Academics Outdoors Awaits

Photo: Andy Stauffer, Region 10 ESC

AUTHORS: DR. HOLLY BISHOP & RACHEL FROST

Region 10 ESC Program Coordinator & Director of Communications

TUCKED AWAY in the woods about 10 miles southwest of Athens, TX is the Trevor Rees-Jones Scout Camp. Even as an adult, you can’t help but get that giddy, childlike feeling when you drive onto the property and you’re suddenly surrounded by pine trees and the sunshine beaming off the lake. While this site is filled with beauty only nature can provide, it’s also home to countless opportunities for learning and exploration. Through Region 10’s new Learning on Location: Academics Outdoors program, in partnership with the Circle Ten Council Boy Scouts of America, educators and students will have the opportunity to experience the Trevor Rees-Jones camp, along with two additional camps - Camp Wisdom in Dallas and Camp James Ray in Pottsboro.

Ferris ISD students are happy to show off the flowers they picked as part of an activity identifying parts of the plants.

Dr. Angela Barton, Director of Curriculum and Assessment for Canton Independent School District (ISD), joined four principals from Canton ISD, as well as a group of campus and district leaders from Kaufman and Van Zandt counties, to preview what Learning on Location will look like for students.

“From the moment we arrived, we were all in awe of the beautiful property,” shared Dr. Barton. “Outdoor learning is an important opportunity for both educators and students. For educators, it will give them a chance to be creative and take risks with planning innovative lessons for their students. For students, it will enhance learning through activities that they are thrilled about and would normally not have access to.”

A group of Ferris ISD students prepare for the Learning on Location activities.

Two Ferris ISD students enjoying Learning on Location at Camp Wisdom.

Access to outdoor learning was one of the driving motivators when Region 10 began developing the Learning on Location program. This program will bring outdoor education to more than 80,000 students whose districts don’t have access to district-owned or nearby outdoor learning centers.

Members of the Region 10 Teaching and Learning Services team are creating teacher guides and student journals for outdoor learning experiences that will be used at the camps. In addition to the activity-packed, TEKS-based learning experiences we are providing, students in Region 10 will also have access to adventure learning, confidence building, and character development with certified Boy Scout staff teaching archery, climbing, rappelling, ropes course, wood turning, canoeing, orienteering, horseback riding, and firearm safety (for applicable high school courses).

“Working in collaboration with the Region 10 Teaching and Learning team, we feel that we could create TEKS-aligned activities for standards that are typically more challenging to teach without the hands-on experiences,” Dr. Baton said. “All students have strengths, and in the classroom, we do not reach our students who thrive in the natural environment.”

Region 10 staff member practices rappelling at one of the Learning on Location: Academics Outdoors sites.

The Region 10 Learning on Location: Academics Outdoors team proudly hosted its first group of students - about 400 kindergarten and second grade students from Ferris ISD - for a day of fun-filled, hands-on learning at Camp Wisdom in early May. The team looks forward to hosting many more students and educators at one of the three Learning on Location sites during the 20212022 school year, and for years to come!

If you would like more information about Learning on Location, please contact Dr. Holly Bishop.

Dr. Holly Bishop

Region 10 ESC Program Coordinator holly.bishop@region10.org 972.348.1482

Photos: Andy Stauffer and Rachel Frost, Region 10 ESC