alternative learning environments: the tent
One thing that the institutional classroom divorces students and teachers from is the outdoors, and the result is fatigue and boredom and frustration for those students requiring more visceral stimulation. The tent is one possible solution. Because it is mobile and rapidly deployed, it can support educational safaris to lots of different locations. Because it is thin and open, it maintains a visceral connection to the outdoors. Because it is enclosed and offers structure, it can support teaching tools in a way that outdoor venues cannot. For all these reasons, we feel tents offer a valuable alternative venue for teaching and learning. Even partially realized, as with open but permanently constructed venues, the visceral connection to the outdoors provides a visceral learning experience. Here are two examples:
Cambodian Classroom
Atkinson Outdoor Learning Garden Pavilion, Portland, Oregon