I’m a teacher get me outside here! November 23, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , trackback
A comment on a recent post by Juliet Robertson led me to her blog (the title of this post). She has been experiencing first hand in Scandanavia, Slovenia and Europe the enthuisiasm and funding by Educational authorities (by accessing EU Funding) for supporting Outdoor Learning. She notes importantly;
What do we, in Scotland, want to offer out children in terms of outdoor experiences? Where is our national strategy? There is plenty of evidence that outdoor learning can impact positively on the health, well-being and academic achievements of youngsters. Does Scotland value this real world, place-based learning? Where’s the evidence?
As with Juliet I note that one of the first tasks of the new LTS Outdoor Development Officer post is to organise a conference. This is great but I always find all we do at these is preach Outdoor Learning to the converted as the attendees are mainly outdoor educators or already interested. What we need is well funded concrete outdoor learning opportunities that may even result in actual sustainable facilities. Perhaps one role for the new post will be to look at the EU funding that is available mentioned in Juliet’s blog.
Recently in East Lothian I had been looking at the possibility of funding a post within the authority to explore these very ideas for drawing funding and expanding Outdoor Learning within East Lothian - not just the service I work for. This would include partnerships across the region with publc, voluntary and private organisations and could also support earlier ideas like an East Lothian Outdoor Festival. LETS THINK BIGGER!!!!..
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Hi Bill
Whilst in Sweden I visited the National Centre for Outdoor Environmental Education at Linkoping University and joined the International Masters in Outdoor Education students for their first outdoor practical. On this course only 2 of the 16 participants had any previous outdoor learning experiences. Most were recently qualified teachers who thought the course looked progressive and interesting. Some had never slept in a sleeping bag outdoors. Others were frightened of wandering off a path in a forest. They came from China, Ukraine, Vietnam, Pakistan and Cyprus and many other countries.
Yet I believe this course is one of many solutions Scotland could and should be considering as part of its approach to embedding outdoor learning within a Curriculum for Excellence. Arguably one of the reasons why more outdoor learning (in whatever shape or form) is not happening in our schools is that the “ordinary” teacher has not had exposure to key outdoor experiences and no time to really learn and understand the benefits of quality outdoor learning for our children.
Now I could say a lot more, but I’ll leave that for others to have their say!
Juliet, we have been trying here to get some sort of Outdoor Learning experience on the NQT/Probationer calendar for some time.We hope that this will soon happen.In a previous authority that I worked for we ran a residential activity for NQT’s new to the authority - it was a hugely valuable experience for us all.
We also had tie in’s with the local university where as part of a credited module an outdoor residential experience was used to convey the value of outdoor learning. How wonderful it would be to have this as compulsory in teacher training programmes in Scotland.
As you say this would help in embedding outdoor learning in the Curriculum for Excellence within Scotland by inspiring new teachers and educators to use the outdoors and experiential learning in their teaching.
I was often thinking, while working in schools, how little the grounds were used by teachers, let alone further away from the school.
Most of our school grounds have immense potential for learning outdoors - how to make this normality?
Part of the answer must lie in training - making it a everyday part of teacher education, but then maybe you have to “train the trainers” to achieve this.
It must also be recognised that some staff will never be happy outside for a whole variety of reasons, but at least some experience might turn on teachers to possibilities for enhancing education by using the outdoors more.
Hi Alastair
Last year I undertook some outdoor learning surveys with some Aberdeenshire Schools to baseline the amount of learning happening outside - in the school grounds, local community and beyond. Interestingly most teachers organised day trips away more than undertaking lessons in the school grounds.
Grounds for Learning run courses for people to become accredited school grounds professionals. For example Karin Chipulina, who is based in East Lothian and has worked with schools on forest school activities.
The crux of the matter is the staff. Almost all children repeatedly show an interest and enthusiasm for being taught outside and the reasons expressed go beyond what is taught. In my GTCS research project I asked 200 children “In what ways did being outside make a difference to the problem solving session.” The number one reason was space and freedom to move about where answers weren’t provided - the children had to come up with the reasons themselves.
Returning to the staff, the reasons are plenty. I chuckled when I saw the statements “Why indoors?” being used by various people. Indoors is safe, warm, familiar and many teachers have an identifiable space for themselves and their classes, especially in primary schools. Going outside requires more effort and planning and going into unfamiliar territory. There are less obvious resources to the untrained eye to use and with political emphasis on impact and knowing what you are doing gets results then teachers do not want to risk going outside where they are out of their comfort zone - in every way.
I’d like to see a psychological research undertaken which goes beyond teachers’ attitudes but explores teachers’ needs and why being outside is not meeting their (perceived?) needs at present.
Hi Bill
Not sure about the ‘concrete outdoor learning opportuities’ !! But agree 100% that we need to move from talking to doing, and in particular to regularly using the environments local to the school - playgrounds or local woodlands / greenspaces. But I also agree with Juliet that one of the barriers to doing is whats in the minds of teachers when they think about using outdoor spaces. I think teachers need lots more opportunities to experience the outdoors as a learning environment - to overcome misconceptions and learn how to deal with the challenges that managing children’s learning in the outdoors presents as well as using the many positive opportunity it presents.
