Term
Summer 2018
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAED: NSEE
Facilitator(s)
Susan Manikowski
Content Expert
Sarah Johnson and Michael Wilde
Abstract
The research question addressed in this project was the following: How can upper elementary educators in a rural school district utilize walking field trips and outdoor instruction to support achievement of state academic content areas and to integrate principles of environmental education? The project extends upper elementary school instructional settings to public lands, open spaces, parks, trails, river access points, and beyond in order to enhance the academic experience. It is informed by Sobel’s place-based education theory and Lieberman and Hoody’s proposal of using outdoor settings to connect multidisciplinary content areas. A walking field trip map was produced for a rural school district that charted local outdoor community resources within one mile of each school. Additionally, an instructional guide for how to replicate and utilize this strategy in other school districts was completed, detailing the benefits, selection of suitable routes, best practices, and logistical recommendations for before, during, and after the walking field trip. The author describes the advantages and limitations of this model and concludes that: 1) the use of walking field trips is a widely replicable technique that can be scaled and grown to fit other school districts and environmental settings; 2) the model provides potential advantages for students and teachers, including development of a sense of place, increase in environmental literacy, promotion of higher-test scores in state academic content areas, provision of real-world examples of curriculum themes, demonstration of healthy lifestyles, and heightened student engagement; 3) walking field trips complement local, statewide, and national efforts to connect youth to the outdoors and to provide meaningful environmental education opportunities.
Project Type
Map and Resource Guide
Keywords
Classroom Management, Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Teachers/ Teaching
Recommended Citation
Cochran, Anna, "Walking Field Trips: Mapping Outdoor Instruction Opportunities" (2018). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 194.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/194
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations