Unfortunately, I missed this final lesson on digital technology and the way it enhances outdoor learning but having furthered research it and reminiscing on my own experiences from my recent school placement, I am able to understand how to adapt and incorporate this into my lesson plans.

One thing I truly believe, from past and recent experiences, is that outdoor learning will be remembered for a lifetime. From the way a simple maths lesson about measurement can be transformed to a full class participation by asking them to measure the length of the playground can engage pupils so well to a digital lesson, outdoor learning definitely related to the curriculum for education (Scottish Government 2010).

The curriculum for excellence suggests that outdoor learning encourages pupils to understand the play and relationship throughout the curriculum areas and can lead to a healthy lifestyle where activates such as walking and cycling can be incorporated into learning. The CfE also suggest implement a safer and stronger environment that provides pupils with the opportunities to develop skills to assess risks in decision making (Scottish Government 2010).

There are so many opportunities that can rise from outdoor learning. From personal experience, a subject in school that I was very out-of-touch and not interested in was Biology but when outdoor learning was incorporated into a lesson, I immediately became engaged and focussed on the lesson. A simple test of where certain plants grow in different areas in a forest became the most interesting lesson in my day. Our teacher divided us into groups and sent us outside to test the experiment. With full engagement and participation, it was clear that outdoor learning was a very good approach in helping us focus.

My comfort blanket growing up was make-up and fashion – typical girly items and so when approached with the option to partake in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, it was unsurprising that this did not appeal to me. Myself and my friend’s, however, some of us more optimistic than others, decided to participate and today I sit with my bronze, silver and gold awards, presented to me at Holyrood Palace by none other than the Duke of Edinburgh himself. As I reflect on my experience, I am overwhelmed by the knowledge I gained and the memories that I have to cherish from this adventure. To pass each award we had to show that we could navigate on a map our way across a treacherous mountain walk, along with camp and fend for ourselves. This was all related to outdoor learning and the enjoyment and knowledge, along with a lifetimes worth of skills that I have gained will stay with me forever.

In my own classroom, when I become a teacher, I will most definitely incorporate outdoor learning into my lesson planning. An art lesson could result to an outdoor lesson of asking my pupils to draw their playground and use their imagination of what they would like to have added to it. A maths lesson could result in measuring the length of their playground. A science lesson could be getting my pupils to find different types of leaves and to research their findings.

There are thousands of different opportunities that can rise from outdoor learning, and I for one cannot wait to incorporate my own experiences and ideas along with the guidelines from the Curriculum for Excellence into my lesson plans.

References:

Scottish Government . (2010). curriculum for excellence through outdoor learning. Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/cfe-through-outdoor-learning.pdf. Last accessed 7th April 2018.