Tag: training

Training and Professional Development Opportunities

Scottish Government as part of its educational recovery strategy, and as recognition of the benefits of Outdoor Learning, they have funded the development of two online training courses. The Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE) worked with Education Officers from Education Scotland to develop the Teaching Learning Outdoors and Supporting Learning Outdoors Courses for teaching staff and support staff.

Teaching Learning Outdoors

The Teaching Learning Outdoors (TLO) course supports teachers to deliver curriculum learning in an outdoor context. During the course there is opportunity to develop an understanding of the benefits of learning outdoors, key resources and policy, and how to access them to enable delivery of high-quality outdoor learning. The course also covers pedagogy and practical solutions for delivering learning outdoors, as well as creating an action plan for applying the new knowledge gained.

The TLO module is available on the Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership Platform site: Log In | Education Scotland PLL

To 23 March 2021 nationally 389 modules were in progress and 490 modules completed.

Supporting Learning Outdoors

The Supporting Learning Outdoors course is for anyone who has a role in supporting the delivery of curricular based outdoor learning. Aimed at classroom assistants, volunteers, instructors, third sector and private organisations, or anyone who wants to work in partnerships with schools to deliver meaningful outdoor learning experiences. The course will help participants to gain an understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence, and the framework for delivering this to pupils, as well as providing resources and ideas to assist good partnership working.

To 23 March 2021 nationally 414 courses were in progress and 279 courses completed.

The SLO course is available on the SAPOE web site: Supporting Learning Outdoors.

Further Training and Help

Here is a short video which was made for the Teaching Learning Outdoor webinars showing what Outdoor Learning can be:

SAPOE What is Outdoor Learning – YouTube

If you need more help, advice or training to develop outdoor learning in your school or class Tim and Isi can help

Training for Nursery Staff (Part 2)

Tim delivered a train the trainer course to allow practitioners to be trainers for the Forest and Outdoor Kindergarten SCQF level 7, the plan is to embed this training throughout the authority. As in the last post on this training it is based round exploring the three areas of People, Place and Pedagogy; the Who, Where and Why of good practice.

The training was delivered at the Water Wheel Building in the Castle Grounds and the surrounding area and although it was chilly it was a great space to play in.

We started by discussing fun important memories from growing up, and although we were in an outdoor setting most of people memories had an outdoor element to them.

Even with the theoretical content which was needed we tried to make the course as practical as possible to illustrate how the learning through playing can be taken outside.

The aim is for the participants to grow their confidence to take the principles into their nursery setting and encourage others to spend more time outdoors with the young people.

Training for Nursery Staff

Since Tim has come back from doing the Forest Kindergarten Training he has been working with the Early Years team to help them develop their skills.

He ran a pilot course with the combined nursery staff in Tong school and will be running a trainer course in November 2019.

Although the course is called forest it is not just aimed at forests, the training is aimed at helping early years practitioners to take the young people they work with outside more regularly.

The model used is to consider the Place, the People and the Pedagogy;

Considering the Place involves the suitability and the practical steps needed to manage the young people in the place.

The People thinks about who is involved; the young people, the staff, the carers/parents managing their needs and expectations.

Pedagogy is the how what and why we take young people outdoors

A possible visual model:

The objective it to show practitioners the connectivity and to challenge them to consider the elements in their own practice.

This is partly done inside through conversation, which because of time constraints is done inside.

The final session on pedagogy was done outside in the fantastic garden area of the school. The practitioners were given opportunity to play. This, apart from being great fun in the rain, highlighted for this group the importance of child lead learning and how few resources they needed as the environment provides them. They saw imaginative play, social skills development, gross motor skills, fine motor skills and peer learning happen within their own group and considered how they could use this in their own practice.

Small world play

 

 

 

 

New canoes and kayaks at Sgoil Dhalabroig (Daliburgh School)

In April Sgoil Dhalabroig (Daliburgh School), in South Uist, took delivery of their new fleet of kayaks and canoes to use on the loch next to the school as part of their development of their outdoor spaces. (They were helped by SSE Scottish Hydro).

To allow the staff to run sessions Tim ran a training and assessment session and then some sessions for the pupils. This a fantastic resource and they have plans to develop the area round the loch with the community.

With other schools having lochs next to them this is a model which could be developed there to increase Outdoor Learning. If you would like help please contact the Outdoor Learning team.

Lyme Disease

Here in the outdoor team we are very busy and so the blog has been at a bit of a stand still. This time last year we posted advice about ticks and it has come up again, we would recommend everyone to watch the BBC Programme Disclosure: Under the Skin

BBC Disclosure: Under the Skin

The programme explains how there has been an increase in the incidence of Lyme Disease and how anyone using the outdoors can guard against catching this terrible disease.

When we are working with young people outdoors it is important we understand there are ticks everywhere potentially including the school estate.

The current NHS Scotland guidelines can be found here Current NHS Scotland Guidelines on Lyme Disease

The Forestry Commission have an excellent informative web page on tick identification:

Forestry Commission Identifying Ticks

We also continue to recommend the NHS Highland video if how to remove a tick:

If you need more help or advice please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Outdoor Team.

Sailing in East Loch Tarbert with the Scaladale Centre

For the last few years the Outdoor Team have worked with the Scaladale Centre to deliver RYA Youth Sailing Scheme Stage 1 and 2 in Harris so this year with the new marina facilities it ran in Tarbert. The new pontoons in East Loch Tarbert Marina made it very easy to run and the facilities are excellent.

Adult Sailing Sessions

The CnES Sailing school were asked by various adults for the opportunity to try sailing. Working with the Scaladale Centre using their Laser Bahia sailing boats, two evening taster sessions were offered in Stornoway Harbour. Although the winds were light and the heavens opened there was loads of good sailing. One of the evenings it was very busy with the coastal rowing boats out and the sailing club using the CnES dinghies.

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