Definitions

I'm working on compiling definitions of all key terms that I will be using in my research:
environmental education
environmental literacy
experiential education
experiential environmental education

I will probably be changing these definitions ever so slightly as I analyze my data, but here is what I'm using so far along with their references.


Environmental Education
A method for increasing environmental literacy through learner-centered, hands-on experiences that challenge students’ analytical and problem solving skills concerning natural systems and humans’ role in those systems. It incorporates multiple disciplines (math, science, history, economics, political science, English, sociology, etc) along with feelings, attitudes, and perceptions in order to develop responsible citizens and environmental stewards (derived from the North American Association for Environmental Education 2004).


Environmental Literacy
The capacity of an individual to incorporate a broad understanding of how people and societies relate to each other and to natural systems in their daily lives. This requires sufficient awareness, knowledge, skills and attitude, along with the ability to incorporate appropriate environmental considerations into peoples’ lifestyle, career, and community (derived from Elder 2003).


Experiential Education
A philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify values (Association of Experiential Education).


Experiential Environmental Education
Environmental education that is purposefully conducted in an outdoor environment (whether natural or man-made) in which students actively participate in a process of exploration and discover of environmental topics, processes, and issues. (This is a working definition that I derived from a qualitative study that I am currently working on. It may change as I analyze further data, but the major constructs are active participation, exploration and discovery, and outdoor environment.)


References:

Association for Experiential Education (AEE). Retrieved March 20, 2010 from: http://www.aee.org/.

Elder, James L. (2003). A field guide to environmental literacy: making strategic investments in environmental education. Environmental Education Coalition and North American Association of Environmental Education: Rock Spring, GA.

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). (2004). Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence. Retrieved March 20, 2010 from: http://naaee.org/npeee/materials_guidelines/guidelines.pdf

Experiential Learning Theory - David Kolb 1984

mark tozer's blog: Experiential Learning

I was planning on doing a short blog explaining Kolb's experiential learning theory however Mark already has a good explanation and there is no reason for me to reinvent the wheel. The model is widely used in outdoor education.

Initially, I was planning on using this model for my dissertation, but recently I found some information that supposedly invalidates Kolb's theory. Instead, I'll probably be using John Dewey's theory because it is more general and because it has the democratic undertones which I believe are important to increasing environmental literacy. That will come soon.

Here is the link to a rebutle of Kolb's theory. Interestingly enough, David Kolb was actually a part of the author's doctoral committee. Makes you wonder how that relationship turned out - ha!

http://www.cc.ysu.edu/~mnwebb/critique.htm

The Adventure Wave - Schoel, Prouty, Radcliffe 1988

The Adventure Wave


Schoel, Prouty, Radcliffe 1988

The Adventure Wave model of experiential learning is comprised of five elements: bedrock, sequencing, briefing, leading, and debriefing. These elements, when thoughtfully put together, create a powerful activity for the learner using a series of peaks and valleys (Schoel, Prouty, & Radcliffe 1988). The five elements are described below.

Schoel et al. (1998) describes bedrock as the foundation of adventure based counseling. The bedrock of a positive and effective learning experience includes specifically defined terms and goals, the development of a proposal and implementation plan, proper leadership and training, adequate resources, initial diagnostic procedures, and proper formation of participant groups. These topics create a solid foundation for developing an experiential curriculum or sequencing play.

After establishing the program’s bedrock, sequencing is used to appropriately order each activity according to the needs of the participants. This is accomplished by, first, using lead-up activities which physically and emotionally prepare the participants for the difficult activity that they will experience. The next part of sequencing is to develop a well thought out plan which properly orders each briefing, activity, and debriefing. Finally, each sequencing plan needs to be flexible due to the nature of adventure based counseling and the fact that each group will have different needs (Schoel et al. 1988).

Once the sequencing play is established, it is important to determine how to brief the participants. Briefing is described as a discussion period in which the group is informed of the rules and the goals of the activity. The topics that are discussed during the briefing directly relate to the upcoming activity (Schoel et al. 1988).

After properly briefing, a group of participants is lead through an activity. During this phase of the Adventure Wave, participants will have a wide spectrum of reactions. They may relax, learn to trust, try new things, and even grow, or, they may rebel against the activity and even the leader. Each activity requires a leader who has an effective leadership style so they can counsel the participants using the appropriate method at the appropriate time (Schoel et al. 1988).