To this end the Forest Eduation Group is working with education to provide a CPD session on forest school which will take place on the 6th march 2009. To book a place email staffdevelopment.ecs@eastlothian.gov.ukor for more information contact Kirsty Robertson 01620 827863
I would also draw your attention to Cockenzie primary as an exemplar of what can be done in an urban environment with limited access to Greenspace - here the nursery class has been spending one morning a week in a little strip of amenity woodland close to the school for a forest school programme with teacher Issi Baxter. It has gone so well that the school is now arranging for other class teachers to experience two session of the programme with Issi on a rolling basis.
Can we do it in East Lothian - yes we can!
Cheers
Steven
Bill/Juliet and others
We recently ran an In-service training session for staff in 2 schools from our local cluster in Fife. We borrowed the phrase Taking Learning Outdoors as a headline for the training and concentrated on what opportunities there were within the playground or within walking distance of the playground.
The most encouraging aspects of the day were that staff from Nursery right through to P7 were represented and almost all staff from the schools participated. The feedback was really positive and has been passed on to 2 other schools in the cluster who have now booked the training for the next inservice day.
This is very much at the pilot stage but I thought this experience fitted well with the other comments here. I would be interested in any comments on how best to use this kind of contact time with schools staff.
Ali
Outdoor Education Fife
Ali,
This sounds like an excellent opportunity for teaching/support staff in your region. In our annual CPD brochure we have ran more specific courses (eg orienteering in school grounds, problem solving in school grounds) not neccesarily that well attended. I think your approach of running them specifically for targeted schools may be the way forward and the “Taking Learning Outdoors” title is a good tie in with LTS ideas.
Would be interested to hear how they came about i.e. did you market the course to all schools and 2 then showed interest or did these schools request a training day?
Hi Ali and Bill
One of my current contracts is for the Forestry Commission Scotland where I am creating an online CPD resource for their staff so that thay can set up and organise CPD for schools-based education staff to delivery outdoor learning activities. This has a focus on woods but the discussions you are having fall into the advice which will go on line. If you want more information, contact me off-line via my website http://www.creativestarlearning.co.uk . The draft material will be ready for consultation by the end of January 09.
I am actually very interested in meeting up with people doing outdoor learning CPD for teachers and doing some sharing of ideas about quality outdoor activities. There is a lot of adhoc CPD being undertaken all over Scotland and we could all save time re-inventing the wheel if there was an ocasional get together. This could be a request to submit to OLSAG as part of their national conference or as a point to consider for further development of outdoor learning within Scotland.
Out of interest does SAPOE as an organisation deliver CPD to school staff?
Finally, it’s worth remembering to mention the Scottish school grounds charity, Grounds for Learning, to any schools you work with. They run courses about outdoor learning in the school grounds. However their biggest kept secret is their members only section of their website which has 2 huge files full of advice, suggestions and material waiting to be downloaded by paid up members. It’s especially good for the Early Years.
Bill
There are a couple of things that came together to bring the day about. In October we produced a training brochure similar to what you do in East Lothian. We included a sample of the Taking Learning Outdoors programme that we were promoting. The interest may have stopped there as we didn’t get great distribution of the brochure. It was actually an Active Schools Coordinator that picked up on it and linked us with the initial 2 schools. Another connection is that one of the Headteachers is on the new OLSAG group. In some ways we were preaching to the converted but we have a second definite booking and another enquiry already. In answer to your question - the schools requested the training - which we then used as a springboard to get off the ground something we had been planning to run.
I am going to look up some of the information Juliet has mentioned. One of the areas we addressed on the day was looking at a number of initiatives that are already available to schools that link in with Outdoor learning opportunities e.g Forest Kindergarten & Schools, some eco schools projects, orienteering resources for all ages and of course Natural Connections. We also joined forces with the rangers service.
It was pretty exciting to work with the whole school staff and we do intend to follow up with visits to the school.
Hi All
I’ve just found this blog - though I may not find it agina unless I book mark it! I’m a nursery teacher currently seconded out from P&K council to work with RSPB as education policy officer. Most of the time I’m promoting outdoor learning through the Real World Learning Partnership which I chair
http://www.realworldlearning-scotland.org.uk
However, I also work closely witha cluster of schools that sit round Loch Leven NNR in an initiative called ‘Growing up with Loch Leven’ (GUWLL). I’ve spoken to Juliet about this but I find one of one of the most exciting aspects of GUWLL, is getting involved in ’skilling up’ teachers to deliver OL themselves whilst helping them to explore where outside providers can enhance what they do. The idea is to create a menu of OL possibilities which can be used to build a programme from babies - upper secondary and beyond. Included in this would be residential experiences. Much of it’s aspirational at the moment but I have met with all the primary teachers over several twilight sessions to look at their CPD needs. It was in collegiate time so there were people there who wouldn’t have chosen to be! I’ve also met with 12 staff from Kinross High School who have recently formed their own GUWLL group. It’s all very exciting!
Joyce
This we believe is exactly what’s needed and provide as much training as we can within East Lothian. The more training opportunities that are available for educational staff to encourage them to use the valuable outdoor resources and power within experiential learning. I love the idea of GUWLL and the whole “growing up” aspect. would love to hear more about how you are promoting Outdoor Learning. More particularly the initial “sell”…we still find it difficult to gain a larger audience within our region and for educational establishments to value OL.