Learning Environment
Field Practice: Creating an
Intentional Learning Environment
Students should have equitable access to learning environments that are physically and emotionally safe and that feature meaningful relationships among and between adults and students. By “equitable access,” we refer specifically to learning opportunities, not to programs themselves.
Physical and Emotional Safety
In order to fully engage in a learning environment, youth need to feel safe, both physically and emotionally. At RELCs, students are typically in unfamiliar environments where they participate in activities that are outside the daily norm of what they do in school. Field instructors have a role to play in helping students feel safe and comfortable in these new surroundings. Minimizing objective risk and addressing safety concerns creates a learning environment where students can take learning “risks” and appropriate physical risks while their safety is maintained. This allows students to take on new challenges and grow.
What do field instructors do
to help students feel safe?
Orient students to the physical layout of the setting and typical daily schedule, and build routines into their days.
Help students recognize both real and perceived risks.
Help students identify their support systems in situations that cause anxiety.
Communicate clear and consistent boundaries to support students in developing positive learning traits and skills that foster responsible decision-making. A lack of expectations or ground rules can lead to anxiety, particularly for those who have experienced trauma. Providing boundaries and expectations promotes safety and can create a foundation where students can fully immerse themselves in the learning environment.
What do field instructors do to create
an inclusive learning environment?
Develop group goals and agreements together with students.
Discuss with students that making everyone feel included is a goal of the group.
Gather the group in a circle for discussions, such that everyone can see one another and ensuring that nobody is outside of the circle.
Use language that is accessible to all students in a group. Consider, for example, students’ age, developmental level, and prior experiences with academic content.
Use multiple modalities for learning to teach content, including, but not limited to discussion, reflection, art, music, and movement.
Avoid making assumptions about students (e.g., about their pronouns, ability/diverse ability, etc.).
Get to know students. Ask students about themselves in order to build on their prior knowledge and experiences, and make learning relevant to them.
Vet curricular materials to ensure they avoid cultural appropriation.
Teach about and quote leaders and thinkers of diverse identities that do not reinforce stereotypes.
More on Inclusion
Developing the skills to facilitate equitable, inclusive learning experiences for students takes time and effort. Here are a few resources that can help grow your understanding of equitable and inclusive teaching practices:
- The Avarna Group’s Inclusion Tips for Outdoor Program and Field Staff
- The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections from Social Justice Educators, edited by Lisa M. Landreman
- Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, by Zaretta Hammond
Meaningful Relationships
Learning is a social endeavor, which makes strong, positive relationships a critical component of any learning environment. When students experience relationships with their teachers that are warm, responsive, and trusting, they are more likely to engage in learning. These “learning partnerships” support students to take on more challenging tasks that accelerate their growth and development (Hammond, 2014).
Strong relationships between educators and students also provide a stable context in which youth can learn about and express emotions, and recognize that emotions are a part of relationships. Establishing trusting relationships also opens the door for students to provide honest feedback about their experience. While students are only at RELCs for a small number of days, they spend extended and intensive time in their groups and with field instructors. These field instructors can take steps to create warm, positive, trusting relationships between themselves and students and foster strong relationships among students in their groups.
How do field instructors support positive
relationships between themselves and students?
Show students they care by checking in about their feelings and any concerns they may have. Provide various opportunities for students to provide feedback about their experience during a program, and address the feedback.
Demonstrate interest in the experiences and interests of students. Learn and use (with correct pronunciation) students’ names.
Make students feel heard by listening to and responding to their questions.
Create a positive rapport and identify shared interests with students.
Engage in restorative, rather than punitive, disciplinary practices. This resource presents a mindfulness exercise and restorative discipline routine that can be used with students.
How do field instructors support positive
social connections and relationships among students?
Provide structured opportunities for students to get to know one another, such as introductory name games, partnered walks between locations and activities, and mixing pairs and groups so students interact with a variety of teammates.
Create an environment where students develop trusting relationships with one another, and develop a group identity and purpose. Give students opportunities to work together toward common goals.
Create an environment where students feel a sense of belonging.
Intervene as needed to support positive group dynamics.
Provide space for, model, and encourage appreciations, practicing an attitude of gratitude.
