Over 20 teachers spent a packed weekend in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park learning about and sharing different approaches to taking learning outdoors.

The teachers from all sectors came from the councils which are funding partners of the Outdoor Learning with the National Parks project, and considered progression through outdoor learning in a variety of workshops including literacy and building a sense of place, numeracy outdoors, emerging technologies and geocaching activities, the John Muir Award and more. Some of the best learning evolved through sharing the wide range of experiences brought by the teachers and workshop providers, and all left inspired to develop new and build on existing opportunities in their schools and local areas.

On their arrival the teachers were first learning from groups of S5 and S6 pupils from ten different schools who had spent the week at the residential centre focusing on leadership, personal development and environmental stewardship through undertaking a John Muir Award and a range of adventure and environmental activities. The groups’ presentations were varied, entertaining, enlightening and challenging, setting the scene well for the teachers’ weekend.

Look out for the film clips from each of the sessions, which will soon be shared on the Education Scotland OL website, with further links and support to provide all teachers with ideas and guidance for developing their own outdoor learning.