Progressing through outdoor learning

I’ve previously outlined the role that quality outdoor learning can play in engaging pupils and providing an approach that stands as both an alternative and an enhancement to classroom-based activity. I have described the common characteristics and outcomes from good outdoor learning – a vehicle that seeks to use the outdoor environment as a vehicle for transforming experience into skills, attitudes and behaviour. It is clear to me that to restrict outdoor learning to the PE curriculum is to significantly undervalue it. It has an important role to play in the Personal, Social, Health and Economic agenda. It should also be used to ‘bring to life’ Maths and provide creative stimulus for English, in addition to the more obvious field study dimensions of Earth Sciences.

Make it a success
To follow-up on my ‘Harnessing the Power of Outdoors’ article, I plan to address the question, ‘how can I deliver a successful outdoor learning experience?’ As you might expect, the best examples of successful outdoor learning come from schools and groups who have sought to embed the right culture as well as practice, often with a school wide review, planning and staff training. This isn’t to say that the medium cannot be picked-up by individual teachers, but a creative, supportive environment of colleagues seeking to engage pupils in an outdoor environment is inevitably more productive.
    
It is worth considering an inset day focused on outdoor learning. Such a day can not only stimulate creative use of the outdoors, it can also act as a forum exploring wide school values and their out working through use of structured outdoor exercises and facilitated reviews. It is worth talking to the team at the Institute for Outdoor Learning if you are considering this. Alternatively, if you are looking to plan out your curriculum delivery to include a range of non-classroom based options the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom website contains helpful guidance.

Looking close to home
Let’s start by looking at the ‘where’ element of the above question as the approach to exploring a fuller answer. It is often a mistake to start a journey with outdoor learning by looking outside the school. Even the most urban locations can provide local opportunities often within the grounds of the school. Simple exercises based around school grounds provide a wealth of engagements for pupils.
    
Asking pupils to map out the grounds to identify their favourite places or areas of risk and potential areas for development or change, is the take-off point for a range of activities. As with much outdoor learning such an exercise can be significantly enhanced by getting pupils to consider the challenges of mapping before they set out.

Tailoring resources
Many schools have taken this concept of using the schools grounds for outdoor learning further by the development of specific resources. One large primary in the urban North West found the experience of developing their grounds was a catalyst for engaging the wider school related community as well as the pupils. In the words of the head teacher: “Our project has been to develop the use of our outdoor areas to enhance learning across the curriculum. We aimed to engage and motivate all learners, particularly boys, and to have an impact on standards of achievement, particularly in writing. PTA involvement in resources and a link governor for outdoor learning were key to this.”
    
The use of the outdoor space was targeted at creative curriculum providing greater opportunities for pupils to write for real reasons:

“The Outdoor Spaces create inspiration for some exiting projects and themes. This encourages boys to write and enjoy writing as they see it as something different to sitting at a desk in class.”
    
The resultant changes to outcomes were noted in an Ofsted inspection attracting the following comments: “Special events…such as outdoor learning projects …capture pupils’ imagination and make them keen to learn more.” Also, “the many opportunities for pupils to learn outside the classroom, in the superb woodland area, for example, generate an excitement about learning and help all pupils to experience success across many subject areas.”
    
A range of local and national organisations can be found as partners in developing specific areas of the grounds of the school ranging from local voluntary groups such as The Scouts, commercial partners such as builders and specialists such as the charity Learning Through Landscapes.
    
Especially at primary level, it is worth considering how to make your grounds more consistently useable. Building up a store of waterproofs and wellies helps ensure that inclement weather can be part of the experience rather than becoming unbearable. Creating some simple routines prior to moving from the classroom to the grounds can also help to create the ‘special’ nature of the experience, such as a song or moving into a circle to talk about the weather. The same approach of routine can be applied to ensure that the power of the outdoor stimulus is not lost when returning to the classroom.

Further afield
Using a progressive model the next logical location is beyond the school grounds. I never cease to be amazed at the number of children and young people who have not explored their local outdoor environment. Of course moving out of the school grounds can involve more considerations in risk management but this should not be a disincentive. The Outdoor Education Advisor’s Panel has a wealth of experience in undertaking risk/benefit analysis and can provide specific training to support management control should the unexpected occur.
    
Like the use of the school grounds this does not need to be the domain of the specialist. Some teachers may feel threatened by being unable to identify specific species, but it is possible to turn this into identification of the differences between different types of leaf, for instance, with an opportunity to reference a book or more informed individual at a later point. It is also possible to invest in technology that allows recognition of species type through the camera of a tablet. Simply taking photographs can also allow the creative and science based follow-ups to be many and varied.
    
At a longer term level there are a range of options to train up teachers or contract in specialist providers. It is worth asking your local outdoor education advisor or consulting the Institute’s on-line map of providers to identify who your local direct providers or trainers of teachers might be. There is also a healthy network of Forest Schools practitioners in the UK available through the Forest School Association.
    
