The Institute of Outdoor Learning (2020) defines outdoor learning as a broad term that includes discovery, experimentation, learning about and connecting to the natural world, and engaging in environmental and adventure activities. Within primary education, there is a focus on educationally legitimising outdoor learning. Hence, outdoor learning is commonly becoming viewed as a pedagogical approach that can be used to cover curricular experiences and outcomes (Christie et al., 2015).
Benefits of Outdoor Learning
The benefits of outdoor learning are well documented by papers such as Waite (2011) and Blair (2009). I have attached both these papers to the post. These benefits include freedom, fun, authenticity, autonomy, and physicality. It is often also highlighted that outdoor learning activities could improve self-esteem and self-confidence. The authors mentioned above also both go into depth about the cognitive values of outdoor learning.
A key motivator in facilitating outdoor learning is getting the children outside in the first place. Children are spending less unstructured time in nature (Louv, 2008). The term “nature deficit disorder” is used to describe this contemporary issue. This lack of connectivity could have implications for future generations with regard to conservation and global sustainability. Educational practitioners are mostly able to understand these benefits but might have a muddled view of what outdoor learning looks like in practice (Beames et al., 2012).
Forest Schools
A recent development in outdoor learning in the British and International education system is the emergence of Forest Schools. This concept was first developed in Swedish forest kindergartens. Forest Schools are often facilitated by educational practitioners with extra qualifications to lead sessions (Waite et al., 2015). Forest Schools allow children to access natural environments and offer child-initiated and play-based learning experiences. However, there is a question mark over the validity of Forest Schools’ stated outcomes (Please see the forest school website link below) and whether the activities associated with Forest Schools are relevant to modern culture (Leather, 2018).
Local Environments
Discussing the selection of outdoor learning environments will be the focus of my next blog post. However, it is becoming more accepted that outdoor learning is most effective when facilitated in local environments that are relevant to the learners (Wistoft, 2013). There is a growing realisation within primary education that outdoor learning would be more easily accomplished in the school’s local environment or backyard, and schools are now concentrating on developing their own green spaces (van Dijk–Wesselius et al., 2020). There is also a growing discussion about the educational legitimacy of school residential experiences (Beames et al., 2009).
It is also essential to understand that outdoor learning does not always have to focus on natural environments. There are often rich learning opportunities to be discovered within local communities, allowing children to explore real-life contexts such as shops, public transport, or historic buildings. These contexts provide children with an authentic experience, and these experiences can often be easily linked with curricular outcomes. Due to the current global climate crisis and global sustainable development objectives, outdoor learning is viewed as a fantastic framework in which to explore sustainability issues. By using outdoor learning, children could develop a deeper connection with nature, with the hope that this will influence their future environmental behaviours and values (Beames et al., 2012).
A Good Starting Point
Education practitioners must regularly adapt to curriculum redesign, educational policy change, and subject initiatives (Baumfied et al., 2012), and understanding broad pedagogical approaches such as outdoor learning can be overwhelming. A good starting point is to decide what outdoor learning could mean to you and how it can best fit into your practice. As educational practitioners, we all have areas of interest and strengths. Choosing an area of interest or strength as the foundation of your practice could add to an enjoyment factor when facilitating lessons. Enthusiasm is going to be a key component in creating an outdoor learning culture within the organisation (Ross et al., 2014)
Readings
Beames, S, Ross, H, & Atencio, M (2009). Taking Excellence Outdoors. B, Scottish Educational Review , Vol. 41 , No. 2 , Pp. 32-45 . Available at:Http://www.scotedreview.org.uk/pdf/283.pdf
Beames, S., Higgins, P., & Nicol, R. (2012). Learning outside the classroom : Theory and guidelines for practice. New York ; London: Routledge.
Blair, D. (2009). The child in the garden: An evaluative review of the benefits of school gardening. The Journal of Environmental Education, 40(2), 15-38. Available at:https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk/docview/233046735?accountid=10673(Accessed 9th May, 2020)
Baumfield, V., Hall, E., & Wall, K. (2012). Action research in education: Learning through practitioner enquiry. 2. ed. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Christie, B., Beames, S., Higgins, P., Nicol, R., & Ross, H. (2014). Outdoor Education Provision in Scottish Schools. Scottish Educational Review, 46(1), 48-64.
Higgins, P., Loynes, C., Crowther, N., Adventure Education, Scottish Natural Heritage, & Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education. (1997). A guide for outdoor educators in Scotland. Penrith [England]: Adventure Education.
Institute of Outdoor Learning (2020) About Outdoor Learning. Available at: https://www.outdoor-learning.org/Good-Practice/Research-Resources/About-Outdoor-Learning (Accessed: 2nd July 2020)
Louv, R (2008). Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder: Chapel Hill : Algonquin Books
Van Dijk-Wesselius, Janke E., Van den Berg, Agnes E., Maas, Jolanda, Hovinga, Dieuwke, Clinical Psychology, & Amsterdam Public Health – Mental Health. (2020). Green Schoolyards as Outdoor Learning Environments: Barriers and Solutions as Experienced by Primary School Teachers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-16.
Waite, S. (2011). Teaching and learning outside the classroom: Personal values, alternative pedagogies and standards. Education 3-13, 39(1), 65-82.
Waite, S., Bølling, M., & Bentsen, P. (2016). Comparing apples and pears?: A conceptual framework for understanding forms of outdoor learning through comparison of English Forest Schools and Danish udeskole. Environmental Education Research: ECER Mini
Wistoft, K. (2013). The desire to learn as a kind of love: Gardening, cooking, and passion in outdoor education. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 13(2), 125-141.
