, or student volunteers, and visit to cultural center when possible.

• Teaching the way students learn, using the Learning Cycle

• Asking the right QUESTIONS to encourage interest, exploration, concept formation, application, and reflection

• Facilitating productive DISCUSSIONS where students can explore their observations and questions, hash out their ideas with peers, and learn to make arguments from evidence

• JOURNALING with students for deeper observations, application, and reflection of learning

• Making EXPLANATIONS from EVIDENCE

• Using positive MANAGEMENT methods to keep groups engaged

Notes on Content vs Process

I had the reaction to my first exposure to BEETLES methodology of feeling that it was too "squishy" - not enough hard science, not enough CONTENT. I love learning by listening to lectures and I soak up new content like a sponge, so I might be a little weird. These ideas of having the students figure stuff out for themselves through observation, exploration and discussion just didn't feel academic enough to me. BUT... it's not that we are giving up content entirely! We ARE delivering content, but just not all up front, and not ALL the content - just enough to help guide student exploration and thinking. Reinforcing or redirecting appropriately with more content. More content at each stage of the Learning Cycle to help them keep moving in the right direction.

Here is a post from Craig Strang, the BEETLES "lead articulator," that addresses this very well: http://beetlesproject.org/content-vs-process-a-false-dichotomy/ - I like this quote: "In the end, what do your instructors care the most about: what they taught or what their students learned? It’s very satisfying and even entertaining to teach things. It’s much messier, harder, and way more interesting to help people learn things." Go read this post!