Though there is a something of a strategic move by the likes of RSPB to pull back from the direct provision of outdoor learning practitioners, they and a wealth of other organisations such as the National Trust, still encourage use of their sites by schools. If your local nature reserve or Trust property does not provide site specific resources for you to use, organisations such as the Woodland Trust and Growing Schools have many ready to use generic exercises to readily provide structure to your visit and dramatically reduce the planning time required. A useful tip here is to look to use the new outdoor experience to support a topic area you already have good knowledge and experience in. Doing this allows focus on the dynamics of the new medium to strengthen learning.

Residential visits
Moving further on from a visit to a local outdoor location, it is possible to enhance the impact of the outdoors through use of a residential. Recent research through the’ Learning Away’ project funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation points to the powerful role a residential experience can play in strengthening relationships between pupils and between teachers and pupils as developing self confidence and having a longer term impact on attainment. Outdoor Learning is particularly suited to the residential and a fantastic range of options exist. It can be helpful to be creative at this point and consider the starting point for using outdoor learning based residential experiences. Some schools with appropriate grounds are introducing a night’s camping in the grounds as the first time experience of being away from home. With the required facilities already on site this option should be considered as the first step prior to the more conventional three or more nights away at outdoor centre.
    
A range of options for outdoor residentials have evolved in the past 50 years. It is worth considering which is best suited for your schools culture and staff team. Some require very little input from the teachers whilst others might expect teachers to be part of the delivery of the experience. It is also important to identify the level of personal development you are looking to achieve and in what specific areas. Some residential centres will help you target specific outcomes whilst others may be more generic experiences.
    
A Norfolk based primary teacher explains his rational for using outdoor residential with year 6: “As a Headteacher of a large Primary School in a rural market town, I have always placed a high commitment on outdoor learning through use of our school grounds (Forest School/Eco Rangers), day trips and especially residential trips. We currently offer a graduated programme of residentials ranging from two days to five days in Year 6.
    
“It is clear to me that long term benefits are there for both the individual, the education sector and for society. The skills learnt through Outdoor Education includes all those elements that society values. The benefits also include improved attitudes as custodians of the future – pupils want to come back to the Peak District and enjoy the area, but also look after its unique environment. Health also plays a key role in our justification for visit. Pupils need to be encouraged to lead active lifestyles and the range of activities on offer here are usually different from anything they have experienced before.
    
“Risk? Yes, there are lots of risks in outdoor education. They are managed safely and positively at centre we visit so that children know they can take risks and use it as a learning outcome, and they usually find that something they could not do is indeed achievable. As every climber knows, there is no greater feeling of pride and achievement than doing something that you were uncertain you could achieve. Each child has their own mountain they have climbed, for some it is as simple as staying away from home for so long.”

Choosing a provider
It is likely that you will be contracting in your residential provision at this level, so get the experts working for you. There is a temptation to stick to the ‘tried and tested’ especially if the residential has an established successful reputation in the school. I would encourage you to look closely at the potential of the investment of time and money. Does your provider visit the school prior to the event to help the pupils prepare? Are you invited to help develop the content and outcomes of the experience? Does the provider assist you in finding ways of building on the raised aspirations and enthusiasm that often flows from an outdoor residential? Whether the focus is on personal development and/or specific elements of the curriculum most outdoor residential practitioners will rise to the occasion if asked to think about how the school and pupils might get more benefit post the experience. It goes without saying that any adventurous activity provider needs to hold an AALA license and going a step further badges such as the Learning Outside the Class Room Quality Badge also give reassurance of wide aspects of good and safe practice. More advice is available from the Association of Heads Outdoor Education Centres and the British Activity Providers Association.

Expeditions
It is possible to view the peak of a progression of increasingly adventurous experiences in outdoor learning as participation in an expedition. The disciplines required to plan and undertake an expedition are an excellent application of a wide range of skills and knowledge, made more extensive when the expedition is overseas. At a more local scale the opportunities offered by the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme can provide a structure for applying and refining learning as well as important recognition of achievement.
    
There is a danger that the scheme can become a dry and burdensome experience for staff if not frequently refreshed through training and networking with others. If you are using the scheme at your school I’d encourage you to consider how the experience for the pupils has evolved in the past three years and if the answer is ’little’, encourage the staff involved to seek out alternative approaches. The scheme runs a number of training opportunities and other organisations such as the Institute hold regional networking meetings where new ideas can be gained or tested out.
    
In summary, to begin to develop your use of outdoor learning or to enhance your existing approach I encourage you to look at what partnerships you are drawing on. I have mentioned a range of national organisations in this article but equally local land owners and parents are a valuable source of resources and support.

Further information
www.outdoor-learning.org