Faculty of Education students gained a new appreciation for hands-on learning through a trip to the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) this fall. Students participated in activities such as water sampling, canoeing, compass training, shelter building, knot tying, fire starting, and more.
“Being there was incredibly inspiring,” said fifth-year Education student, Jake Bell. “I remember specifically when we were out on the lake doing night sampling for zooplankton under a sky full of stars—a learning experience does not get more surreal than that.”
Students taking samples in the lake at night.
Bell is one of seven UWinnipeg students who participated in an educational visit to the ELA in September. ELA has been a world-renowned freshwater research site for scientists across the world for over 50 years, and provides opportunities for students to learn about freshwater research.
The trip was led by UWinnipeg Faculty of Education lecturer, Will Burton. While he was a high school teacher, Burton took students to the ELA and has seen the “profound impact that experiential learning has on deepening their understanding of environmental science and climate change.”
“I wanted to support pre-service teachers in having this experience themselves,” he said, “so that they may pursue opportunities to take students from their future classrooms to the Experimental Lakes Area site.”
Bell believes it will be important for his future students to know about the crucial work that takes place at ELA, as well as the ways humans impact the environment. He also believes educational trips like this help expose students to new ideas and perspectives.
“It is important for students to have opportunities to envision themselves in a variety of paths they can explore,” Bell said. “Being able to do the same tasks that working scientists do allows students to dream what possibilities lie out there for them.”
Seeing the real-world applications and implications of scientific discovery up close was beyond anything that could be taught in a classroom.
Hailee Bloom
Mercedes Sousa, who is also a fifth-year education student, said she will incorporate what she learned at ELA in her future classroom. She also appreciated having the chance to participate in experiential learning herself.
“I am a huge advocate for hands-on learning therefore I really valued my experiences at the ELA,” Sousa said. “Classroom settings are always restricted by time and bells. However, our experiences at the ELA were the complete opposite, as our instructors allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in the activities and take as much time as needed.”
Fourth-year Education student, Hailee Bloom, echoed those sentiments.
“Seeing the real-world applications and implications of scientific discovery up close was beyond anything that could be taught in a classroom,” Bloom said. “There really is nothing like being there. If we want our students to care about the environment and protecting our lakes, we need to provide them opportunities to experience it for themselves.”
Thanks to the UW Experiential Learning Grant and support from the Dean’s Office, this trip to the ELA was offered to students free from financial and academic barriers. Burton hopes that, through continued support of experiential learning, more UWinnipeg students will benefit from learning opportunities outside of the classroom.
“Through the hands-on experience, they are aware of the power of experiential place-based learning for deepening knowledge and deepening engagement in learning,” Burton said.
