Looking back now on my very first reflection, I can’t help but notice how my perspective has been broadened of what outdoor education is.  I started out with just this one thought of this outdoor education course as a tool for me to develop the ability to teach students value, of how to take better care of our environment sustainability and responsibility.  What I got out of this course now that were nearing the end is so much more than what I expected it to be. 

 

        One of my biggest AHA moment in this class is how the challenge that students have when it comes to math is all because they are only taught or show a single story of what math is.  I remember watching a Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled The Danger of a Single Story.  In this Ted Talk the speaker gives the audience insight on the idea that a single story can have such a huge impact on the way we perceive things.  In addition, this single story can change the way we approach things, can create falls images and thoughts in our heads because we don’t have the whole picture.  In a way, a single story can prevent us from being open minded and instead we start to assume and judge people, situations, and in this case a subject.  Therefore, we need to be able to provide students with another story when it comes to math which leads to my next AHA moment.  Outdoor education can create that path and connection so that students can develop more than a single story.  Students can learn that math is not just numbers and word problems that one finds in a textbook.  Math is nature, the natural processes of branching in trees, the formation of patterns in weaving, it’s in the steps we take, the path we choose to get from one point to another.  In addition, environmental and outdoor education is a strategy for us to implement the theories we have learned in class such as placed-based education, problem-based education, experiential learning etc.  Outdoor and environmental education has the ability to seamlessly tie in learning both the content and the core competencies together.  It forces students to look beyond what they see and really observe the natural phenomenon that happens all around us every day that they may not have noticed before.  It not only teaches students about math, science, arts, etc. but it can also help students discover about themselves provides the opportunity to develop social responsibility beyond the four walls that a classroom can offer. During the weaving activity, I experienced that flow where I was had pure enjoyment in doing the activity, not caring about time simply being in the moment of doing the activity.  Even after I finished the task, I started to brainstorm on how I can further develop my design.  Therefore, started to fold the excess paper to the other side.  If the paper was long enough I know that I could’ve created a mini pouch.  This is what I want students to experience when learning math. I want them to build self-determination and intrinsic motivation in the activities we do.  In addition, I want them to construct their own knowledge, make their own creation with the tools and framework that is provided to them, essentially “create their own mini pouch”.  This is the power of outdoor and environmental education.  Lastly, an AHA moment I had in this class was that learning in experiential learning will not occur without thoughtful reflection.  Although we all secretly dislike reflections, it is essential for learning and constructing knowledge.  It is through reflections that we can then start to connect other experiences thoughts and ideas instead of simply just going through the motion.

 

        Sometimes I still feel overwhelmed on the amount of autonomy that the new BC curriculum puts on the teachers. and how to possibly apply all the theories that promotes student centered and driven learning while juggling the responsibility to make sure that students are obtaining conceptual understanding in the curricular content.  However, at the end the most important question we need to ask ourselves is what is your intention?  When we understand what our outcomes or intentions are is then when we can begin to implement strategies and become a maker in curriculum in a meaningful way that connects to our own individual teacher identity and implement activities that aligns with the learning goals and competencies. 

 

Resources

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (2016). The Danger of a Single Story.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQR8x3CCo0A