Month: December 2017

Focus: Looking at the impact of outdoor learning for developing Skills for Learning and Work.

My Question

How can learning outdoors enhance and deepen learning within curriculum areas of numeracy .

Who

BGE(S1 -S3)

What

Raising attainment in numeracy through partnerships between staff in schools, other educational settings and with other organisations and create working relationships that construct clear pathways for delivering Curriculum for Excellence experiences in numeracy and outcomes outdoors.

Why

Raising attainment in Numeracy is one of the main focus areas in the school improvement plan. There are well constructed lessons and assessments  already available for science and maths teachers which can be done outwith the classroom and result in better understanding of the concept and achieving related outcomes in numeracy.

I will follow school improvement plan as a guideline  which is constructed drawing on a wide range of evidence, including assessment information. Actively involving children and young people in the assessment process helps develop ownership of learning also.

Evidence

I will be looking at benefits to pupils in terms of numeracy skills. For generating evidences I will use pupil evaluation forms, focus group, dialogue with head of maths and also looking at HGISO-4.

When

• 15th January Week:  Referring to the reading, looking at CfE outcomes, school improvement plan and impact it is going to make.I’m hoping that children will make better progress in numeracy and be more engaged. They will have better understanding of the concept.
• 22ndJanuary Week : How effectively we engage with parents through outdoor education and wider community engagement.
• 5th Feb Week :Working outwith the classroom with S2 pupils.
• Task: Problem Statement to be solved with measurement criteria.
• Plan: Students will work in groups of 4 students to design an outdoor classroom. They are to brainstorm what type of facility would be useful, search for costs of materials needed, building type, plans, and use the web to get ideas. They are to stake out a site on the east side of the high school so they can visualize what the dimensions would look like. After deciding on a plan the group will draw blueprints on graph paper – roof design, floor plan and side view of your building. They are to construct a 3D scale model from the plans. A written estimate of costs for the project and a written report about why they chose this particular building type as well as an oral presentation is to be given at the conclusion of the project.
• My Assessment: copy of solution.
• 12th Feb: By the end of this week will be looking at their work with maths teacher and  value any impact within this initial 4 week Research Block.
• 19th Feb: 2nd March will be a review of planning and evaluation depending upon how the children are responding, evaluation of activities themselves and how successful I am in my project.

 

 

Outdoor learning, used in a range of ways, will enrich the curriculum and make learning fun, meaningful and relevant for children and young people. Outdoor learning can deliver sustainable development education through initiatives such as working to improve biodiversity in the school grounds, visiting the local woods, exploring and engaging with the local community and developing a school travel plan.

Focus of my enquiry is to find out the role of outdoor education in raising achievement and how assessment can be applied to learning outside the classroom?

My Question

• How can learning outdoors enhance and deepen learning within curriculum areas of numeracy and literacy.

‘I was  amazed at how quickly all my Year 3 class were able to investigate creatively scientific problems set by the enthusiastic field teachers. It would have taken hours using classroom resources, but they were interpreting their surroundings more confidently than I would ever have imagined. Those who struggle in class were offering suggestions as boldly, if not more so, than the more able. A terrific kinaesthetic learning experience’

‘Properly managed outdoor and adventurous activities can help participants understand risk awareness, risk assessment and risk management and the control measures that are necessary, and thereby help to equip them to deal with the risk inherent in life The Advisory Committee to the Health & Safety Executive.’

Out-of-Classroom Learning

Real world, real learning, real benefits

Education is not something to keep in a box, even when the box is classroom-shaped. The habit of learning, an urge to find out more, is developed when we feel inspired. The world outside the school is richly inspiring, constantly re-energising what takes place within the classroom. It is the source of all our learning – about our history, about our culture, about our place in the natural world and our relationships with each other. This two-way flow can be embedded in every child’s education, entirely at ease within any school’s ethos.

Outdoor learning can benefit pupils of all ages and can be successful in a variety of settings… (it) enriches the curriculum and can improve educational attainment.

Education and Skills Select Committee 2005

Outdoor education can involve working with others, developing new skills, undertaking practical conservation and influencing society. The intended outcomes of such experiences can encompass: knowledge and understanding, attitudes and feelings, values and beliefs, activities or behaviours, personal development and social development. The research team observed young people engaged in activities that, initially, appeared to have a primary focus particular cognitive developments.

I will use descriptions of curriculum-related outcomes in terms of increased knowledge and understanding of literacy and numeracy skills and of the development of values and beliefs about the environment.However, young people also referred to the development of more personal skills (increased confidence, improved social skills and a greater belief in personal efficacy) and, for some, to a (sometimes unexpected) understanding that learning could be fun.

I will follow school improvement plans which are constructed drawing on a wide range of evidence, including assessment information. Assessment of outdoor learning experiences provides valuable evidence to contribute to school improvement plans. To assess individuals’ progress, essential skills may be reported and recorded through learning portfolios, learning profiles and/or reports. Actively involving children and young people in the assessment process helps develop ownership of learning.

I will also be looking at various ways in which achievement is recognised. Achievement awards such as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), John Muir Award and Millennium Volunteer Award are useful and frequently used ways of recognising and celebrating success in particular programmes.