Cooperative Learning and Outdoor/Environmental Education.

Overview & Synopsis

This newsletter contains 14 items on cooperative learning and outdoor education, with a particular focus on environmental education and ecology. "Cooperative Teaching/Learning Strategies and Objectives in Outdoor/Environmental Education" by Clifford E. Knapp is about cooperative teaching and learning strategies in outdoor education and emphasizes the value of cooperative outdoor education, mentioning several outdoor games and education programs. It calls for more communication among outdoor-environmental educators. "Teachers are Wild about WILD" by Jennifer Meyer describes Project WILD, a multistate program designed to help students of any age to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment to responsible behavior concerning the environment. "Group Initiative Educational Games" from the Muskingum Outdoor Training and Education Center describes games that teach students how to think and act cooperatively. A Japanese program, "Adventure Orienteering," is described by Toshio Hoshino. In this program, campers walk an unknown course using maps and compasses. Other articles include: "Processing Outdoor Experiences," by Clifford E. Knapp; "The Sheldon Centre for Outdoor Education," by Joan Thompson; and "An Alternative Educational Program for Adjudicated Youth," by Alan Dodson. This newsletter also offers resource lists, including a four-page bibliography, and gives the names and addresses of training workshops, environmental living programs, and summer camps using cooperative learning strategies. There is also a review by Jan Rensel of the book, "Humanizing Environmental Education: A Guide for Leading Nature and Human Nature Activities" (Knapp & Goodman, 1981). This document also includes information on the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education. (TES)