Xperiential Education

Ever felt sick or were injured at school? Ever have to face the grumpy school nurse? Well, not at Bosque School in Albuquerque New Mexico! This is an amazing student led program, where all of the first responders for illness or injury are the students themselves. As members of the school’s Medical Reserve Corps, the students learn how to respond to medical incidents and emergencies and take the lead when something happens. In this episode, we talk with Dan Shaw, teacher, first responder and faculty head of the MRC at Bosque School, as well as Maddison, Taylor & Abigail, three of the students who are part of the MRC program and first responders. What better way to learn a unique and practical medical skill set than through real-world experiences.We take a look at how this unique program came about and how it’s been developed over the years to provide students with some amazing and challenging opportunities and experiences to develop an excellent skill-set and ability to respond and deal with a range of medical issues and emergencies. This is true leadership in Experiential Education and one of the most impressive programs I’ve come across in a school. Whilst many schools profess they provide opportunities for leadership, this school actually does it in such a fantastic and meaningful way. For more information on Bosque School’s program: Bosque School MRC https://www.bosqueschool.org/list-detail?pk=149439&fromId=245550 USA National MRC https://www.phe.gov/about/oem/prep/Pages/mrc.aspx Standard Diner ABQ https://www.standarddiner.com/ This was the first diner I’ve been to in the US and it was nice. The frozen margarita with mint mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever wanted to start the school year by getting away somewhere, fun, challenging remote or culturally unique? No this is no holiday, this is the Aspen High School ExEd program, which provides students the opportunity to learn through experience right across the country. In mixed year level groups, students get to choose from a huge range of options, from Hiking in the Tetons, to Biking in New Mexico, or perhaps a dive into the Cajun culture of Louisiana or some glitz and glamour of Fashion Design in LA! There’s something for everyone in this fantastic practical and experiential education program, which has been running for over 50 years! In this episode we talk with Brent Maiolo who is Chair of the ExEd program at Aspen High. For more information on Aspen’s program: Aspen High School ExEd https://www.aspenk12.net/domain/131 Episode Corrections Mt Kosciuszko is 2228 metres high, not 2227! Also, you multiply metres to get feet, not divide. Both entirely my mistakes as I can’t do good math! Or English it would seem.

Have you ever tried washing an Elephant at school? Explored a jungle and encountered a family of Gibbons? Well you can at The Howling Gibbon Outdoor Centre in Thailand In this episode, we talk with Alex Moxon Founder and program Director of the Howling Gibbon Centre. What better way to learn than to spend time in a rural centre in Thailand which combines, outdoor adventures with field studies and service learning. This centre runs a great range of interesting and diverse programs, with the service learning based upon the UN sustainability goals. Alex is also the founder of Outdoortopia, an exciting experiential education blog and online community for teachers and other educators interested in creating change makers for a sustainable future. For more information on the Howling Gibbon and Outdoortopia Howling Gibbon https://www.howlinggibbon.com/ Outdoortopia https://www.outdoortopia.org/ UN Sustainable Development Goals https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

Want to lose yourself in centuries of political and religious conflict and dark mysteries locked in snapshots from the past? Then the National Gallery in London is just the place for you. With an enormous collection of stunning artworks spanning over half a millennia, this is an amazing experience. No matter how many times I’ve been there, I haven’t even scratched the surface of the passion, the love, the hatred, the rebellion, the political intrigue and the social and emotional commentary that’s behind the huge collection of art in the National Gallery. In this episode, we talk with Caroline Smith, head of educational programs at the National Gallery and explore how they engage students in one of the most amazing galleries in the world. From the early Renaissance to legendary artists such as Monet and Van Gough and stunning works which take up entire walls, this is something which will awe and inspire students in ways that the classroom can never replicate. For more information on the educational programs at the National Gallery checkout: National Gallery London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/learning/teachers-and-schools Best Coffee in London Monmouth Coffee is well worth seeking out as you will struggle to get a decent coffee anywhere in the UK. However, the coffee here is amazing and some of the best coffee I’ve had in the world! Just go there and try it. You’ll know what I mean! Our shops

