Fifth and Sixth Graders Experience and Education
Last week, our fifth and sixth graders traveled to the Ashokan Center in the Catskills for three days of outdoor and experiential education.
These are certainly core values that are well aligned with the LREI mission. Since the school’s inception, the notion of having students engage in direct experiences (i.e., going to the woods as opposed to simply staying in the classroom and learning about the woods) has been seen as a crucial pathway for developing student knowledge and skills. In this work we are guided by the assumption that our educational goals can be effectively met by allowing the nature of the learner’s educational experience to influence the educational process. At the same time, we are well aware that experiences alone are not in and of themselves inherently good for learning. The progressive educator therefore seeks to arrange particular sets of experiences, which are conducive towards particular educational goals. For the Ashokan trip, there are a number of underlying goals:
- To build community between the fifth and sixth grade classes
- To help students to better understand the impact that humans have on the natural world and the responsibilities that come with this interaction
- To learn skills to allow one to move with minimal impact through the natural world
- To gain insight into the value of labor and work that is often hidden or held at arms length in our consumer driven society
With these principals in mind, fifth and sixth graders:
- participated in a series of adventure-based activities in which group participants get to know one another better and learn how to work through difficult adventure-based challenges. The activities required problem-solving skills, determination and cooperation. They challenged students mentally, physically and socially, and required total cooperation and participation.
- took a night walk through the woods and a participated in a community-drumming workshop.
- experienced the “Age of Homespun” at the Ashokan pioneer homestead. They hiked out to visit the log house and joined the daily life of the Homesteader. Activities included cooking, spinning, shingle splitting, woodcutting, and games of the era.
- experienced blacksmithing, broommaking and tinsmithing. These activities put an emphasis on the apprentice system. The concept of community, roles people had within the community, how these roles have changed, and how the Industrial Revolution changed our lives were explored.
- participated in an “Orienteering and Survival Afternoon.” In teh woods, they learned the basics of Wilderness Preparedness, Fire Building, Shelter, First Aid, and Wild Edibles. Through games and practice, students also learned to use topographic maps and compasses to find their way. This may included a hike through the forest, use of the Ashokan compass course, “bushwhacking” to find a location on a map, and games on the field. Plant and animal communities, which make up each forest type, were also examined through observation and first-hand experience.
- participated in the “New Games Festival: These were fun, challenging activities which gave the students experiences that developed a sense of trust and cooperation among the group. These games were designed to de-emphasize competition, encourage creative play, spontaneity, participation and use of the imagination.
- participated in the “Ashokan Scavenger Hunt.” In this activity, students put all of their Ashokan skills to work. They used orienteering skills, their knowledge of survival skills and an appreciation of the environment to navigate their way through the hunt.
All in all, a mission worthy endeavor!
Click here to view the photo gallery for the trip.