#RuralEdChat is a chat that focuses on the needs of the rural educator. This chat has been revised by Tammy Neil (@MathNeil), John Martin (@edventures) and Natalee Stotz (@nataleestotz).
It's not just a job, it's an adventure. No, we're not talking about the Navy but rather the unique learning that happens in Meaningful Field Experiences. Welcome to tonight's #RuralEdChat!
I'm John Martin, Director of the Dept. of Innovation & Technology for the @InterLakesSD in central NH, and believe it or not my undergrad degree is in Outdoor/Experiential Education. I'll be tonight's #RuralEdChat field guide.
It's not just a job, it's an adventure. No, we're not talking about the Navy but rather the unique learning that happens in Meaningful Field Experiences. Welcome to tonight's #RuralEdChat!
As a big fan of #JohnDewey, I have a soft spot for experiential learning and field experiences are a great way to help learning come alive! #RuralEdChat
Hi, everyone! Looking forward to our conversation tonight for #ruraledchat. Robin from WI here. I currently work for the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and coordinating school trips and outdoor ed instructors is my main work this busy month.
Tonight's questions will address the why's, how's and what's of field experiences so start thinking about your own experiences as a learner and about those experiences you create for your own learners! #RuralEdChat
#RuralEdChat A1: I really don't remember many of my own school experiences other than our French class trips to Quebec which was definitely an exciting opportunity for those of us who never experienced another culture first-hand.
A1: I remember going on a whale watch with my biology class in high school. I also have fond memories of a 4th grade trip to a living history farm museum . #RuralEdChat
A1 Yes...hard to remember all of them, but going on overnight trips to state parks comes to mind. Also a really neat high school humanities class where we were turned loose downtown in Chicago on an architecture and art scavenger hunt. #ruraledchat
#RuralEdChat A1 cont'd: If my uni studies count, then my fav field experiences were a high altitude mountaineering course in CO in Jan 97, lead rock climbing in Acadia Natl Park, & leading an adaptive access hiking trip.
A1: I'm gonna call my semester abroad in Spain a field experience and say it was pretty awesome. I went twice. Once in high school & once in college. #ruraledchat
A1: Not answering the Q at all w/ this, but I feel compelled 2 tell U the kiddos & I went to our local Middletown Art Center on Fri. Snacks in the sculpture garden, art appreciation in the early am, hands-on mask painting in the late am, lunch in library park. #ruraledchat
In case folks are feeling like me and are having a hard time recalling their own school experiences, Q2 lets you share some more contemporary examples like @SHuggins67! #RuralEdChat
Yeah! Especially in another language. I remember ordering a pastry & asking the baker if the water was free - only I said libre instead of gratis. The guy was so confused. He started telling me the water came from the tap through the pipes & so forth. Priceless. #ruraledchat
A1 Paddling the backwaters of the Mississippi with middle school students. Invasive species removal with local nature conservancy in the high bluffs over that same river. Any opportunities to enrich kids' connections to the land and water. #RuralEdChat
#RuralEdChat A2: Even though I'm a tech dir, I still get asked to chaperone field experiences - our 8th grade goes to NYC for three days, our 7th grade goes to Cape Cod for four. There's a lot to be said for living in the moment rather than reading about it or watching it.
The kids LOVED it. Everyone was pleased. It touched on a lot of important ED components like place-based community education in a rural setting with art & integration via connections to other subjects, etc., etc., #ruraledchat#placebasedlearning
#RuralEdChat A2 cont'd: But my fav field experience has to be when I went with my own kids to Wash, DC when they were in 6th grade. They planned out the four day experience and had to live on a budget they created for themselves.
