The
ALMANAC
A newsletter of Wolf Ridge Environmental Lear ning Center
May 2021 Volume 59 Number 2
W
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS HERE TO STAY
ho could have predicted after five decades of hands-on outdoor learning, Wolf Ridge would have spent much of its 50th year exploring the world of virtual field trips (VFTs)? We are excited to return to in-person education as soon as possible. In the meantime, we have learned that in addition to the tried and true methods developed over the last fifty years Wolf Ridge’s repertoire now includes VFTs. We remain true to our educational philosophy: “Wolf Ridge is a place where minds open to the joy and wonder of discovery of our natural world. We seek to stimulate a love and understanding of nature by involving children and adults in direct observation of, and participation in the outdoors. We promote self-awareness and leadership development in the process.” While much of online learning remains transmission-oriented (a teacher transmits information to a student often through lecture or passive video), Wolf Ridge naturalists continue to experiment and expand upon teaching practices based on direct experience. They worked hard to develop a social/emotional bond between the community of learners to the subject content and place. How? By: • Using landscape as a co-teacher. We are always outside, welcoming the unexpected. While teaching a VFT on Animal Signs, an American Mink loped within 20 feet of a stunned naturalist and his smartphone on a tripod. • Observing as a practice of science. Through nature journaling students explore the
practices of science. For at least a few minutes in each VFT students are directed to sketch and label the scene they can see on their screens. Their sketches inform the questions they ask. • Asking questions of the space. Students develop the skill to ask “testable questions” and then managing the onsite teacher to move around to find data and evidence that helps to answer the authentic Glendale students on a VFT. questions. How large is that beaver lodge? What kind of tree is that dents in Arizona can explore a frozen lake. behind you? How many chickadees visit Education students in college programs can those bird feeders? These questions will explore the philosophy and practices of utithen guide them as they engage with their lizing technology in education. Attending local spaces. school groups can explore Wolf Ridge before and after a residential experience here. • Connecting the distant to the local. Inspiring students to go outside near their home There has never been enough time in a 3-5 to explore similar content directly while day experience for students to explore as asking even more questions. “Now that deeply or widely as visiting teachers would we’ve explored the geology of the North like. While we’ve always hoped to support Shore, you have an assignment to explore teachers to continue with and extend the the geology in your area.” learning from Wolf Ridge to their home schools, now we can do more than just As Wolf Ridge Naturalists continue to devel- hope. VFTs provide us with a new tool to op and deliver this programming it’s wise to collaborate with schools in all sorts of ways. ask, “Is it working?” Based on the continued pace of scheduling VFTs, the enthusiastic This pandemic has stretched us all. As responses from teachers and students, and we reflect on our growth over the past 50 the personal/professional growth our nat- years punctuated by a pandemic, it’s been uralists have experienced through the pro- an interesting exercise to respond to the cess we can say, “YES, it’s working”. challenges and anticipate how this will affect our next 50 years. Wolf Ridge is ready Even more, we fully anticipate to continue to enter the next phase of growth and offering VFTs for learners near and far. Stu- VFTs are here to stay.F