Outdoor & Adventure Education

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Why it works

Outdoor and adventure education uses experiential learning in outdoor and challenge settings, hiking and camping, climbing and ropes courses, team problem-solving challenges, environmental exploration, to build skills and dispositions that are hard to develop in a classroom: resilience and perseverance, teamwork and communication, risk assessment and decision-making, self-confidence, leadership, and connection to the natural world. Research on experiential and adventure education links it to growth in confidence, social skills, and engagement, especially for students who thrive outside traditional academics. Strong programs are intentional about the learning goals (not just activities), the reflection that turns experience into learning, safety, and inclusive, appropriately challenging experiences for all students.

The research: Research on experiential and adventure education.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: design intentional outdoor learning

Teachers leave with an outdoor experience built on goals and reflection.

Pick an outdoor or adventure experience or challenge.
Set clear learning goals (resilience, teamwork, decision-making, connection to nature).
Build in reflection that turns experience into learning.
Ensure safety and inclusive, appropriately challenging experiences for all.

Challenge, reflection, and growthOutdoor and adventure education builds resilience, teamwork, and connection to nature, through challenge and reflection. Be intentional about goals, reflection, safety, and inclusion.

Facilitator notes

Set clear learning goals, and use challenge experiences.
Build in reflection.
Ensure safety and inclusion.

Activities without goals or reflection are just outingsChallenge activities alone do not guarantee learning. Set clear goals and build in reflection that turns the experience into resilience, teamwork, and growth.

Adapt it

Elementary: nature, teamwork, simple challenges, reflection.
Secondary: challenge, leadership, decision-making, reflection.
All settings: intentional goals, challenge, reflection, inclusion.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Outdoor & Adventure Education: intentional learning

Challenge plus reflection: clear goals, real challenge, reflection that makes it learning, safety, and inclusion.

The outdoor or adventure experience or challenge:
The clear learning goals (resilience, teamwork, decision-making, nature):
The reflection that turns experience into learning:
How I ensure safety and inclusion:
A learning goal to make more intentional:

Make it stick

Intentional learning:

Design intentional outdoor learning.
Build in reflection.
Bring an outdoor-ed experience idea to the next PLC.

Common questions

Isn't outdoor education just field trips and fun?

Well-designed outdoor and adventure education builds resilience, teamwork, decision-making, leadership, and connection to nature, intentionally, through challenge and reflection. It is experiential learning, not just activities.

What does it develop?

Resilience and perseverance, teamwork and communication, risk assessment and decision-making, confidence, leadership, and connection to the natural world, especially for students who thrive outside traditional academics.

What makes a program strong?

Clear learning goals (not just activities), reflection that turns experience into learning, safety, and inclusive, appropriately challenging experiences for every student.