Example from the Field: A Field Instructor Builds Meaningful Relationships at Westminster Woods
It was the first afternoon of a five-day program, and I had just met my group of students and was giving them a tour of camp. They had been sitting for hours on a long bus ride from a far-away town, and were excited and chatty with one another. One student in particular stood out, because he immediately began trailing my exact footsteps, to the point that I worried I might get kicked in the heels. His name was Ryan, and he was equally eager as the rest, anxiously asking about the week’s schedule. I answered his questions in generalized responses, careful not to promise anything specific, allowing myself some flexibility of plans. In my attempts to get to know my group as a whole, I remained especially curious to learn about Ryan’s motivations for his endless questions and anxious demeanor.
As I led my group on an all-day forest ecology hike the next day, our group dynamic became solidified. I embraced Ryan’s interest in one-on-one talks as we walked, and I began to ask him questions this time. I passed him acorns and leaves to look at, and he told me about his favorite desserts. I enjoyed the increased trust that Ryan gave me, but I wanted to challenge him to interact more with other students. During our forest ecology lesson, I gave my “Squid Squad” students an opportunity to share their thoughts about a nature object of their choice with a randomly selected partner, and then with the whole group. I explained to the group that this week, they would have many opportunities to try new things, including spending time with new people. Ryan was partnered with an exuberantly outgoing girl, and she provided him an excellent model of how to welcome new experiences.
That evening, I had the company of a teacher chaperone, who generously helped provide one-on-one attention for Ryan. As we gazed up at the night sky, Ryan interrupted somebody’s “star story” a few times with sudden exclamations: “Can I go to the bathroom?” and “Squid, I’m Scared!” I turned to address his interruption, when the teacher pulled me away quickly: “Ryan is on the spectrum, and I am the teacher for the Special Day Class.” Click. A lot of questions in my head now made sense. Ryan had overwhelming reason to be anxious for the week, as he had never spent a night away from home, nor been in a classroom with any of the other students in my group. I felt a deep respect for Ryan’s courage to be at camp, and for the rest of my group for treating him with great support and respect.
At the end of the week, Ryan’s relationships with the rest of the students in my group had become genuine, comfortable, and kind. I put effort into modeling inclusion and unity in front of my group. If anyone was standing a few inches outside of our group circle, I urged them to join. Throughout our ropes course day, I reminded my students that everybody is worth celebrating, no matter how high they climbed or how much they did, as everybody makes progress that is unique to their comfort zone. On the last day of camp, Ryan turned toward me and repeated something he had been expressing since the day before: “Squid, I’m going to miss you.” Upon hearing this, I felt honored, humble, and grateful for his ability to express his needs so easily at the beginning of the week. As I said my goodbyes to the Squid Squad and to Ryan, it became evident to me that my willingness to make connections with each and every student is crucial to giving them positive memories in nature.
Equitable Access
In order to fully engage in a learning experience, students need to feel that they belong, and are respected and valued. Field instructors can promote equitable access to learning by taking steps to ensure that all students feel this way and are able to engage. A number of practices support this, including showing confidence that all students can learn and succeed, celebrating and building on the cultural experiences and resources that each student brings, and scaffolding the learning journey appropriately so that all students can make progress and participate fully (Darling-Hammond et al., 2019).
How do field instructors create equitable access to learning opportunities?
Assess students’ comfort level and ask questions about their prior experiences in nature or in similar learning environments, and then meet them where they are. The knowledge and comfort level that students arrive with is the right one, and field instructors can help students build from there.
Establish group agreements for how students engage in learning experiences in order to deliberately create an atmosphere where different ideas, a range of perspectives, and diverse experiences can be shared. Group agreements (e.g., “Take space, make space”) can also scaffold social and emotional skills, help students participate equitably in group discussions, and create a collaborative learning environment. Group agreements can also support group management, establishing clear expectations and providing a tool to redirect behaviors that differ from the agreements.
Invite students to participate in the establishment of these working norms or group expectations, giving them the chance to create shared values around how the group will work and learn together. Starting with a few group agreements and encouraging students to add to these or develop them together facilitates a strong sense of shared responsibility and ownership of the norms. Giving students opportunities to voice their hopes for the group can foster a deeper sense of commitment to its success, because each participant gives input on how the group will behave and support one another.
Model and frontload a conversation at the beginning of the learning experience, asking students to think about positive ways they can contribute to the group. Doing this can help students to see they have a “place” and positive role in the group, lead them to feel more accepted, and increase their willingness to try new ways of being or challenge themselves as learners. This can also support students’ social and emotional growth and sense of self in a positive way, allowing them to recognize or reframe assets and positive traits they have that may not be as valued or visible in a traditional classroom setting.