Taking place based learning to a new level and developing inquiry approach to learning.
I was never interested in volcanos. In fact, the thought of being near one scared me since I was a child. To actually be on one, “no thank you!” Yet, life has a way of offering you bounty you didn’t realize you would love, such as the case with volcanos.
Visiting an elderly aunt, my family traveled to the Big Island, or ‘the rock,’ as it’s called by its inhabitants. If you haven’t been to the Big Island, let me tell you it is captivating, especially if you are looking at it with an educational lens. The Big Island has on the island itself 8 of the world’s 13 climate sub zones. We saw active flowing lava (before its eruption) from the Kilauea volcano, and walked the Thurston Lava tube. We dodged steam vents as we hiked through the rainforest. We parked in the mountainous alpine to see the unfettered view of the stars.
I had once not had a desire to visit Hawaii. I wanted to travel to places where I could learn about new cultures, and learn new things about the human race in general. That, I thought, was the point of travelling. However, the trip was an incredible learning experience for me, and for my children. It opened up a geographical and geological world that I had no idea I was interested it. I vaguely remember some school learning attached to what I was experiencing.
I guarantee my children, will have another lens to process their educational learning within the classroom with as well.
The next trip we took was for a wedding. Iceland in winter wasn’t on my list of things to do when I became sick of the cold at home. However, off we went.
Again, I was astonished and delighted by the geography and learning. We saw two tectonic plates that have jutted up and through the surface. We saw geysers, glaciers, and areas that looked like the moon. We saw beaches filled with ice (diamond beach), we learnt about mosses, whales and more about volcanoes.
These are two exaggerated examples of place based learning, that are full of privilege. However, the message remains the same. Getting out and seeing the world may generate an interest that learning from books and the classroom cannot. You do not have to go to Iceland, or to Hawaii (although if you can I’d encourage it). Learning can happen within our community.
However, getting children out into the world as much as possible, even a classroom hike, can generate curiosity and foster and inquiry approach to learning. Books are lovely and valuable, but they are not a substitution for seeing, smelling, hearing and learning in real time, in real situations.