Outdoor Learning Research

Outdoor Learning Research

The term ‘outdoor learning’ covers many forms of practice outside the classroom, including Forest School and outdoor play. Outdoor learning has been rapidly growing as a topic of interest for educators and parents over the last ten years, and research published in this field is also increasing. Despite the fact that we are inextricably part of the natural world, there is concern that contemporary children have become disconnected from nature and that their opportunities to access natural environments are declining. Given compelling evidence that time spent in natural places has multiple benefits for human health and wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour (Bourn et al., 2016), there is an impetus to find ways to increase children’s exposure to and attachment to nature through their education. The chapters in this book were originally peer-reviewed articles published in Education 3–13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education. They are amongst the most popular in the journal, reflecting the demand for more evidence of outcomes and high-quality information about how best to implement outdoor learning for children in this age group. The authors report qualitative and quantitative studies and consider implications of the findings for children and their development, and for the integration (or not) of natural environment contexts within school practices. Gathering this body of evidence together in a single volume enables important messages about outdoor learning’s various purposes, processes and outcomes to be more readily accessed by practitioners, policy makers and researchers.

A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning

Children Learning Outside the Classroom

Learning outside the classroom is increasingly seen as beneficial in both early years and primary settings, and it is becoming embedded in the curriculum, but what are the benefits of this approach? What do children learn from being outside the classroom? This book explores why learning beyond the classroom is important for children, and offers practical examples of how to improve outdoor learning experiences for all children. In the face of the increasing restriction of children's outdoor experiences, it will help the reader rise to the challenge of finding creative opportunities for working across the curriculum through outdoor activities. Chapters cover: - the theory behind learning outside the classroom - transition from early years to primary practice - what outdoor learning looks like, in different contexts - teaching and learning across the curriculum outdoors - how to evaluate the effectiveness of different outdoor activities, and learning outside the classroom as a whole. Each chapter has case studies, thoughts on theory, points for practice and summaries to help readers digest the most important information. Critical thinking and reflective practice are encouraged throughout to support consideration of how outdoor learning relates to the curricula in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sue Waite is a Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth, where she leads the outdoor and experiential learning research network in the Faculty of Education.