Are you between 14-25 and have a problem you want to solve? Do you have lots of ideas, but just need the right space, equipment and support to turn those ideas into something cool? In this episode, we talk with Andrew Moss, director of the YMCA 4C Centre, Christchurch. The YMCA 4C Centre is a place where young entrepreneurs, inventors and problem solvers can go to build their solutions in a really cool and supportive environment. From robotics, to 3D printing, to video and artistic pursuits, the 4C Centre is for everyone who are curious and want to build their skills in Communications, Creativity and Critical Thinking. It’s a wonderful place and space in Christchurch to take your ideas, take risks and turn them into something amazing. For more information on the YMCA 4C Centre: YMCA Christchurch https://www.ymcachch.org.nz/4c/

Want to have 3 classes a day and learn in the heart of a city and use everything around you as a lab? The Downtown School in Seattle is a leading-edge school which uses Downtown Seattle as part of their integrated educational program. This is a grade 9 through 12 school. It’s a great example of a school that’s future focussed and enabling students to pursue their own interests and identity as part of their education. More time in the classroom doesn’t equate to better learning outcomes and the Downtown school has built this into their overall program. For more information on the Downtown School checkout: Downtown School https://www.downtownschoolseattle.org/ Lakeside School https://www.lakesideschool.org/ The KEXP Gathering Space https://www.kexp.org/visit/gathering-space/

How do you get students to buy into their role and responsibility in caring for the environment? How do you use this to build a sense of community at the same time? In this episode, we talk with Pete Johnson, from the Christchurch City Council in NZ who leads the environmental experiential education programs for schools. We take a look at how these programs are aimed at all ages and build and grow on prior experience year after year to help students, not only understand the local environment and the challenges we face to care for that, but also taking real action to do something within the community. For more information on Pete’s work and the great Learning Through Action programs on offer at the Christchurch City Council checkout: Christchurch City Council https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/learning-resources/learning-through-action/ Programs on Offer https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/learning-resources/learning-through-action/list-of-programmes/

Where do you start with Risk Management? With any experiential education, you have a professional responsibility to pro-actively manage risk. This is an ever-evolving and dynamic skill-set that you develop over the years through training and experience. It’s something we can never take for granted. We take a look at some of the challenges we face in managing risk and what can happen, when things don’t go to plan. In this episode, we talk with Paul Tame, who is a leading risk management trainer with Xcursion Risk Management Training, Lead corporate management trainer for Zen Training & Senior lecturer at Western State Uni Colorado. We take a dive into risk management for experiential education and touch on a few challenges we all face when planning and running programs. Often things look great on paper. However, how does that translate into the real world? With risk management for any sort of activity, it needs to be a living and breathing culture within your organisation and not just a bit of paperwork someone completed and then filed away. For more information on Paul’s work and the organisations he’s worked with over the years, check out: Zen For Business https://www.zenforbusiness.net/ Xcursion Risk Management https://training.xcursion.com.au/ Western State Uni https://www.western.edu/ And Crested Butte a fun ski resort we’ve skied together at: https://www.skicb.com/ For more information on Denali: https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm https://www.weather.gov/afg/denaliclimbing

Want to learn how to be an entrepreneur? Often this sort of thing is left to chance, luck or sheer force of will. Why not avoid this and get started at school with some real-world problem solving, idea hacking and industry partnerships to help you build an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set whilst still at school In this episode, we talk with Dr Paul Browning, Principal of St Paul’s School in Brisbane, Australia and Author of ‘Compelling Leadership and Principled. In a rapidly changing world, we explore how St Paul’s has taken a proactive approach to teaching and learning and created an Entrepreneurial stream for their students to prepare them for an uncertain future. From an in-depth educational review with input from leading educational minds such as Andy Hargraves & Pasi Sahlberg, to industry partnerships and a start-up fund, this school is on the leading edge of education today. For more information on St Paul’s and their wonderful program: Pathways http://www.andyhargreaves.com/ https://pasisahlberg.com/ For more information on Dr Paul Browning and his books: The Books https://www.uqp.com.au/books/principled

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