Following the activity, the group moves into a time of reflection known as debriefing. This phase of the wave is typically the hardest for leaders to execute. It involves discussing and dealing with apparent or difficult issues that may have been manifested during the activity. The debriefing session is what makes the activity a meaningful experience for the group (Schoel et al. 1988).




Schoel, J. Prouty, D., & Radcliffe, P. (1988). Islands of healing: A guide to adventure based
counselling. Hamilton, Massachusetts: Project Adventure, Inc.

The Outward Bound Educational Process Model - Walsh and Gollins 1976

The Outward Bound Educational Process Model


Walsh and Gollins 1976

In order for the model to be effective, the tasks need to be introduced incrementally and need to have real consequences. Each problem solving task should be holistic and involve a combination of each individual’s mental, emotional, and physical resources. The conflicts created by the tasks are then reflected on by the student which transfers to the present learning experience to future experiences.



Martin, A., Franc, D., & Zounkova, D. Outdoor and Experiential Learning: An Holistic and Creative Approach to Programme Design. P13

The Active Learning Cycle - Sakofs & Armstrong 1996

The Active Learning Cycle


Sakofs and Armstrong 1996

Although not explicitly stated in the model, Sakof & Armstrong (1996) suggested that the educational process has the following components: the teacher, the experience, immediate applications of knowledge, time for solitude and reflection, adventure, physical fitness, metaphorical significance and teamwork.

"The potency of this general sequence of an experiential lesson in strengthened when the experiences are such that: the task is relevant, thus there must be a meaningful purpose behind the activity, as in real-world applications 2) the task has clear short and long term outcomes known and understood by the learner. 3) multiple routes to meaningful outcomes are available. 4) the learner is empowered to construct emotional and intellectual meanings. 5) leanings build upon learnings."



Sakofs, M., & Armstrong, G.P. (1996). Into the classroom: Outward Bound resources for teachers. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.

Model for Promoting Learning from Experience - Boud, Cohen, & Walker 1993

Model for Promoting Learning from Experience


Boud, Cohen, Walker 1993

The intended outcome for this model is that the learner will be gain new perspectives from the experience and possibly change their behavior. There are three stages to the model which occur before, during, and after the experience. During the experience it is important to notice, intervene and have a personal foundation of experience. Following the experience the student focuses on feelings and emotions that can enhance further learning.


Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Walker, D. (Eds.). (1993). Using experience for learning. Buckingham: Open
University Press.

The most "experiential" based environmental majors at Texas Tech Univeristy

I just finished doing a review of academic majors at Texas Tech University to determine which undergraduate programs incorporated environmental education and how many of those programs involved outdoor, field-based, learning. The results were not that surprising, considering that majors involving biology and natural resources were in the top 5. However, one surprising result was a humanities program that incorporates the arts with science and the outdoors.  When I standardized the number of courses by converting them into percents, the humanities program actually had more field-based courses than did any of the other environmentally related majors.

If you're curious about these majors, their websites are below.

Tables. Comparison of environmental/experiential courses within TTU majors based on the departments’ course catalogue descriptions. The pie charts are based on the percentage of courses representing each of the following components:.
1= dark blue = courses with no environmental or experiential component
2 = red = course teaches some kind of environmental topic as a part of the curriculum
3 = green = course with experiential component (lab, internship, service learning, it does not have to teach about the environment or have an outdoor component)
4 = purple = course incorporates environmental knowledge and an experiential component (but it does not have to be outdoors)
5 = light blue = course involves environmental knowledge and an outdoor field component



Natural History and Humanities
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/honors/nhh/

Biology
http://www.biol.ttu.edu/default.aspx

Natural Resource Management
http://www.rw.ttu.edu/ttunrm/

Geology
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gesc/

Plant and Soil Science
http://www.pssc.ttu.edu/

Environmental Education Lesson Plans

While doing a search for environmental education programs in Texas, I found a couple of websites with great resources on various environmental issues. As educators, it's important for us to have a variety of tools for teaching different topics. Hopefully, this will give you guys some new tools and insights for teaching environmental education!


