There is much awareness of the benefits of taking students outside the classroom to learn. However, little is often made of the benefits of teachers developing their own expertise through experiencing continuing professional development outside the classroom environment. Research and studies show that different people learn in different ways, as such learning outside the classroom can have a range of benefits, because it can inspire and reignite enthusiasm for teaching, provide a real-world context for delivery of content to students, making the curriculum more engaging for students, and remind teachers of the vast array of STEM careers that are on offer to tomorrow’s workforce.
My view of the value of education outside the classroom is supported by research evidence. HMRC recent report Outdoor education: aspects of good practice, finds that “outdoor education gives depth to the curriculum and makes an important contribution to students’ physical, personal and social education”. The recent Review of Research on Outdoor Learning, published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and King’s College London, found that: “Those with a statutory and non-statutory responsibility for policy relating to outdoor education should be in no doubt that there is a considerable body of empirical research evidence to support and inform their work Policy makers at all levels need to be aware of the benefits that are associated with different types of outdoor learning. The findings of this review make clear that learners of all ages can benefit from effective outdoor education. However, despite such positive research evidence and the long tradition of outdoor learning in this country, there is growing evidence that opportunities for outdoor learning are in decline and under threat.”
Dr. Peter Higgins of the Outdoor and Environmental Education Section, University of Edinburgh, agreed with these conclusions:
“The weight of evidence from MSc and PhD theses, projects supported by small research grants and Government commissioned studies does generally show benefits in out-of-classroom experiences. Perhaps more importantly this evidence points to a latent and undeveloped potential in relation to both curricular studies and lifelong learning.”
My recommendations:
The Department should issue a ‘Manifesto for Outdoor Learning’, giving all students a right to outdoor learning. This Manifesto should attract a similar level of funding to the as other subject Manifesto in order to deliver real change. In particular, schools in deprived circumstances should be enabled to enhance their facilities, to offer professional development programmes to their teachers and to fund off site visits. A nationwide network of support, guidance and innovation would move outdoor education forwards from its current, patchy position to a more uniform provision of high quality opportunities throughout the country. The Department for Education and Skills is currently undertaking research into outdoor education. We look forward to seeing the results of this study and hope that the data will go some way towards filling the gaps in current research. Like all educational processes, the benefits of education outside the classroom should be rigorously researched, documented and communicated. Positive and reliable evidence of the benefits of outdoor activities would help schools determine the priority to afford to such work. It is essential that all those involved in teaching and learning reflect regularly on the development of learning outside the classroom. This reflection will help you to recognise success and identify areas that are less effective and may need to be changed. When we do evaluate LOC (Learning outside class)experiences, it is important to involve young people in the review and reflection.
