Adventure learning as a curricular approach that transcends geographies and connects people to place

Abstract

Effectively communicating scientific research has taken on greater importance as climate change impacts the world we live in. It is increasingly incumbent upon the science and education communities to produce and deliver curriculum that is timely, accessible, and scientifically accurate. In the summer of 2012, scientists and educators worked together to develop and conduct the Adventure Learning @ Greenland (AL@GL) project, which explored the capacity of hands-on and web-based climate science education experiences that occurred in Greenland and the US. The Adventure Learning approach and associated framework was used to design the learning experience during AL@GL activities. Participating students were from Greenland, Denmark, and the US; these students included participants who were diverse, rural, and traditionally underrepresented. Participating students worked closely with educators and scientists to learn about an atmospheric observatory at Summit Station, located on the Greenland Ice Sheet. The purpose of this article is to inform readers in how they may use Adventure Learning and the newly developed curriculum model called Content, Transition, Inquiry, and Synthesis for the education and outreach of research projects.

Keywords:

• science communication
• adventure learning
• climate literacy
• Arctic
• Greenland
• CoTIS

Acknowledgements

AL@GL was supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant ARC-1240700. AL@GL was also made possible by the excellent logistical support provided by Polar Field Services. We would also like to thank Lynn Foshee Reed, Shelly Hines, Kasper Busk, Kevin Hammonds, Torben Benoni, the McCall Outdoor Science School team, JSEP students, UBMS, and HOIST. Authors Walden and Cox were supported by the National Science Foundation grant ARC-0856773 while at the University of Idaho; this grant supported Cox's PhD dissertation. Cox also received support from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) Visiting Fellowship Program and the NOAA Climate Program Office.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

AL@GL: The US National Science Foundation [grant number ARC-1240700]; Von P. Walden and Christopher J. Cox: National Science Foundation [grant number ARC-0856773].

Notes on contributors

Brant G. Miller

Brant G. Miller is an assistant professor of science education at the University of Idaho. His research interests include technology integration, Adventure Learning, and culturally responsive approaches to STEM education.

Christopher J. Cox

Christopher J. Cox is a research scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) in Boulder, Colorado. His research focuses on the interactions between clouds, the surface, and the atmosphere in the Arctic as they pertain to the surface energy budget. His collaboration with the Adventure Learning @ Greenland program began as a graduate student in the Environmental Sciences program at the University of Idaho.

R. Justin Hougham

R. Justin Hougham is an assistant professor of youth development and environmental science education at the University of Wisconsin – Extension. His research interests include place conscious learning, pedagogies in mobile technologies, and Adventure Learning.

Von P. Walden

Von P. Walden is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's Laboratory for Atmospheric Research (LAR) at Washington State University, Pullman, WA. His research interests are polar meteorology and infrared remote sensing of clouds and the atmosphere.

Karla Bradley Eitel

Karla Bradley Eitel is an assistant professor of place-based environmental education at the University of Idaho. Her research interests include appropriate use of technology in field-based environmental education, place-based science communication, integration of active research in classrooms, and culturally connected science identity.

Anthony D. Albano

Anthony D. Albano is an assistant professor of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. His research interests include validity, assessment literacy, and technology in testing.