The EPA is a great source for lesson plans on environmental topics:
http://www.epa.gov/Education/resources.html
EPA's High School Environmental Center:
http://www.epa.gov/highschool/


Environmental Science Institute (University of Texas at Austin)
Here is an assortment of lesson plans that you can search by grade or subject:
http://www.esi.utexas.edu/gk12/lessons.php


Energy Education Curriculum Program (State Energy Conservation Office of Texas)
Here are some lesson plans associated with energy
http://www.energyeducation.tx.gov/teacher_resources/lessons.html
Here are the corresponding activities
http://www.energyeducation.tx.gov/teacher_resources/investigations_activities.html
Other energy education links:
http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/schools/sch-gov_ed-links.php
A sum-up of energy sources:
http://seco.cpa.state.tx.us/energy-sources/


Earth Force After School
EFAS is an innovative, new program that enables young people to identify a local environmental problem and then enact a lasting solution to that problem. The program uses the award-winning Earth Force community action and problem-solving process to create an interactive, after-school experience for youth.
http://www.earthforce.org/section/programs/afterschool


The Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies.
A variety of teaching materials developed by Cary Institute educators, including urban ecology and schoolyard investigations for K-12.
http://www.ecostudies.org/ed_curricula.html





Aqua Venturer
This program tells the story of water, its treatment and use throughout history (40,000 BCE - 2080 CE), and its importance to life on Earth.
http://www.wef.org/PublicInformation/page.aspx?id=141&ekmensel=c57dfa7b_54_0_141_1



I'll add more links as I come across them :)

Correlational Model for Risk and Competence in Adventure/Outdoor Education

 Below are 2 resources for a correlational model that depicts the effect of potential risk based on an individual's skill level. I have seen quite a few different variations of this diagram; however, this is the only one I can find at the moment. It should provide a good starting point for those of you who are interested in this area.

 

Mountain Madness: Guided mountaineering in New Zealand's Southern Alps

Anna Carr
First published February 2002

Reference



Also, there is another article that uses the same correlational diagram:

McIntyre, Norman. (1999). Investigating adventure experiences: an experiential sampling approach. Scisco Conscientia. 1(1): 1-13.

National (United States) Guidelines for Environmental Education

Well, as it turns out, I'm not very good at blogging, although I probably could have made that assessment a little earlier - ha! I was hoping that as I rummaged through research for my dissertation, that I would have plenty to blog about; however, it soon become one more thing on my to-do list.

So, in an attempt to reclaim my initial motives for this page, I'm posting the webpages for national environmental education guidelines. These guidelines are established by the North American Association for EE and not by the government; therefore, they are simpy suggestions. However, because they are not influenced by the government, the people writing these guidelines are actual educators and scientists, not politicians (who are responsible for writing the laws that govern our youth's education and who have a tendency to focus more on party agenda rather than good education). Since these recommendations were written by educators, they would be an excellend tool for teachers worldwide.


NAAEE Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence

The "Guidelines for Excellence" document lists a set of recommendations for developing and selecting environmental education materials. These guidelines aim to help developers of activity guides, lesson plans, and other instructional materials produce high quality products and to provide educators with a tool to evaluate the wide array of available environmental education materials. These guidelines involve 6 characteristics: 1)fairness and accuracy; 2) depth; 3) emphasis on skill building; 4) action orientation; 5) instructional soundness; and 6) usability.

(http://naaee.org/npeee/materials_guidelines/guidelines.pdf)


NAAEE Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators

The "Guidelines for Teachers" document lists recommnedations concerning the basic knowledge and abilities that educators need in order to provide high-quality environmental education. These guidelines cover 6 characteristics: 1) environmental literacy; 2) foundations of environmental education; 3) professional responsibilities of the environmental educator; 4) planning and implementing environmental education; 5) fostering learning; and 6) assessment and evaluation.

(http://www.naaee.org/programs-and-initiatives/guidelines-for-excellence/materials-guidelines/educator-preparation)

The 5 Stage Model - Joplin 1981

The Five-Stage Model

Laura Joplin 1981

This model was developed by Joplin to assist teachers in developing their courses by emphasizing the experiential component of learning. It was designed according to the premise that all learning is experiential and each component of the model is, in one way or another, incorporated into the learning process of all students. It consists of a five stage, hurricane-like cycle in which completion of the final stage connects to the first stage of the next cycle. The five stages of this model include: focus, action, support, feedback, and debrief (Joplin 1995).

The first stage of the model, focus, presents the material to be learned and the challenge that will be encountered. The focus can be direct by giving a short presentation or by giving the students an article to read in order to prepare them for the activity to follow. The focus can also be indirect. This might include the teacher allowing the students to see the equipment that they will be using for the activity, such as laying out helmets, headlamps, and jumpsuits that will be used while caving (Joplin 1995).

