Blake Lenoir wrote: How kids respond to your lessons day in and day out to grasp a sharp understanding of what the natural world's about? Is your community off grid? How would kids adjust to an off grid environment when things go down?
It is interesting doing land-based education nearly every day. Going out for a hike or snowshoe for a lesson is something that for most students would be a rare treat, but it quickly turns into "We're doing that AGAIN?" (especially when it's -20C and they think they're too cool to wear appropriate clothing). And there are still academic goals around writing etc that are tied into the land-based learning which can turn it into a bit of a grind. Trying to get them to reflect in their journals after or during a walk is often like pulling teeth except when I find a really engaging prompt.
As far as the students understanding what's going on outside, I just try to encourage being out there with senses open. Figuring out "what the natural world's about" is a lifelong process and being out on the land gets that started. There are some "a-ha" type moments and occasional unexpected insights but also plenty of blank stares when I ask questions trying to get them to extend or apply knowledge. Need to remind myself frequently that ecological literacy is a long-term process that doesn't always mesh well with the outcomes-based thinking most educators have been trained in. Some days can feel like nothing is really being accomplished but then a student will recall something from a previous lesson that I had written off as unproductive.
One big question that sort of gets at the root of your original post is: What is the best way to develop ecological literacy? How much to teach directly and how much to let them figure out using their own senses, knowledge, and thinking? There's a lot of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment and competence when they can figure things out themselves. But of course, when it comes to identifying edible and poisonous plants we don't have a margin for error so direct instruction is necessary. But maybe exploring which plants could be used for cordage there is room for open inquiry... as long as they can identify poison ivy.
This week we walked up a frozen creek and came upon an active beaver lodge. First instinct as a teacher was to point it out and explain what it is, but really the better way was to ask questions and think through it together so we can figure out if the lodge is active and how those beavers interact with the area we were in. And since I'm coming from a different cultural background than my students, a questioning approach also helps me slow down and not steamroller forward with a Western scientific explanation that might ignore traditional ecological knowledge.
We're not off-grid and not far from a mid-sized town. Rural but not remote. I'm not sure how they respond to power outages but I think generally the novelty of outages makes it kind of exciting. It's a jolt out of the usual and that makes it easier to forget about habits like electronics. I am thinking of restricting cell phone usage on future overnight camping trips because it was kind of sickening how much time they spent on phones last time. Exact opposite of having your senses open to the natural world.
