ExPERIENTIAL EDuCATION AND INquIRy LEARNING

irect and authentic experiences pro - The Wilderness Experience and Real Life mental Education, adventure therapy, 4 Serv - vide some of the best opportunities the Bible contains numerous examples of ice learning, and numerous other programs. for adolescents to learn and practice great leaders and prophets of god going these forms of education are generally based Dthe critical and reflective-thinking through wilderness experiences in preparation on philosophical foundations in which individ - skills that accompany inquiry learning. it has for their life’s work. For example, Moses and his uals construct new ideas and generate mean - been my experience while working with 13- to years caring for sheep, david and his experi - ing from the interaction between current and 15-year-olds that when they are taken out of ences as a shepherd, and John the Baptist and past experiences. 5 these approaches offer the confines of chairs, desks, and whiteboards his experiences in the desert immediately helpful insights into how we might best learn to places where they feel free to explore and come to mind. Jesus’ experiences also provide and then transfer these new understandings express their abilities and overcome their limi - examples, such as when he “was led by the into new and different contexts. tations, deep learning and understanding are Spirit into the desert” and he “went out to a the term “Experiential Education,” as likely to occur. 1 While these experiences may mountaintop to pray and spent the night pray - used in this article, is defined as direct and also be of relevance for other age groups, this ing to god.” 2 the writings of Ellen White also authentic experiences in learning environ - group is my area of expertise and research. mention our inherent need for time in the natu - ments outside the classroom. OE, as a sub - in this article, experience is conceptual - ral world. 3 and adventism has a rich tradition of category of EE, can thus be applied to direct ized as a continuum with vicarious experi - using experiences in nature for personal devel - and authentic experiences in natural environ - ences at one end and real-to-life (direct and opment, spiritual connection, and discovery as ments outside the classroom. authentic) experiences at the other. the typified by the worldwide Pathfinder program. the literature contains numerous examples metacognitive moments afforded by direct supporting the value of direct and authentic and authentic experiences provide the rich - The Need for Direct and Authentic experiences in changing people’s attitudes est opportunities for reflection and critique. Experiences about the natural world. For example, rodger Experiential Education (EE) is an over - Jones, in the Journal of adventist Education’s arching term that encompasses Outdoor Edu - special issue on Environmental awareness, cation (OE), Experiential learning, Environ -

BY TONY ROBINSON

34 The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2016 http://jae.adventist.org pointed out the value of environmental educa - spend time in direct and authentic experi - fosters deep engagement with their learning, tion for “changing people’s perceptions and ences in the natural environment. and providing experiences that enable stu - perspective by encouraging them to feel a dents to take on adult-like roles. 14 sense of dependence upon, and responsibility An Experiential Education (EE) the l4l program is organized with this for, nature.” 6 Jones believes that only as peo - Program in Practice framework in mind and includes three compo - ple experience natural environments will they the gilson College 10 learning 4 life (l4l) nents: expeditionary learning, urban learning, change their view of how to interact and care EE 11 program has been designed to minimize and service learning. a group of year 9 teachers for nature. it seems the farther we are re - the enervating effects of early adolescence cares for most of the curriculum and also coor - moved from the natural world, the less likely on academic learning. numerous teachers dinates, implements, and participates in each we will be to take responsibility for it. who work with young adolescents will attest aspect of the program. the planners structure in another example, richard louv de - that classroom-based learning is not high on the following components: scribes the need for young people to get into the agenda for many in this age group. in • an expeditionary component encour - the outdoors more often to alleviate “nature fact, one author was moved to write: ages self-confidence, environmental aware - deficit disorder.” 7 he sees a significant correla - “Many teachers believe they should re - ness, and spirituality. it comprises a day walk, tion between humanity’s growing detachment ceive hazardous duty pay for teaching ado - a five-day base camp experience with an from the natural world and the increasing inci - lescents. adolescence is for many—adoles - overnight backpacking walk, a four-day navi - dence of mental health and spiritual decline. cents, parents and teachers alike—a time of gation camp, and a seven-day expedition. Comments such as “time in nature is not turmoil, rapid growth, and learning, as well as • an urban component fosters group aware - leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our shifting emotions and searching for personal ness and dynamics within an inquiry-learning children’s health (and also, by the way, in our and social identities.” 12 context. it requires students to go on five-day own)” 8 highlight the value he places on direct authors such as Cole, Mahar, and Vin - trips to the Central Business district and authentic experiences in the natural durampulle 13 have detailed the significant (CBd), where groups gather data relating to a world. mental, emotional, and social changes 13- to self-determined inquiry-learning theme. in Scandinavian countries, there is a 15-year-olds undergo in the normal course of • a service component enables partici - name for this outdoor connection: friluftsliv .9 adolescence. in their second paper on this pants to see themselves as part of a commu - historically, this has referred to the deep- theme, they suggested possible ways to mini - nity that contributes to the greater good seated relationship between humans and the mize the effects of this turbulent time; for ex - through giving back to their neighbors. Stu - natural world. Without this bond, people feel ample: finding a location where students feel dents spend three service days in the local unfulfilled and broken. the only way to able to develop a sense of ownership, offering achieve a sensation of wholeness is to opportunities to build strong relationships with their teachers, creating a curriculum that

