Active Learning through Geocaching!

Hello Friends!

Today we discuss geocaching and the role it can play in active learning. Learning is often viewed as students listening as they sit neatly in rows as a teacher lectures. Active learning is different. It involves students engaged in action and thinking about what they are doing (Berek, 2022). Students engaged in active learning rely less on the teacher's knowledge and work in groups or on their own to develop skills and a higher order of thinking through synthesis, analysis, and evaluation. They also explore their own attitudes and values. Some teachers misunderstand the idea of active learning to mean that in this student-centered approach students must engage in activities on their own without instructor intervention (Ito & Takeuchi, 2022). A study of teachers in Japan suggested the learning experience is more effective for students when instructors blend lectures with active learning activities to engage learners. 

For more information about active learning, check out this video. 

(The Active Learning Method, n.d.)

Some teachers integrate geocaching into their teaching to help students engage in more active learning. Geocaching is a treasure hunt game that uses global positioning technology to engage users (Robinson & Hardcastle, 2016). According to Referowska-Chodak (2020), geocaching for learning promotes positive outcomes related to being in nature, increased motivation through active achievement, and a versatile array of knowledge and skills acquisition. 

Have you personally done any geocaching? What about as part of your instruction with students? Tell us about it in the comments! 

References

The Active Learning Method. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://youtu.be/xxVxgQJwV7w

Berek, D. L. M. (2022). Active learning. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Ito, H., & Takeuchi, S. (2022). The demise of active learning even before its implementation? Instructors’ understandings and application of this approach within Japanese higher education. Education Inquiry, 13(2), 185–204.

Referowska-Chodak, E. (2020). Geocaching in education – a review of international experiences Part 1. Introduction: advantages and problems. Leśne prace badawcze, 81, 29-42. doi: 10.2478/frp-2020-0004

Robinson, S., & Hardcastle, S. (2016). Exploring the attitudes toward and experiences of geocaching amongst families in the community. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 26(2), 187–197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2015.1061116