THE REAL WORLD
What is the Real World?
The real world includes rocks, trees, water, and us. It’s complex, awe-inspiring, and mysterious. It’s wild, and more importantly, it’s in action right now, just outside.
Any academic subject or group can centre outdoor spaces and plunge into their wild education; the real world is open to all kinds of learners and requires only direct observation as a point of entry. Based on experiences in nearby nature, Educating Earthlings uses schoolwork to begin to satisfy our most important needs: namely, the need to be curious, to learn, to thrive, and to belong. We have the natural world as an educational resource, as a college of teachers, and as an inspiration to pay attention and investigate.
How do we learn in the Real World?
Our perspectives connect us.
We are bound to the world in deep ecological ways - by our senses, our stories, our genes, and all that we exchange with other Earthlings. As a result, learning in the real world means considering our sensory, cultural, genetic, and chemical Perspectives (as well as 8 others) as we encounter and learn from our surroundings.
Real world professional development leads schools to embed important projects in the nearby nature as provocation, resource, and instructor. The Educating Earthlings Field Guide outlines 12 Perspectives in detail for classroom use. The Field Guide structures our professional development, incorporates our BUILD model, and can inspire every teacher to take steps off the beaten path and further into the natural world. Educating Earthlings provides a unique set of Perspectives and our BUILD framework for teachers. Our professional development training features a shared planning process, ongoing support, and investigations on all sides.