#050 - The paradox of sacrifice

The growing appeal of outdoor education in an age of comfort and screens

Author

OpenEd Daily
October 10, 2024

Welcome to this special 50th edition of the OpenEd Daily 🥳 ! To commemorate, I plan to finish my work and go outside today, and I invite you to do the same.

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

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đź’ˇ THOUGHT

The Paradox of Sacrifice

In a recent conversation with teen leaders in the Nature Kids Connect program, a young outdoor enthusiast dropped this truth bomb:

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If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes a sacrifice.

"Sacrifice" can either mean investing time, energy, and sometimes comfort in pursuit of your goals… or giving up on the things you desire.

Your willingness to sacrifice in the first sense of the word determines how much or little you have to sacrifice in the second sense.

đź“Š TREND

The Growing Appeal of Outdoor Education

Nature-based schools and enrichment programs are on the rise! In addition to Nature Kids Connect, a quick search in the LiberatED podcast archive turns up several other examples:

The benefits of outdoor education speak for themselves:

  • Increased engagement: Nature doesn't have a mute or pause button. It demands presence.

  • Improved confidence, social skills, and overall health

  • And, of course: Learning to be comfortable with discomfort

These programs often meet 1-2 days per week (some more, some less), offering balance to virtual curriculums and online school.

Ask not for whom the wild calls. It calls for thee!

🛠️ TOOL

Spice Up Your Lessons with “10 Minute Tricks”

Do you ever feel like your lessons are falling flat? Research shows that even the most attentive students struggle to focus after just 10 minutes of lecture. Earlier this week we shared Pam Barnhill’s “10-minute rule” for short learning sprints. Today, we’re offering three simple tricks to reset between these micro-lessons:

  1. Movement Snacks: Quick stretches or jumping jacks boost concentration. University students who took 5-10 minute exercise breaks during long lectures felt more confident and less worried about making mistakes.

  2. Drawing to Learn: When a topic lends itself to visuals, let your kids sketch it out. Simple drawings (even stick figures) can nearly double factual recall. For abstract ideas, try concept mapping.

  3. Rapid Reviews: Quick recaps clarify misunderstandings. Use tools like Kahoot or Quizizz to ask a short review question and turn rapid reviews into fun, low-stakes quizzes.

Want more? Check out the full Edutopia article for three additional strategies.

(MEME) OF THE DAY

Well done, Arnold. Well done.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)