Action, the second stage of the model, is depicted as a hurricane to represent challenge and struggle. During this stage, the student is placed in a stressful situation in which they have great responsibility, but also, the freedom to fail. The student is unable to avoid the problem at hand and can either be familiar or unfamiliar with the skills or knowledge needed to solve the problem. This could include giving the student a book to read and making them responsible for understanding its contents, or it could include sending them down a class 2 rapid in a whitewater canoe. Both situations require individual responsibility and action (Joplin 1995).

The third stage involves supporting the student in order to stimulate their challenging experience. It allows them to realize that they are safe and that help is available if they need it. Support can be provided through written, verbal, or physical mediums (Joplin 1995).

Feedback, the fourth stage of the model, provides the student with information about their action. It is more likely to be accepted if the student and teacher share an equal amount of power in the learning process. Also, if the feedback is specific then the student has an increased chance of understanding the importance of their experience (Joplin 1995).

The final stage involves debriefing the student publicly according to their specific action. During this stage, the learning objective is recognized, outwardly expressed, and assessed. The teacher is responsible for ensuring that the experience does not go unrealized by the student which can be accomplished by projects, group discussions, writing essays, or doing a presentation (Joplin 1995).

Joplin’s Five-Stage Model of Experiential Education gives teachers a simple yet descriptive model to use when designing learning experiences for their students. It allows them to assemble the student’s knowledge on a particular subject by creating a foundation of knowledge, then building on that foundation by continuing the cycle. By constructing thoughtful experiences and implementing them using this model, the teacher allows the student to have a deeper connection with the information being learned.



Joplin, L. (1995). On defining experiential education. In Warren, K., Sakofs, M., & Hunt, J.S. Jr. (Eds.), The Theory of Experiential Education (pp.15-22). Boulder, CO: Association for Experiential Education.

Exp Learning and the Judgement Paradigm - Priest & Gass 1997

Experiential Learning and Judgment Paradigm

Priest and Gass 1997

    This model is adapted from Priest (1990) and was inspired by Dewey’s belief that judgment plays an essential role in experiential learning (Priest & Gass 1997). It begins with describing multiple types of experiences that can be stored in the student’s memory. Next, the specific experience is recognized and categorized in the brain as a general concept. When faced with a problem the brain retrieves the memory of the general concept and applies it to that specific event. The student then makes a judgment concerning the problem at hand. Finally, the judgment is evaluated and used as a reference for future experiences. Due to the cycle, learning occurs over periods of time in which experiences and reflections are repeated (Priest & Gass 1997).


Priest, S. (1990). Everything you always wanted to know about judgment, but were afraid to ask. The Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership, 7(3), 5-12.


Priest, S., Gass, M.A. (1997). Effective leadership in adventure programming. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Diamond Model of the Philosophy of Exp Ed - Itin 1999

I'm going to be posting some models of both experiential education and environmental education in hopes of indentifying overlaps and possibly even combining models so that one could see the process of experiential environmental education.  If you know of any models that you think would be helpful, please let me know!

Diamond Model of the Philosophy of Experiential Education

Christian M. Itin 1999

        Itin’s philosophy of experiential education stems from the writings and beliefs of three significant figures in education: John Dewey, Kurt Hahn, and Paulo Freire. John Dewey addressed the importance of associating experience with reflection and therefore understanding with action. He also expressed that education is a critical part in preparing individuals to participate in a democratic society. Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound, was concerned with using education and experience to develop citizens that had the capability to better serve their communities. Paulo Freire, a radical Brazilian educator, believed in educating people on the premise of awakening their consciousness concerning political issues. All three of these educational figures were concerned with raising student self efficacy in order to increase political awareness (Itin 1999).

          Itin draws on these figure’s philosophies, James Davis’ framework of teaching, and the Association of Experiential Education’s Principles of Experiential Education in order to develop a definition and model of experiential education. Itin’s model has four main components: student, teacher, subject, and environment. The model implies that the relationships between these components are interactive and transactive, meaning that the components interact as well as exchange knowledge. The teaching process is not determined by a specific approach which allows for flexibility when working with different environments and subject matter. The model also presents a concrete experience which is shared by both the teacher and student. This indicates that they share a common experience in which they can learn from each other (Itin 1999).

Itin, C.M. (1999). Reasserting the philosophy of experiential education as a vehicle for change in the 21st century. Journal of Experiential Education, 22(2), 91-98.