http://jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2016 35 area and attend an 11-day service camp in researchers have over it all. . . . i feel exhausted. . . . i want to Warrnambool near , , when give up. . . . at this point, there is nOthing they work with local councils and community found evidence of the teacher/guide could say to make me groups in various voluntary capacities. move . . . unless i hold the desire in myself to Wherever possible, within the general heightened keep going. it’s the same with my learning. it learning areas, units of work are integrated taught me a lot of intrinsic motivation and with the three program themes. Before the metacognitive reaching my own goals. i realised that i can commencement of each year, the whole pro - do anything if i put my mind to it . . . (be it gram is mapped out with multiple curriculum skills in students mountain climbing, or Chemistry, study—lol) . . . areas aligned to the applicable program com - it’s all a state of mind.” 23 ponent. 15 For example, while expeditionary who have partici - it is evident that this participant has ap - learning is taking place, the students work on plied to life and classroom learning lessons units relating to mountain landforms, map - learned in outdoor experiences. the thinking ping, and navigation in their geography pated in EE or OE about thinking reflected in this comment course. another example involves students, shows that, for this participant at least, time as a part of their history studies, in writing a programs. a case spent in authentic outdoor experiences in nat - creative essay imagining themselves living in ural environments can be life-changing and one of the areas they visit when it was at the study of the l4l lasting. the depth of insight displayed by this height of the bustling gold-mining boom of young person’s reflection on the OE experi - the 1860s. they research the cultural and ge - program provides ences demonstrates the value of such oppor - ographical nature of the area around that tunities for critical thinking. time as they identify primary and secondary proof that partici - additional respondent comments from data sources to include in their story. this study appear to support this conclusion: during the urban-learning component, stu - pation in authentic “going through this program, just in gen - dents focus on a group-determined inquiry, eral, has changed me on the inside to a cer - within an assigned broad area, such as trans - outdoor activities tain degree. it has taught me to be more port or iconic buildings. Working in self-selected grateful for the small things in life, to be more groups of four or five and before the first visit to in natural environ - humble, to receive things with gratitude, the the urban center, the group members determine importance of friends and family in your life, what data to collect, how to collect and obtain ments achieves but most of all, how much we need and how the information, how the data assist in answer - important god is in our lives.” 24 ing their inquiry, and how their findings will be this goal. l4l, like similar experiential programs, pro - presented. When a learning engagement frame - vides opportunities for participants to develop work is used, students gain the benefits of their thinking processes and encourages experiential learning and also learn to apply metacognition. 25 More recently, participants in principles of Self-determination theory 16 : com - the l4l program have been asked to complete petence, relationships, and autonomy. 17 implement their changed understanding in questionnaires that encourage them to reflect a detailed description of the l4l program other contexts. this method has been widely and comment on their experiences. One ques - is provided in Experiential Education and praised in many EE and OE contexts over the tion asks students to rate how much partici - learning Engagement for year 9 Students: a past two or three decades. pation in the program has helped their think - Case Study ,18 available free online. the growing body of literature in this area ing skills and processes. Of the responses provides evidence that direct and authentic ex - collected, 164 respondents overwhelmingly re - Research periences enable positive personal and spiri - ported that participation had improved their kolb 19 and colleagues’ work on Experien - tual development, and enhance environmental thinking processes. nine respondents re - tial learning, while contested by some au - awareness. 21 researchers have found evidence ported excellent improvement in their thinking thors, 20 provides a useful model for practi - of heightened metacognitive skills in students processes, 66 reported very good change, 82 tioners to help change student attitude and who have participated in EE or OE programs. a reported some improvement, six reported little behavior. as an activity or experience draws case study of the l4l program 22 provides proof change, and one reported no improvement. 26 to a close, or if there has been a significant that participation in authentic outdoor activi - there is little doubt that student partici - incident, participants are given an opportu - ties in natural environments achieves this goal. pation in programs that offer direct and au - nity to reflect on and write about what they as one respondent commented: thentic experiences with an inquiry learning have learned from the experience(s). they are “it helped me realise that my learning is focus has the capacity to improve their criti - then asked to look for ways to transfer and up to ME, and no one else. . . . Say i was cal-thinking skills. climbing a mountain, for example, in the Walls of Jerusalem, . let’s say i’m

