How Experiential Learning Benefits Students at Brehm

(Brehm students update their nature journals as

they investigate changes within their Biomes)

The Environmental Science class at Brehm school is designed to continue students' growth in grasping earth science cycles and systems — while providing hands on opportunities for enrichment and experiential learning. Environmental Science is also a good example of how classes at Brehm include different important teaching components:

• Traditional direct instruction of information via text, notes, and lecture with visuals.
• Connections through current event, non-fiction, and fiction materials both written and in video/speaker format.
• Investigation through journaling, sketching and research.
• Experiential learning through models, demonstrations, and experiments.

Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience.

Each student in the Environmental Science class is assigned their own Biome, a 4 by 4 foot area of outdoor space on Brehm's 80 acre campus. Along with the the instruction presented by the teacher, students research, create a nature journal, organize materials, write an informative paper, and present a lesson plan of their own design to their classmates about the Biome.

The nature journal is an on-going project that requires the student to follow the cycle of life that occurs within their Biome. Students are given writing prompts and/or sketching prompts and are set free to record what they see. Changes are particularly noted, art is made from the experience, while vocabulary from class is required to be inserted within the students written presentation. This allows for a greater understanding of the concepts in class.

Another example of experiential learning within the class would be the mock mining site set up. A very large plastic bowl with peanuts and other material is used to represent the land. The objective is to mine as many peanuts as possible while trying to do the least amount of damage to the environment around the peanuts. Discussion and viewing of actual mining sites on-line help them put the in class experience in context.

Lastly, students are given opportunities to read, watch, and comment on articles, book excerpts, and videos that pertain to current issues that are facing us and our environment. Students are asked to brainstorm and address orally and through writing how their individual lives touch the environment in which we live.

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