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Selected Courses

EDUC 120 Foundations of Education
EDUC 310 Experiential Education
ENPR 220 Pedagogies of Place
ENPR 240 Environment and Society
ENPR 488 Environmental Studies Senior Seminar

Biography

I am an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana and the Director of the Center for Environmental Action. Prior to my work at Earlham, I was the Director of the Poplar Ridge Experiential Learning Center at the University of Virginia. My Ph.D. is in Curriculum Theory from Miami University and I completed a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Virginia. I also completed further graduate study at the University of Georgia in the Conservation and Sustainable Development program with a focus on environmental anthropology. In my current position at Earlham, I teach courses in both education and environmental studies and lead field programs in New Zealand as well as month-long outdoor education courses in Northern Ontario and Utah.

Research Projects

My research interests include the theory and philosophy of experiential education, place-based education, and brain-based learning. Recent publications include “From Experience to Neo-Experientialism: Variations on a Theme” published in the Journal of Experiential Education, “Beyond Learning By Doing: The Brain Compatible Approach and Experiential Education” a chapter published in the 2010 book: The Theory and Practice of Experiential Education, and “Disney, Dewey, and the Death of Experience in Education” published in the Journal of Education and Culture. My first book, "Beyond Learning By Doing: Theoretical Currents in Experiential Education" published by Routeledge Press, will be released this Fall (2011).

Professional Memberships

Association for Experiential Education (AEE)
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE)

More About Me

Personally, I enjoy gardening, birding, fly fishing, and international travel. My favorite outdoor pastimes include backpacking, canoeing, and rock and ice climbing. I have two great daughters and my spouse is the school coordinator at the Richmond Friends School -- an independent Quaker elementary school in town. Our family attends First Friends Meeting.