IMO that is the beauty of field experiences - the holistic blend of disciplines that show our studies aren't independent of one another, but dependent upon one another. #RuralEdChat
I remember quite specifically the collective quote was, "BEST DAY EVER, MS. HUGGINS!" I got a lot of hugs on the way 2 the bus & family pick-up lines. It was interesting to read the thank you letters we wrote on Monday. One kid wrote about their freedom to make art. #ruraledchat
#RuralEdChat A2 link: Here is a link to the reflections that some of our 7th graders shared after their Cape Cod experience a few weeks ago: https://t.co/mMrqfZQVAL
I know, right? I felt like such a dork. But talk about a powerful lesson. Thirty years later & I know the difference between libre & gratis & the significance of expressions & idioms & losses in translation. #ruraledchat
I had an ELL student who kept telling me she did not job that while explaining something that had happened online. I later realized she meant post. Ya gotta be careful with Google Translate & language dictionaries. #ruraledchat
Yeah. The woman who facilitated was great. She wrapped up the art appreciation part of the day by having the kids brainstorm jobs they could do if they studied art. She wanted them 2 think of art outside a narrow construct in addition to considering the practical app #ruraledchat
#RuralEdChat A3: For me it is student involvement. In that DC trip, students had to create their own itinerary. To do that, they had to research what DC had to offer and understand what value it held to them, then they had to convince their classmates of that value.
Ha! Whaddyawannaknow? They spend a week camping in super-basic-minimal cabins in Monterey. They go hiking & camping & exploring w/ facilitated experiential activities. Annual tradition at the end of the school year. #ruraledchat
Thank you! I love that photo. The facilitator asked them to be inspired by a study in contrast. The two guys are the far left who look like they are fighting eachother did the same mask, but one in black & one in white. One kid made a mask out of the color wheel. #ruraledchat
This is awesome! It reminds me of a unique field experience our school does to bring 6th graders from two different schools together to get to know one another prior to moving up to 7th grade (and a new school building). #RuralEdChat
A4: I have a strong affinity for place-based experiences that connect kids to their community. Another field trip we do is 2 the HS Ag farm. The HSers host experiential activities for the littles. Sheep get shorn. Plants get planted. Milk gets churned. Good times. #ruraledchat
Late to the party, what a great topic! And when we are getting ready for end of the year trips! A#4 for kids to bond outside the school and try/ see new places/experiences #RuralEdChat
A4: I'm also super-sensitive to all the articles out & about (many inspired by Finland) of the value of play 4 kids & a worry that too much play might be squeezed out of our current ED structure. I think field trips put the play back in & maintain the structure too #ruraledchat
A4: Also, I recently took a class/read a book that really inspired/energized me. Rigorous PBL by @mmcdowell13 He talks about the gold standard version of project-based learning & growth mindsets. I think field trips are a natural fit for that ideological view. #ruraledchat
A4: I'm also super-sensitive to all the articles out & about (many inspired by Finland) of the value of play 4 kids & a worry that too much play might be squeezed out of our current ED structure. I think field trips put the play back in & maintain the structure too #ruraledchat
I know I am always sticking my foot in this...but I'd like a #ruraledchat on resources like books & trainings that rise above the usual required PD to actual excitement w/usable take-aways. Especially things useful in our rural niche.
Yeah, all three elems in our district go & it is supposed to help facilitate the transition to the MMS/MHS of which we have only one. Same kinda thing. #ruraledchat
This ties into #RuralEdChat Q5, but our district has done a nice job of protecting funds for these experiences after their value was shared and our school board educated on what experiential learning can do to cement understanding or open minds.
I agree, but I will add w/o shame that the local trips also have the benefit of saving transportation costs & headaches & the community members know the kids & are...maybe even more willing to muck in. There's a kind of break in it for me too. #ruraledchat#placebasedlearning
Like you, our 6th grade *merging* experience happens at a nearby experiential education venue so it's close enough to be affordable, but far enough away that the students stay overnight in cabins. #RuralEdChat
I don't have much more than anecdotal evidence, but I would say it contributes to the goal. We're a SMALL community. Two or three degrees of separation. #ruraledchat
Great point! We are lucky enough to have @PlymouthState about 30 minutes away and we have a number of field experiences there at several different grade levels. Great local connection!
#RuralEdChat
Learning how to run a Critical Skils Classroom and how to plan and implement effective problem-based challenges has been a game changer for me as a teacher. #RuralEdChat
In reply to
@SHuggins67, @edventures, @mmcdowell13, @AntiochNewEng, @CriticalSkills1
Both. I'm so perverse. Money has definitely tightened up. We're all getting a lot better about optimizing grants & other sources. Y'all know you can fund a field trip on @DonorsChoose , yeah? #ruraledchat
