experiential learning 7-8

Experiential Learning encourages students to:

participate in an engaging learning activity,

reflect on the meaning of the activity, their understanding and their skill development, and

apply their knowledge to new and related challenges.

Outdoor Learning falls under the umbrella of experiential learning.

'Research shows interacting with nature is beneficial for the mental health of children and teenagers' (Outdoor Play Canada website). When we spend time outside, we benefit our overall health and our learning. We can connect many curriculum expections to 'the outdoors'.

Here is a 'sense-based forest meditation' that can support your learning, your mental and physical health, and your well-being. Remember: You can engage in a forest meditation in any season! Click on the picture of the tree if you would like to access the 'Healing Forest', where you can find outdoor learning opportunities including the following meditation:

Sense-Based Forest Meditation

During this meditaiton, you are encouraged to 'talk less and listen more' and to experience the nature around you with awareness. If you don't live near a forest, that's okay. Do you have a park nearby or a couple of trees in your backyard? In this activity, it is hoped you might deepen your connection with the forests and nature, but also to help you to develop your attention and awareness (no matter where you are outside).

Sound: Listen to the sounds of the forest. Count how many different sounds you can hear. Can you hear the stillness that holds all the sounds?

Sight: Search for a spot where you can see an entire tree. Slowly trace the outline of a tree with your eyes, starting from one edge at the base of the trunk. Move your gaze up, covering all the minute details that define the boundary of the tree. If you find your mind wandering or racing, bring it back to the outline of the tree and complete your tree tracing slowly.

Smell: Take deep breaths to soak in the scents of the forest. Every object in nature has a unique smell. Pick up interesting objects and smell them to create a memory of the moment.

Touch: Sit on a rock with your feet firmly on the ground. Hold a piece of the forest in your palms – A pebble / a leaf / a blade of grass. Close your eyes and pay attention to the touch. Connect with the forest. Connect with the earth.

Taste: Carry fruit with you. Eat the fruit slowly, as slow as you can. Imagine the sunlight that feeds the plant becomes the fruit that becomes a part of you. Observe how everything in nature in interlinked with each other.

Following your sense-based forest meditation, how might you respond to the Experiential Learning Cycle questions below (e.g. in conversation, in a reflective journal)?

Experiential Learning is a 3-part cycle that encourages us to ask and respond to reflective questions such as these:

Participate (in an experience) - What am I doing? What am I thinking? What am I feeling during this experience?

Reflect (as a result of this experience) - What have I learned about myself? What have I learned about other people? What have I learned about the world? What have I learned about opportunities I may have? What have I learned about ____________?

Apply (following the experience) - What questions do I have now? How has my learning influenced - or may influence - my decisions, opinions, goals and plans? What might I do differently if I have a similar experience in the future?