Outdoor Learning in the Curriculum

Robbie Nicol

Moray House School of Education

The University of Edinburgh

January 2013

Robbie.nicol@ed.ac.uk

www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored/

Just Being There!

The restorative environments – Kaplan and Kaplan.

Heath and Well-Being Agenda informed by Psychological-

evolutionary theory.The morale significance of

presence.

Is “Green” Good For You?Biophilia (E.O. Wilson)Sunlight and vitamin DRecovery from stress

Catharine Ward Thompson

Objective measure of the relationship between green spaces and stress based on

cortisol levelshttp://www.openspace.eca.ac.uk/

researchteam_cthompson.php

Being Outdoors is Good

Looking Ahead

What future do we envision for our work?

Outdoor Experiences are Special BUT….

• Nature-based experiences may be good for us BUT

• In what ways are they good for the planet?

• The emerging concept of Environmental Sustainability

Some Propositions

• The ecological, economic and social environment of our planet will change considerably in the 21st century

• The education systems of the world will have to adapt to prepare young people for an uncertain future

• YP will need to be prepared in terms of knowledge and skills, critical awareness, attitudes, personal and social qualities, and above all the capacity to continue to learn.

What will we need to teach?

1 How do the ecological systems of the Earth function?

2 How are we personally tied into these systems in our lives?

3 How can we make changes (individually and collectively) in order to lessen our impact upon

these systems?

Why Outdoor Education?

• Being in ‘the environment’ and experiencing natural processes

• BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY THERE – IMMERSED.

Impact of outdoor learning on attitudes to sustainability & global citizenship

• Sustainable behaviours depend on an empathy and an ethic of care towards the environment

• Teachers and pupils need to develop their ecological literacy and gain a sound understanding of key ecological principles to help them understand the impact of their actions and manage their behaviour

• Direct hands-on experiences in nature helps students develop a sense of place and connection to the local area and the wider world around them

Christie & Higgins 2012

Policy issues(Scotland)

A Curriculum for Excellence

• Values:‘wisdom, compassion, integrity and justice’• The four‘capacities’(‘successful learners, confident

individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens’)

• Educational principles to pervade teaching• Subject areas must address these• Progression from 3 – 18

Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2005

A framework for learning outdoors

“The journey through education for any child in Scotland must include opportunities for a series of planned, quality outdoor learning experiences.”

Learning & Teaching Scotland 2010 p. 5

Education Scotland

Outdoor Learning Officer in 26 of 32 Local Authorities (December

2012)

Learning For Sustainability (One Planet Schools)

Brings together sustainable development education, global

citizenship and outdoor learning.

Learning for Sustainability

General Teaching Council – Professional

Standards(Values, Leadership,

Sustainability)

One Planet Schools(ESD, GC, OL)

UN University Regional Centre of

Expertise in ESD

Other Ministerial Advisory Groups(Scottish Studies,

Modern Languages, Science)

Intended to make “an essential contribution to building the values,

attitudes, knowledge, skills and confidence needed to engage

positively with the challenges our society and the world face.”

“This is a Scotland where learners are educated through their

landscape and understand their environment, culture and heritage;

where they develop a sense of place and belonging to their local,

national and global community, and have a deep connection to

the natural world. Here, learners will understand the significance of their choices, now and in the

future.”

“Our intention is to ensure that learning relating to sustainable development, global citizenship

and outdoor learning is experienced in a transformative way by every learner in every

school across Scotland.”

“Learning for sustainability is not intended to replace what schools are already doing but to build on it

by providing a linking thread...”

“In line with the new GTCS Professional Standards, every

practitioner, school and education leader should demonstrate

learning for sustainability in their practice”

Future Worries

• Maintaining the momentum• There is no room for complacency• The Outdoor Learning/Education

question• Save our Centres!• Open new ones?

The Devolution Question

• Does England Need Devolution?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j92Tk4xnPb8

• At the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario annual conference (2012), members were asked to finish the statement: Outdoor Education is...

Outdoor Learning in the Curriculum

Robbie Nicol

Moray House School of Education

The University of Edinburgh

January 2013

Robbie.nicol@ed.ac.uk

www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored/