One of the things I appreciate most about Experiential Education is its randomness. We were kayaking this morning, some of the kids of Station Maine and I. We hadn’t intended to talk about philosophy or psychology. It just came up in the course of normal conversation about what we’re reading. I hadn’t intended to explain how important was the rock weed to the ecology of the planet. It just came up. The purpose of last week’s sail wasn’t to learn the difference between a sloop and a schooner and a ketch, but the captain taught us and now the kids can’t forget. Random things that you learn in random settings often stick like that, as opposed to concentrated facts written up in a text book or a history lesson. You might learn enough to vomit it back on a test paper, but somehow the sticking value is gone in a classroom.
I am not opposed to school. I am not opposed to classrooms. But, as long as we’ve got this Coronavirus to deal with, can’t we take advantage of going outside? Can’t we walk in the woods or in the industrial complex, or even around the block? Can we not ask our students to open their eyes and make one intelligent observation or ask one intelligent question. Discussions of that nature, however far fetched, stay with the participants. The learning becomes more authentic somehow. Learning becomes a habit that lasts a lifetime.