36 The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2016 http://jae.adventist.org U s e

d feel whole because we cannot control it and

w i t h

p feel insecure while immersed in an outdoor e r m i s setting. there is little wonder then, that many s i o n . educators are reluctant to embrace the notion of direct and authentic experiences with the natural world. the reasons are complex and profound, and only briefly alluded to here, but a growing body of literature in the public do - main explores the value of direct and authen - tic experiences to ensure that learning is both emancipatory and lasting. the research shows the value of encouraging educators to engage their students in as many direct and authentic experiences as possible. Planned learning ex - periences in natural environments provide op - portunities for students to strengthen the nat - ural connection to the outdoors, feel confident in natural surroundings, and develop a healthy Figure 1. “TV Sunrise” by Michael Leunig. relationship with nature.

Conclusion Cultivating a Healthy Relationship vision watching a sunrise (see Figure 1). to the this article has presented the case for the With Nature side, there is a window through which one can importance of providing direct and authentic While there is substantial evidence to see the very same event occurring! this simple experiences outside of the classroom for ado - support the effectiveness of OE and EE pro - image makes an insightful statement about the lescent students in adventist schools. re - grams in transforming the ways students en - way we have come to view the world in which search and experience with this age group gage with the outdoors, there is a related we live. We have allowed our technology to so show that such opportunities afford students concern that deserves consideration: that detach us from the reality of the natural world rich learning experiences with lifelong impact, people may regard the natural world as that we have come to believe the illusion. Our as well as improved engagement and meta- somewhere to escape to and/or return from. experience of the sights, smells, sounds, and cognitive learning outcomes, when offered in this thinking, our direct and authentic ex - sensations “out there” are mediated and inter - with an inquiry learning context. While there periences in the natural world are detached preted through our technology, and the view are obvious economic and time-related costs from the reality of our lives. the natural envi - that we can experience the world in a vicarious involved in the development and implementa - ronment is but another location we visit to manner, and be convinced we have a healthy tion of such programs, the personal develop - “mine” its resources for our personal benefit. relationship with it, is deeply disturbing. this ment, learning improvement, and teacher-stu - in this view, the natural environment is a convinces us that we are in control of our lives dent relationship benefits will far outweigh place where one escapes from the compet - and our destiny, and may make us suspicious or other considerations. i ing demands of “real life.” then, after a period afraid of the natural world. of time, participants return to the place this view runs very deep in the human where they ordinarily live their lives—wher - psyche. For thousands of years, we have been This article has been peer reviewed. ever they call home. in “real life,” people are taught to equate this artificial way of life to surrounded by things that have been de - progress and improvement. Jack hobbs, 28 in a signed and created to separate and protect discourse on the history of Western art, refers Tony Robinson, Ed.D., them from the reality of the natural world: to this change in how humans related to the is the year 9 learning houses to keep them dry and warm; motor world around them: “hand in hand with sci - 4 life Coordinator at vehicles to transport them to destinations in ence and the art of appearances came an at - gilson College in tay - detachment and comfort; televisions and titude of detachment from nature, signifying lors hill, Victoria, aus - computers to enable them to connect and that the greeks and romans were no longer tralia. he completed communicate without leaving the security of participants in but witnesses to the drama.” 29 his doctorate at la - their home or office. Consequently, we have come to view the trobe university in the illusion of what it might mean to live world “out there” as a scary place against Melbourne, Victoria, where he pursued stud - one’s life in this way is well captured in the which we need protection. We reject the natu - ies in outdoor and experiential education. his whimsical, yet profound, image by australian ral connection that we all require in order to research interests include the relationship be - cartoonist Michael leunig, 27 in which he de - tween experiential education programs and picts a father and son sitting in front of a tele - student engagement in learning.

