SAD 4 staff experience outdoor learning opportunities
GUILFORD — The rural location of the SAD 4 campus housing both Piscataquis Community Secondary School and Piscataquis Community Elementary School provides a number of assets for teachers and students such as trails through the woods, space for gardening, an outdoor classroom, a courtyard in the middle of the grade 7-12 school, and more. How these can be incorporated into place-based learning was the subject of an afternoon program for teachers and staff on Oct. 10 following an early release day for students.
The district is partnering with the Rural Aspirations Project, a 501(c)3 committed to expanding educational opportunities in rural Maine to develop and honor community while stimulating the innate curiosity of students and teachers, through a grant. At noon program participants gathered in the PCES cafeteria to learn more.
PCES math coach Sarah Curtis of the SAD 4 outdoor learning committee told those sitting around the tables, “We are in this beautiful state of Maine and we live in this awesome region.”
LEARNING IN THE OUTDOORS — Korah Soll, executive director and co-founder of the Rural Aspirations Project, speaks with SAD 4 teachers to brainstorm ideas for outdoor learning. On the afternoon of Oct. 10 teachers had the opportunity to learn more about outdoor learning opportunities available to them.
Curtis said that schools use resources to educate students and outdoor learning is one such available resource. She mentioned the trail between the two buildings, outdoor classroom, garden beds, and courtyard as beautiful spaces that can be utilized.
“Our goal is for you to get to be with your colleagues and you get to visit all of these stations,” as teachers were divided up into different groups to experience what the campus has to offer. Curtis said outdoor learning does not necessarily mean just physical education, as the gardens can provide science and math lessons.
She said it takes many people to come together for a vision of what school can be and by the end of the day the teachers will have some new ideas for what can be offered.
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM — An outdoor classroom is located by the trail connecting Piscataquis Community Elementary School and Piscataquis Community Secondary School in Guilford.
“Just think about what is possible, what are the experiences you can have with your kids — think big,” Curtis said.
Rural Aspirations Project Executive Director/co-founder Korah Soll said she taught for more than a decade and a half and noticed educational opportunities varied depending on where one lived. To help alleviate this, she founded the Rural Aspirations Project to help expand and enhance our outdoor learning for staff and students and the organization has worked with about 40 schools.
“We try to be in all places where people are talking about rural education,” Soll said.
SCHOOL GARDEN SPACE — One of the raised garden beds located behind Piscataquis Community Secondary School.
She spoke about the importance of place, saying she now lives in her childhood home in Canaan. Soll said in high school her only learning based on place was a photography class. Students needed to capture images of locations with meaning to them and for Koll she chose the Carrabassett Stream across the road from her house.
“What does sense of place mean to you,?” Soll asked the teachers. She then asked them to think of their students’ sense of self, sense of belonging, and sense of place, and said place-based learning leads to inquiry-based learning.
“It is really important to think about scale and to think about your capabilities,” Soll said. She mentioned that teachers do not necessarily need to be the only source of knowledge, with guest speakers and field trips being another way for students to learn.
WALK IN THE WOODS — The trail located behind the PCHS field hockey field leading to PCES.
Being divided up by the color of small sheets of paper they picked up coming into the cafeteria, more than a half dozen groups of teachers then rotated through the outdoor campus spaces to learn more such as PCSS Principal John Keane telling them about the outdoor classroom capabilities and Soll having staff brainstorm possibilities for learning outside.