Going beyond these four

walls

Ideas for outdoor learning

Alan ParkinsonGeography Dept.

“Man is most nearly himself when he

achieves the seriousness of a

child at play.”Herodotus, Greek

historian

Field Studies Council Research• Substantial evidence exists to indicate thatfieldwork, properly conceived, adequately planned,well taught and effectively followed up, offerslearners opportunities to develop their knowledgeand skills in ways that add value to their everydayexperiences in the classroom.• Specifically, fieldwork can have a positive impact onlong-term memory due to the memorable nature of thefieldwork setting. Effective fieldwork, and residentialexperience in particular, can lead to individual growthand improvements in social skills. More importantly,there can be reinforcement between the affective andthe cognitive, with each influencing the other andproviding a bridge to higher order learning.

#kebeyond4walls• 78% of parents are concerned that children

don’t spend enough time interacting with nature

• 57% of parents say their children spend a little or a lot less time outdoors than they did

Wildlife Trust Research

“We will be physically, mentally and spiritually impoverished if

our children are deprived of contact with the natural

world.”

A: Sue FreestoneB: David AttenboroughC: Steve Backshall

“We will be physically, mentally and spiritually impoverished if

our children are deprived of contact with the natural

world.”

A: Sue FreestoneB: David AttenboroughC: Steve Backshall

Previous experience of working in and writing about the outdoors

Winner Hay Festival / National Trust Outdoor Book of the Year 2012Runner up Education Writer of the Year twiceShortlisted for Learning outside the Classroom Award 2013

Living Geographyhttp://livinggeography.blogspot.com

RiskMinimised in the classroom…Check out the work of West Rise Primary Schoolhttps://www.channel4.com/news/buffalo-shotguns-and-quad-bikes-at-school

Let’s get outside…

Elements of the outdoors

Prepare in the classroomGo outsideExploreThink and discussReturn to the classroom

Elements of the outdoors

Preparation and activities

Stephen Pickering

“In an English school, teachers can teach their

children anything at all as long as it is legal and safe..”

Mick Waters

Going your own way…

15 + 45 + 15

Colour – colour spectrum cardsDouble sided tape

Colour charts from B&Q

App: Freeze Paint

Poetry

Write a poem

Wordfoto App

Shape hunter

Look up…

Sound CDs

Use an App?

Crafty ExplorersDesign Council project I was involved in for funding

StoryMap – use your smartphone to add something to the map – it will be geolocated and added…http://arcg.is/2nH837P

#kebeyond4walls

8-Way Thinking

Dérive…

Sharon Witt, University of WinchesterWays of Walking

Uncertain and emergent journeys across places taking the opportunity to ‘pause and dwell in

places for more than a fleeting moment‘ (Payne and Wattchow, 2009, p.16).

A

B

HERE BE DRAGONS

!

!

Wilderness walks

UNCHARTED TERRITORYUnplanned paths

Time to stop & stare

Imagining spots

IdeasConversations & chats

Risk

Wonder

Emotional encounters

! Accident Black Spot

Checkpoint

Superhighway

Jam

Timed Tasks

! Paula Owens

Place“a meaningful

segment of geographical

space”

Comfort Zone

Pedagogy:

“leading students to a place where they can

learn”

Your challenge

•Select an activity•Add a subject context•Create a curriculum artefact

curriculum artefacts

What is curriculum making ?

“the creation of interesting, engaging and challenging educational experiences which draw upon teacher knowledge and skills, the experiences of students and the subject resource..”

The use of curriculum artefacts is important when planning lessons. You may have returned from the Easter break with a range of new items which could be used in a lesson. These could include:

ClothingStones or sand from a beach

MapsLeaflets and other ephemera including tickets

ImagesSound clips

Video materialSouvenirs that you have bought

Memories

By themselves these remain simply ‘things’ but in the hands of a teacher they come to life. This happens for three reasons, which are to do with the skill of the teacher, as described by Professor David Lambert.

“First, using this resource requires specialist subject knowledge to realise the educational benefits of using it. Secondly, it requires the teacher to decide on a sound way to use the resource. Thirdly, it requires the teacher to able to 'place' the resource really effectively - thinking about what prior knowledge would be helpful and how to follow it through and build on the understanding gained through its use.”

Choose your activitiesMission:Explore

Cloud-spotting

Go for a walk

Colour palette

Write a poem

Make a map Record sounds

Capture the place

8-way thinking

Capture textures

Be a pigeon Mini-National

Park

Shape hunter

Haiku5-7-5

Interview someone

??

Your challenge

•Select an activity•Add a subject context•Create a curriculum artefact

Be back here in 45 minutes please… and be ready to share…#kebeyond4walls

Feedback / forward

• What did you learn about the place(s) that you visited?

• How could you use the outdoors in your own subject area?

• What ONE thing are you going to try during the summer term?

#kebeyond4walls

References

FSC Research Report (2004)https://www.field-studies-council.org/media/268859/2004_a_review_of_research_on_outdoor_learning.pdfStephen Pickering: “Teaching Outdoors Creatively: Learning to teach in the Primary School” – Routledge (April 2017) – next weekSharon WittDr. Paula Owens

References

Sound mapping: http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/Fieldwork+technology/Soundscapes.htm Keri Smith: “How to be an Explorer of the World”