http://jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2016 37 NOTES AND REFERENCES t ion.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/publ/research/ librarian. net/navon/page.jsp?paperid=18773578; 1. tony robinson, Experiential Education and publ/understandingyear9_Parta-rpt.pdf. John hattie, et al., “adventure Education and Out - learning Engagement for year 9 Students: a Case 14. ibid. ward Bound: Out-of-class Experiences that Make a Study (2013). this research focused on the learning 4 15. robinson, Experiential Education and learn - lasting difference,” review of Educational re - life (l4l) program offered at gilson College in Mel - ing Engagement for year 9 Students: a Case Study, search 67:1 (Spring 2007): 43- 87: http:// rer. sage bourne, australia, and is available free at http:// op. cit., page 174, includes a copy of the 2009 pub. com/content/67/1/43. abstract; tony hewison www.tonyrobinson.name/PdFFiles/ExperientialEdu scope and sequence for the l4l program. and Peter Martin, “are there unique Student Out - cation&learningEngagementforyear9Students. pdf. 16. Edward l. deci, et al., “Motivation and Edu - comes From Outdoor Education?” Outdoor Outlook all Websites in the endnotes were accessed novem - cation: the Self-determination Perspective,” Edu - 6:1 (February 2010): 2-8: http://cdn.oeg.org.au/wp- ber 30, 2015. cational Psychologist 26:3-4 (1991):325-346: content/uploads/ 2014/07/2010-Outdoor-Out 2. Matthew 4:1; luke 6:12 niV. Scripture quota - http://selfdeterminationtheory.org/Sdt/docu look.pdf; andy Martin and Jenny Fleming, “Coopera - tions credited to niV are from the holy Bible, new ments/1991_deciVallerandPelletierryan_EP.pdf. tive Education in Outdoor Education,” australian international Version . Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 17. david low and tony robinson, “a Motivation Journal of Outdoor Education 14:1 (2010):41-48; 2011 by Biblica, inc. used by permission. all rights re - Scaffold to improve the learning Engagement of James t. neill, Enhancing life Effectiveness: the served worldwide. Students,” tEaCh Journal of Christian Education 9:1 impacts of Outdoor Education Programs. Ph.d. dis - 3. Ellen g. White wrote in testimonies for the (2015):30-38, http://research. avondale. edu. au/ sertation, university of Western Sydney, australia, Church , volume 7: “nature is god’s physician. the t each/vol9/iss1/7. 2008: http://wilderdom.com/phd2/ neill2008 pure air, the glad sunshine, the beautiful flowers and 18. robinson, Experiential Education and learn - Enhancing lifeEffectivenesstheimpactsOfOutdoor trees, the orchards and vineyards, and outdoor exer - ing Engagement for year 9 Students: a Case Study , EducationPrograms.pdf. cise amid these surroundings, are health-giving—the op. cit. 22. robinson, Experiential Education and elixir of life. Outdoor life is the only medicine that 19. david a. kolb, Experiential learning: Experi - learning Engagement for year 9 Students: a Case many invalids need. its influence is powerful to heal ence as the Source of learning and development Study , op. cit. sickness caused by fashionable life, a life that (upper Saddle river, n.J.: Prentice hall, inc., 1984). 23. ibid., p. 154. weakens and destroys the physical, mental, and 20. tara J. Fenwick, learning through Experi - 24. ibid., p. 156. spiritual powers” (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific ence: troubling Orthodoxies and intersecting ques - 25. ibid., p. 158. Press Publ. assn., 1948), pages 76 and 78. tions (Malabar, Fla.: krieger Publ. Co., 2003). a defin - 26. “gilson College year 9 learning 4 life Pro - 4. adventure therapy uses indoor and outdoor itive critique of experiential learning. gram” (2014). unpublished documentation. games, activities, or challenges in rural (wilder - 21. S. allen-Craig and J. Miller, “an Evaluation of 27. Michael leunig, “tV Sunrise.” image cour - ness) and urban environments to promote cogni - a Cross Section of australian Schools Outdoor Edu - tesy of Michael leunig. used with permission. tive, behavioral, physical, and spiritual growth, cation Program Outcomes.” Paper presented at the 28. Jack hobbs, art in Context (new york: har - rather than for recreation alone. Participants build 15th national Outdoor Education Conference, court Brace Jovanovich, 1975). interpersonal skills, strengthen leadership skills, Ballerat, Victoria, australia, 2007: http://www. 29. ibid., p. 127. and learn to set goals and make decisions (associ - ation for Experiential Education, “definition of adventure therapy,” http://www. aee. org/tapg- best-p-defining-adv-therapy). 5. teachnology: the Online teacher resource, “Constructivism learning theory”: http://www. t eachnology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/. 6. rodger Jones, “how Can We teach Princi - ples and Practices of Environmental Care?” the Journal of adventist Education 76:1 (October/ november 2013):10-16. 7. richard louv, last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From nature-deficit disorder (Chapel hill, n.C.: algonquin Books of Chapel hill, 2005). 8. ibid., p. 120. 9. hans gelter, Friluftsliv: the Scandinavian Philosophy of Outdoor life (lulea, Sweden: lulea university of technology, 2000). 10. gilson College is a Seventh-day adventist through grade 12 school with 900- plus students, situated in the western suburbs of Melbourne, australia. 11. robinson, Experiential Education and learn - ing Engagement for year 9 Students: a Case Study, op. cit. 12. david h. reilly, “Foreword,” in glenda Beaman Crawford, differentiation for the adolescent learner: accommodating Brain development, language, lit - eracy, and Special needs (thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2008), p. vi. 13. Peter Cole, Sandra Mahar, and Oanh Vin - durampulle, “understanding year 9 Students: a the - oretical Perspective” (2006): http://www.educa

38 The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2016 http://jae.adventist.org