Education is vitally important. A good education is not only informative but is transferable and enjoyable. Learning should be an adventure: inspiring and empowering. As an educator, I bring these values into my lessons. My teaching focuses on critical thinking and teaching students how to develop knowledge, rather than memorizing facts or inert ideas. I focus on building skills for understanding, inquiry, and asking important questions. I approach each student with a constructivist viewpoint, acknowledging and celebrating the prior knowledge and experience each student brings to the learning environment. If students learn how to ask questions and develop answers themselves, they become life-long learners.

I provide students with important content, relevance, structure, and reflection opportunities through many teaching styles. I address which teaching method will best fit the situation. I am a co-adventurer in learning — a guide on the side — who supports the student in their discovery. Often, I use experiential education. I provide experiences to students where they can discover the lesson themselves through hands-on opportunities. They are able to test their ideas, learn through failure, and are able to make important discoveries in a controlled environment. Students have the ability to practice and apply theories they learn. Direct application, experience and practice is foundational to learning, regardless of whether the student is a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner. I aim to give each student a peak adventure experience, where they will find optimal arousal, or flow state. When the student’s ability is matched with the difficulty of the task, the student finds a sense of focus and efficacy in the skill. I strive to match each student’s ability with this challenge so that they may find flow state. This state is all-absorbing and intrinsically rewarding. It is a powerful tool for experiential education.

One of my most important jobs as an instructor is to provide transfer and application from the activity or experience to the rest of the student’s life. An activity on its own does not always automatically create profound learning. It is the instructor’s job to assist the student in connecting the activities to their goals and aspirations. Transferring the skills they are learning to their lives is one of the most important aspects of lessons learned outdoors, whether that is communicating with an individual, understanding group dynamics, or overcoming a challenge. Through reflection opportunities and debriefs, I provide and guide opportunities for students to make these connections.

Finally, one of my most important jobs as an instructor and as a woman outdoors is to empower others. I want to inspire my students to feel that they are competent, capable, and that they belong outdoors. I want to be a mentor to students, especially groups who are underrepresented. I listen to students. I pay attention to them. I support them and communicate with them. By using empathy and active listening, I always work to connect with students on a deeper level. When I understand my students more deeply, I can work with them to develop self-efficacy and create student-centered programming. I always focus on the student and meet them where they are. Empowering the student to feel capable and confident is my passion in my teaching.

My teaching philosophy is focused around students. I work to help the student develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and lessons that will transfer to the rest of their lives, not just the activity that they are learning. I develop curiosity in my students and help them create their own problems to solve. I also provide hands-on, experiential education, allowing the student to learn in a rich environment where they can try out their ideas, learn from failure, and eventually succeed. I guide my students not only through their learning but also through the transfer of the skills they learn to other applicable areas of their lives. Most importantly, I strive to connect with my students deeply, listen empathetically, and meet them where they are. I empower my students by boosting their self-efficacy and offering myself as a mentor. I teach my students as a partner and co-adventurer in the great journey of learning.