Walden Project

Location: Vergennes, Vermont

The Walden Project is a public school program serving students in grades 10-12. Run out of Vergennes Union High School with support and guidance from The Willowell Foundation, The Walden project provides students a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes writing, philosophy, environmental studies, while supporting student centered-inquiry. The program is modeled on Henry David Thoreau(tm)s sojourn to Walden Pond where he immersed himself in his ecology to deepen his sense of self, society, and the natural world. To that end, students are encouraged to follow and pursue their own areas of interest with support and guidance from the staff.

Highlights:

Features of The Walden Project:

• Place-based education: the program runs on 260 acres of land and much of the work is connected to the land's ecology.
• Inquiry-based learning: taking a holistic approach to learning, classes and studies are interdisciplinary
• Learning outside: several days a week are spent outside learning on the land
• Internships: each student has an internship one day a week oin an area of interest
• Community learning: field trips, visits to local organizations and community efforts are a key part of the currriculum
• Henry David Thoreau: as the name of the program implies, Thoreau and his Walden writing and adventures are a key inspiration.

Links:

• Walden Project website - http://www.willowell.org/programs/the-walden-project/

Submitted by Dana Bennis on: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 11:23 am

Tags for this entry:
project-based learning, place based education, experiential education, ecology