Get Outside!

Our Teaching
Philosophy

Why is the Wolf Ridge education experience so successful?

Learning at Wolf Ridge is profound and memorable because of the combination of the experiential, hands-on activities students experience outdoors, the magnificent site, highly skilled teachers, extended class periods, and small teacher to student ratios.

Since 1971 Wolf Ridge has been a place where students can see, touch, smell, feel and experience learning that once was thought best accomplished in a book. Whether a pre-schooler or a grandparent, we all learn best by actively participating in the learning.  Classes are designed to incorporate many different learning styles. 

Our curriculum has been the model for other centers around the world and embodies over 30 years of refinement by our program staff.

More About our Educational Philosophy


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"The teachers are well-trained, have knowledge of teaching pedagogy, and engage students in activities that are hands-on, minds-on"

- Wayzata teacher

Holistic Approach
Environmental education explores the science of ecosystems, plus relationships between people and their environment. We encourage students to consider how their values and behaviors can influence and ultimately impact the world around them. Our curriculum provides hands-on, memorable experiences that involve the whole person and address multiple learning styles.

Curricular Content
We choose curricular content based upon the local natural and cultural history of Minnesota, and on contemporary environmental issues. Science-based classes provide opportunities to learn more about our planet and how it works. Cultural history classes give a glimpse of the way our predecessors interacted with local ecosystems to create a life for themselves. Current events classes help us to understand emerging issues. Personal growth and team-building classes develop skills for meeting personal and group challenges. Outdoor skill classes help students discover ways to keep learning about their environments for a lifetime.

Education vs. Advocacy
Wolf Ridge is an educational facility, not an issue advocacy organization. We do advocate for a well-educated citizenry that is able to act together for a quality environment. We strive to offer information without bias, allowing the student to develop his or her own beliefs. Our approach in class is to provide information and understanding of the issues while allowing our students to form opinions to guide their personal actions. We keep our staff informed and updated on multiple viewpoints of issues, providing the background they need to facilitate class discussions from multiple perspectives.

Diversity
We welcome and encourage students and visitors with a diversity of beliefs, abilities, and life experiences to visit Wolf Ridge. Our curriculum strives to present differing perspectives, encouraging students to consider new ideas, develop critical thinking skills, and foster a love of lifelong learning. We train our staff to be informed educators whose classes facilitate respectful discussions.

Outdoor Classroom
Wolf Ridge is renowned for its use of site. We put a priority on getting our students away from campus and immersed in the natural beauty of this area. Even though there may be 300 people at Wolf Ridge, a class may spend the entire three hours without seeing another group of students. The campus's ecosystems are varied: from maple hardwood ridgetops to mixed boreal forests, quiet streams to the Baptism River, cliff-bordered lakes to wetlands, and high ridgetops to broad valleys.

Educational Learning Theories
We are a school for students of all ages. We implement teaching strategies designed to meet the needs of individual students with a variety of backgrounds and levels of understanding.  Our Naturalist Training program, in partnership with the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Master of Environmental Education, keeps our staff abreast of current learning theories. You will find an outstanding level of understanding and teaching skill in our staff.