Learning outside
A scene by the Kedron Brook in Woodstock Village. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Throughout the country, there’s a growing interest in using the outdoors for education, and here in Vermont we’re blessed with many opportunities to do just that. Amid the pandemic, experts say outdoors is also one of the safest places to be, while using distancing and other precautions of course.
Naturally, taking the classroom outside requires some new approaches to learning, since so much of education traditionally happens indoors. In a recent interview, Paul Gambill, executive director of the Montpelier-based Community Engagement Lab (CEL), spoke about some solutions from a think tank with educators and teaching artists in June. A big theme was exploring safe ways to get kids outdoors for learning opportunities, especially amid the pandemic.
“Across the state, there’s exciting energy around engaging in new ways of learning, around learning how to make the move towards personalized learning that Vermont’s been trying to put in place,” Gambill said. “We have to find those entry points that really activate the student’s intrinsic motivation to learn.”
One idea led to the Watershed Project, part of CEL’s annual Project Design Lab for fall. The Project Design Lab helps school teams create an arts-integrated project working with master teaching artists and national leaders in project-based learning.
In the watershed initiative, school teams have the opportunity to work with the artists and project partners to teach students about the importance of watersheds, while using art as a central part of the process. The specific goal of this project is “to deepen our understanding and sense of ownership in the health of the watershed, and how the health of the watershed is interwoven with the health of our communities.”
Gambill said such outdoor education opportunities in Vermont can harness the expertise that exists in areas such as farming, forestry and conservation, which offer rich educational experiences.
“Those are such a part of the Vermont culture already,” he said.
Artist Alissa Faber and photographer Renee Greenlee are the teaching artists on the Watershed Project, and its partners include the Vermont Energy Education Program, Friends of the Winooski River and Friends of the Mad River. A grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program is funding the project’s implementation. The Watershed Project is limited to six schools; find more information at this link.
Gambill said CEL will work with school teams in the Project Design Lab (via Zoom) in late September or early October, and then start implementing the various projects after that.
In the planning process, each school team identifies community partners for their project, as well. Gambill thought community organizations might be able to expand their role in educational initiatives in the months ahead.
“I think there’s a real opportunity for communities to look at their role as a learning partner,” he said.
It will be exciting to see the educational innovation taking place in the coming months and years, as outdoor learning will likely become a larger part of the overall picture. Naturally, this will look different at different schools, but it’s certainly an opportunity to re-imagine educational design and delivery, and perhaps pave the way for new, local programs that provide students with valuable experiences. The time for innovation is here.
— Gareth Henderson
