Experiential Learning, Landscape and Place
Description
Students undertaking this module will develop the necessary understanding and skills to create, facilitate and promote experiential, placed based education programmes in their own place, institution or community. This module explores how outdoor and experiential education relates to ‘place’. Place-Based Learning is rooted in what is local—the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a place. This interdisciplinary approach to learning uses examples from the social, natural and built environment of Mayo to explore how connections to place and nature develop and to further explore how these experiences could be mirrored in the learner’s home place and working context. An experiential approach to learning underlies the approach in this module with learner and lecturer working to co-create the learning opportunities and to reflect on the experiences. These experiential learning opportunities will be developed through an exploration of the relational interplay within and between our human and more-than-human worlds. The development of how such a co-implicated understanding can shape our social, cultural and ecological behaviours will be examined along with its implications for social justice and sustainability.
Learning Outcomes
Critically interpret how conceptions of ‘place’ are created and consider how these different “lenses” shape our perception of place and landscape.
Evince an understanding of how learning experiences are created in the transaction between the learner, their place and their cultural context.
Articulate a broad understanding of the experiential learning with a particular focus on connection to nature and pedagogy of place.
Critically evaluate and justify the ethical implication of practice and personal judgement in the context of place based experiential learning journeys/excursions.
Critically examine the consequence of their practice for the environments in which they work and articulate an understanding of sustainability within this context.
Apply our understanding of place to create innovative learning environments that interpret place for participants and others.