Lidar remote sensing, which uses laser pulses to measure three-dimensional structure, has become essential across natural science disciplines. However, undergraduate students typically receive limited, if any, exposure to this technology and rarely have opportunities to experience it. Experiential and multi-modal courses may be ideal for…

In this article I describe and reflect on my evolving understandings of the study of mentoring since the publication of the 2005 article in the Journal of Teacher Education. My reflective journey suggests stressing two assertions to the study of mentoring. One, that there is a need to develop a more multidimensional and integrated conception of…

How do you teach fieldwork methods when your students are suddenly prevented from entering the field? This was a pressing question faced by faculty at Guttman Community College who were teaching "Ethnographies of Work," a required first-year course centered on the observation and analysis of real-world workplace dynamics. During the…

Thailand's general education policy has been intended to provide students with the necessary basic knowledge for their subsequent major studies, as well as to serve other important functions in daily life practices. The university has several reasons for requiring the general education program as part of degree completion. In this paper, I will…

Though zoos and aquariums have become increasingly focused on conservation education, their menageries of unique and diverse learning opportunities have been underused. This practical "NGSS"-aligned guide to field trips at zoos and aquariums is written specifically for science teachers to support broader utilization of zoos and aquariums…

Purpose: This work aligns with two of the following NAPDS Essentials: Clinical Preparation and Learning and Leading. The authors collaborated with district partners to determine how to best meet their needs. Additionally, our institution continues to develop a reciprocal relationship; pre-service teachers can hone skills during the clinical field…

Field trips, field courses, and other forms of field-based pedagogy have a long and storied history in geography and are frequently described as essential components of geographic education at the college, secondary, and primary levels. A recent and expanding literature on best practices for field-based geographical education provides instructors…

The benefits of performance-based classroom approaches to teaching Shakespeare have been well-documented in pedagogical scholarship. This paper is an effort to push beyond the performance-based classroom and begin to incorporate ideas from the field of performance studies into a new pedagogical approach that capitalizes on my institution's…

In this collaborative professor-student contribution, an experiential nature-based university psychology course is described and discussed. Existing scholarship on experiential environmental education informed the course, with the overall aim of educating the "whole student". Experiential environmental education has been identified as…

The Texas A&M University System recently developed six quality standards for educator preparation programs, the Texas A&M Quality Standards for Educator Preparation, that are to be implemented and met by all system schools. These standards are: quality of selection of teacher candidates; quality of content knowledge and teaching methods;…

Emotion is an integral part of the knowledge production process, yet is rarely acknowledged within research methods teaching or textbooks. As educators, preparing students for fieldwork is essential, and should go beyond skill-learning, towards building confidence in their ability to react both ethically and appropriately during fieldwork. This…

This paper explores ways in which cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provides a useful framework for examination of reflection and action during inclusive education fieldwork. Deeper understanding of combined reflection and action - praxis - is needed for researchers and teacher educators to support teacher candidates' implementation of…

The field of geography especially lends itself to fieldwork, getting students out of the classrooms and into the real world. Furthermore, studies have shown that when traditional lecture style is replaced at least in part with approaches that incorporate active learning, students earn higher examination grades and have a greater chance of passing…

In 2011, the authors developed a new study abroad course in China as part of the University of Colorado Denver Global Study program. The program focused on short-term, intensive, international field study conducted during the three-week break period between the spring and summer semesters. The course, "Sustainability Along the Yangtze,"…

Plant identification is a critical skill for students in biological sciences, especially forestry. Many students begin with limited plant identification abilities and struggle to learn this skill. To support student learning of identification and ecological characteristics of important forest plants in an undergraduate forest ecology course at the…