Outside the Classroom: Middle School Experiential Learning

VENTURING OUT

Middle School Experiential Learning is More than Just a Field Trip

Deep within the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, St. Martin’s eighth graders enjoyed the trip of a lifetime at Camp Kahdalea. Students spent their six-day class trip immersed in a variety of activities which included hiking, participating in ropes challenge courses, white water rafting, and braving the elements in a rustic and secluded environment. This memorable journey is just one of several carefully planned off-campus excursions for Middle School students.

“It’s more than just a field trip or a class trip,” said Head of Middle School Jenny Velasquez. “We’ve really taken great care to craft our trips as true experiential learning, and make them a reinforcement and extension of what happens in the classroom every day.”

Experiential learning is a holistic model based on a process where students first obtain knowledge, then perform a related activity (often with a real-world application), then reflect on the experience. Velasquez says this type of learning is important for students because it results in greater depth and breadth of student understanding.

This year, Middle School students have calculated percentages and profit margins by visiting Junior Achievement’s BizTown, explored how our government works at the Louisiana Youth Legislature, learned about the Greatest Generation at The National WWII Museum’s Air, Sea & Land Festival, and explored French and Spanish architecture and Louisiana history in the French Quarter. In each of these instances, Middle School teachers teamed up to incorporate cross-curricular learning opportunities.

“Leading up to each off-campus trip, our faculty work together to figure out ways to add in a number of skills and mindsets so that each field trip is a culmination of weeks or even months of learning,” said Velasquez. “That type of preparation and real-world, hands-on experience creates deep and meaningful learning for our students.”

Enhancing Curriculum

Through experiential learning, students are better able to grasp and retain concepts. For instance, by visiting the French Quarter and exploring historical landmarks firsthand, students could see for themselves how our culture was shaped by the facts they learned in Louisiana history class. They returned to their classroom ready to reflect and build upon their experiences.

Increasing Engagement

Seventh and eighth graders experience multi-night, out of town excursions each fall. They build confidence and teamwork on ropes courses and through team games, push themselves by rock climbing, explore the water via rafting and off-shore boating excursions, and learn valuable lessons along the way. Students return from these trips saying that they were able to connect with their classmates differently than when they are at school. These connections, strengthened far from the comfortable confines of school and home, often prove to be lifelong.

Preparation for Life

Life doesn’t happen in a controlled environment. Adapting to changing atmospheres, working in groups, and learning to work with others in sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances are all challenges students experience during outings. Students at BizTown had to devise business plans on the spot that would allow their businesses to make a profit. Youth Legislature participants had to think on their feet as their bills worked their way through “both houses” with results that ranged from positive to negative.

Encouraging Resiliency

When students perform hands-on tasks, such as dissecting a fish at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab, they aren’t always going to get it right the first time. Experiential learning allows students to think differently and discover it’s okay to make mistakes.

Building Community

When the entire Middle School took a field trip to the Jefferson Performing Arts Society’s production of Peter Pan, there were two familiar faces on stage and behind the scenes — Maia Christina ’24 and Garrett DeViney ’23. Attending the production opened students’ eyes not only to the community resource so close to St. Martin’s campus, but also built camaraderie within the school as students supported their classmates’ interests and talents.

Fostering Exploration

St. Martin’s believes that growth is fostered through a broad range of academic, fine art, athletic, and other endeavors. All are encouraged to engage in pursuits of this sort. Only by trying new things, such as sleeping under the stars, tagging baby sharks, or scaling WWII infantry obstacle courses, will students push themselves enough to realize their potential.