Rooting Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Outdoor Education

“Nature will teach us many lessons if we take the time to visit her classroom.” – Donald L. Hicks

For over 38 years Canyonlands Field Institute has provided quality outdoor education on the Colorado Plateau, to inspire care of wild places, and renew the human spirit. We believe that outdoor education offers a meaningful opportunity for growing Social Emotional Learning (SEL). In this context-rich environment, SEL education nurtures students of all ages and backgrounds by creating connection to self, community, and natural spaces. 

Hear from one of CFI’s Program Managers Anna Eick, as she shares practical and enrichment-based examples of how our field staff embeds Social Emotional Learning within outdoor education at Professor Valley Field Camp.

PILE on at Professor Valley Field Camp:

The students stepped off their bus an hour prior into a whirlwind of introductions, camp orientations, and sleeping bag unpackings. The students are divided into small learning groups with which they will spend the next few days learning and exploring the 35 acre camp. In our small learning group, we started with a teambuilding game to prompt reflection on what it means to work with a group. We use these activities to create a space where students can practice sharing their thoughts, which they will be asked to do throughout the rest of the week.

A few hands tentatively go up in the air. I take a few answers about the definition of a contract. I explain that our goal as a learning group is to create a Positive, Inclusive Learning Environment, or ‘PILE.’ I then prompt students to reflect on two personal experiences: when they enjoyed working in a group and when group work was challenging. What was different between the two experiences?

We step back and look at the tree we have created. We sure like to ‘PILE’ on the metaphors here at Field Camp! I point out how we progressed from low-hanging goals of “have fun!” to more thoughtful ones like “look for ways to support group members” and “be open to new ideas.”

I remind students that this is a contract they created and that we can add to it anytime throughout the week. We walk back to the camp commonspace to hang up our contract so any student can access it when needed. Through this interactive community dialogue, the students have become more grounded and connected to the possibilities the week might hold.

I started working for CFI in 2019, as an apprentice naturalist guide. When I returned in 2021, I found that the students had changed. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Associate released a joint statement; the overarching message, ‘America’s youth and adolescents are facing a mental health crisis.’

CFI education is designed to be an additional pathway of support to students outside the traditional school space. One of the foundational components of our river and land-based outdoor education programming is the Social Emotional Learning curriculum. Here, we create an interactive learning environment by giving them the tools to connect with themselves, their peers, and their surroundings.  

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines Social Emotional Learning as “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.” CASEL identifies five areas of core SEL competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, and Responsible Decision-Making.

Canyonlands Field Institute’s school and summer camp programs intentionally develop, support, and reinforce CASEL SEL framework. Through CFI’s land and river programs, students have consistent opportunities to engage in SEL practices throughout the student-centered, place-based, unplugged, play-centric and immersive learning experiences.

All of the experiences we offer students at CFI, from overnight expeditions to day hikes, are opportunities to develop SEL skills through social interaction. UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science BEETLES program explains that “SEL helps build students’ social skills, emotional awareness, and resilience.” At CFI, the growth of these skills in nature translates to student success back in the classroom. Research from CASEL shows that SEL education positively impacts academic performance, relationships, mental health, and attitudes about self.

Using SEL curriculum to establish expectations and provide healthy avenues for students to practice emotional identification and awareness became a pillar of successful programs for me as an educator. Outdoor education is a field that focuses on exploration of place and identity, problem solving, and teamwork to promote environmental stewardship. The language and curriculum of SEL simply gives us more tools to help students grow and succeed in the outdoors and in their everyday lives.

Learn more about CFI’s school programs and curriculum at the link here.

Anna Eick found her passion working with kids as an environmental educator when she was a student at Colorado State University. Anna started at CFI as an Apprentice Naturalist Guide in 2019 where she hopped on a raft for the first time and continued to develop her skills as an educator. Anna returned to CFI in 2021 and again for the 2022 season as a Program Manager. She is grateful for the many new skills, adventures, and friends she has gained through her time at CFI.