KPU Wild Spaces centers on community building. We are an interdisciplinary teaching and learning hub that hosts monthly outdoor events. Our team of faculty, staff and students focuses on ecological place-based education in post-secondary, exploring intentional outdoor learning at and near the campuses of Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This includes Cougar Creek, Logan Creek at KPU Langley, the Westerman Property, and KPU Farm beside the Richmond campus. Respect, responsibility and reciprocity are some of our guiding principles, and we recognize that our work is being done on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples. Indigenous ways of understanding and accessibility are priorities for Wild Spaces.
In place-based learning the environment becomes a co-teacher. The local forests and streams, as well as the university campus grounds, are active agents in the learning process. In addition to enhancing community connections, learning in outdoor spaces is inherently experiential and boosts our health and creativity. Taking learning outside the classroom allows for immersive experiences and can engage us in the work of land-based pedagogy, decolonization, and responding to the climate crisis.
Our frequent outdoor events are often connected to the seasons: focusing on pollinators in the spring, fungi in the fall, and salmon spawning in Cougar Creek. Another goal of KPU Wild Spaces is creating a variety of resources for those interested in engaging in place-based teaching and learning, including example activities and assignments, audio-visual aids and more.
Wild Spaces is made possible by the Teaching & Learning Innovation Fund.
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