Experiential Learning

At The Gooden School, we feel the world is our classroom, and our approach to experiential learning adds depth and richness to our students’ learning that cannot be accomplished within the traditional four walls of a classroom. 

Trips off campus occur at every grade level and build upon the classroom experience. In lower grades trips are local  and include regular walks to the library and  to the police and fire departments, to local historic sites, museums and gardens, and theater productions. Beginning in fourth grade, experiential field trips include overnight trips that deepen the global studies and science/STEAM programs. These have included trips to Sacramento, Dodger Stadium, the Holocaust Museum, the Graffiti Tour, Camp Stevens, the Science Museum, the Arboretum and the Huntington, Cal Tech, Astrocamp, PALI and CIMI, Boston, Washington DC, and New York.

While we believe that such experiences enliven lessons, as a relationship-focused school, we also feel these experiences strengthen peer-to-peer relationships and assist students as they become more  independent and able to exercise better self- regulation.