"The Trees Need Water"and the Students Need Authentic Responsibility

Learning almost-in-the-wild in a Community-Based Internship

Abstract

Experiential learning in internships, a High-Impact Practice promoted in U.S. higher education, resembles “learning in the wild.” This mixed-method study, conducted by a faculty-student ethnographic team, presents the qualities of the experience, in Dewey’s terms, of a highly regarded community-based summer internship, with problem-led flexibility; bodily involvement and multimodality; respect for learners’ capacities; mentors rather than teachers; multiple forms of diversity in a community of practice; cooperative social relations; genuine responsibility; security of basic needs; connection to community and place; ample but authentic time constraints