Learning outdoors
Outdoor education can have tremendous benefits in the physical, personal and social development of children of all ages, providing an important setting for young people to discover more about themselves and the world around them.
I want more young people to experience the far-reaching benefits of outdoor education. Not only can it enrich their school life, it can help pupils develop skills and interests that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Peter Peacock, Minister for Education and Young People
Within a health promoting school, opportunities to learn outdoors and to interact with the natural world make a vital contribution to a whole school approach to health. Education outdoors can involve working with others, practising new skills, undertaking practical conservation and influencing society.
Learning outdoors can include the following, all of which are elements within the characteristics of a health promoting school:
- knowledge and understanding
- attitudes and feelings
- values and beliefs
- actions and behaviours
- personal and social development.
Varied activities
Learning outdoors can take place in school grounds or gardens, wilderness areas, urban spaces, rural or city farms, parks, gardens and outdoor/field study/nature centres. It encompasses all aspects of outdoor learning and education.
While learning outdoors, pupils develop positive relationships with each other, their teachers and the wider community as well as having a renewed pride in their community and a greater sense of belonging and responsibility.
There is substantial evidence that learning outdoors can impact positively on young people’s attitudes, beliefs and self-perceptions. Pupils also report that they develop increased confidence, improved social skills and self-esteem as well as seeing that learning can be fun and enjoyable.
Learning outdoors is a combination of outdoor and adventure activities, environmental discovery and understanding, and personal and social education. It is an active opportunity to bring together many other learning objectives.
It is important to acknowledge that learning outdoors is not the preserve of the outdoor experts but a responsibility of the whole school community. It is a way of ensuring that learning comes alive for young people.
Community links
By engaging the community and using local opportunities, schools can develop a variety of outdoor learning opportunities for both pupils and staff. Opportunities to take learning outdoors can link to all areas of the curriculum and contribute to cross curricular areas such as citizenship, enterprise and sustainability.
It is essential that the culture and ethos of the school supports staff as they develop the confidence and skills to take learning outdoors. This can be achieved through strong partnerships with outdoor education teams, local Forestry Commission rangers and others.
There also need to be effective professional development opportunities for staff, covering areas such as risk assessment, outdoor learning skills and making the most of school grounds.
Supporting learning outdoors
Our young people need to be supported to develop an understanding and insight into the land we live in.
Robert Brown, Deputy Minister for Education and Young People
The initiatives and organisations listed below all support learning outdoors in Scotland. A brief description of each initiative is provided, together with details of how you may obtain further information.
Outdoor Connections
Outdoor Connections is a development programme sponsored by the Scottish Executive and led by Learning and Teaching Scotland. The programme aims:
- to research the current provision of outdoor learning and education in Scotland
- to develop and disseminate resources designed to improve the quality of outdoor learning experiences and approaches
- to make connections between programmes and people across a range of education priorities and policies.
More information about Outdoor Connections can be found on Taking Learning Outdoors.
Forestry Commission Scotland
Forestry Commission Scotland provides some useful links, as follows:
- The
PDF file: Woods for Learning Education Strategy outlines Forestry Commission Scotland's approach to working with young people both in and out of school. It provides the foundation on which Forestry Commission Scotland is developing lifelong learning programmes, especially through recreation and health. - Treetrunk online contains details of primary and secondary school resources that will help teachers to deliver relevant school curricula in Scotland.
The Forest Education Initiative
The Forest Education Initiative (FEI) aims to increase young people's understanding of the local and global importance of trees. It promotes shared learning though a network of local groups.
FEI cluster groups are independent, locally-managed groups providing forest education. They hold teachers' workshops, produce resources and help schools to organise first-hand learning experience for pupils in the woodlands and in timber-related industries.
The FEI website provides information and ideas for teaching about trees, woodlands, the forestry industry and timber products. Its content is linked to curriculum areas and has been written by teachers.
Forest Schools
Many FEI groups are involved in delivering Forest Schools. These are learner-led sessions that provide groups of up to 12 people with a regular opportunity to visit the same local woodland site throughout the year. Each session enables the participants to learn basic woodland skills and to develop practical and intellectual skills that can be linked with the school curriculum.
Forest Schools offer children, young people and adults an inspirational experience that develops their confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning.
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Natural Heritage is the national agency tasked with the conservation and enhancement of Scotland's unique and precious natural heritage. As part of its work, the agency has produced a large library of educational resources to support the school curriculum: these resources are available from the Scottish Natural Heritage website.
Grounds for Learning
Schools can obtain support for the development of their land from Grounds for Learning – the Scottish charity that campaigns to improve school grounds.
The charity aims to help schools to provide improved play, enhanced learning and more opportunities for young people to make vital connections with the outdoors. It focuses on giving children and young people a say in how their grounds are developed, so that they can help to create and care for this valuable asset.
Grounds for Schools also offers schools membership, information, advice, training, continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and research.
More information is available from the Grounds for Learning website.
Royal Highland Education Trust
The Royal Highland Education Trust is an educational charity that aims to create the opportunity for children to learn about the countryside and to ensure a wider understanding of the environmental, economic and social realities of the countryside in Scotland.
They can help organise farm visits and farm speakers and also produce a range of learning and teaching resources. More information can be found on the Royal Highland Education Trust website.
Field Studies Council outdoor classrooms
The Field Studies Council (FSC) is an educational charity whose mission is to bring environmental understanding to all. At outdoor classroom field centres across the UK, the FSC offers training and courses designed to support the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools.
Further information can be obtained from the FSC website.
Natural Connections
Natural Connections is a new outdoor learning programme developed by the countryside section of Fife Council Community Services. The programme is built around six challenging and enjoyable outdoor experiences: caring for nature, working together, adventure skills, finding your way, journeying and helping others.
The ethos of the programme is that the best outdoor learning combines finding out about ourselves, other people and the natural world. This learning should both help us in our ordinary lives and connect us to the world. Other important dimensions of outdoor learning include improvements to health and a better understanding of our rights and responsibilities.
Further information on this programme can be obtained from the Natural Connections website.
TOP Outdoors
TOP Outdoors is a programme developed and supported by the Youth Sport Trust. It consists of a set of outdoor activity cards, supported by training for primary school teachers. Trail finding, team building and orienteering all feature in the programme.
For more information contact the Youth Sport Trust National Development Officer, tel: 0131 317 7200.
