Author

Mason Keel

Term

Summer 2021

Capstone

Capstone Project

Degree Name

MAED: NSEE

Facilitator(s)

Jana Lo Bello Miller

Content Expert

Erinn Kronebusch

Abstract

of connecting individuals with nature: what does it mean for students to actually connect with nature? Many organizations strive to connect their users with nature using “fast pedagogy” that usually takes the form of adventurous outdoor activities, such as canoeing, rock climbing, and going through high ropes courses. However, these activities allow little time for users to dwell in their natural surroundings, preventing them from learning via “slow pedagogy,” which involves making novel observations about nature and connecting to their surroundings through these observations. The same issue rings true for residential environmental learning centers that host grade school students for short-term trips. A corresponding issue on these trips is students having to adjust to the new environment they find themselves in, especially students from underserved/marginalized populations, resulting in less efficient learning. This project set out to quell these two issues through the creation of a rewilding class curriculum. The curriculum consists of various activities that allow students to create a positive sense of place in their new surroundings, connect with each other through group activities and connect with themselves and nature through the utilization of creative thinking and sensory experiences to help students observe nature in a novel fashion. Although the class was created for 4th-8th students learning at informal environmental learning centers, it can be adapted to fit various settings and student needs.

Project Type

Curriculum

Keywords

Curriculum, Environmental Education, Place-Based Education

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

Included in

Education Commons

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