![]() ![]() Robinson, in his essay "Thoreau's 'Walking' and the Ecological Imperative," describes Thoreau's "Walking" as an "essay in ethics." (2) I agree with this assessment. The traditional classroom, even today, typically does not provide these types of pedagogical opportunities.Įxperiential education certainly makes sense when teaching students about natural history and ecology, but what about environmental ethics? Thoreau scholar David M. ![]() Deep thinking about Nature requires deeper experiences with it. Holistic teaching involves the total self, using the intellect as well as the physical senses to uncover the mysteries of the natural world. He believed that a rote learning approach was too reductionist and far too confining, especially for subjects like natural history that require personal engagement and self-discovery. Thoreau's approach to teaching was unconventional for Victorian-era New England. Henry David Thoreau, Journal, after October 31,1850 (1) "What does education often do!- It makes a straight-cut ditch-of a free, meandering brook." ![]()
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