Author: R Bhalla

TLTP provided me the platform to get a clear vision of what a teacher leader is and the qualities needed to become both an effective and inspirational teacher leader. We can all learn to be better at it, by reflecting on our strengths and recognising the areas we need to enhance.

I have planned a meeting with one of the senior managers in 2 weeks’ time. As she is the school CPD in charge, also engaged in SCEL headship program. It will be beneficial to share my experiences with her. Following that I will share my professional enquiry with maths and my own department.

I will continue to develop a portfolio of experiences in learning and teaching supported by colleagues and critical friends within the school. Also I will be consider applying to the next cohort of the program-

> Award in Leadership

>Leading for outdoor Learning

• Finding details for the following TEACHER LEADERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT courses:
• GTCS Accredited Leading Learning – Improving Pedagogy, a new Professional Recognition programme from Tapestry Partnership at SCQF level 11- published a Professional Values learning resource for teachers and school leaders.
• British Council & SCEL piloted a Leading Core Skills programme for ‘middle’ & school leaders on embedding core skills into curriculum planning; there are plans to roll it out from September 2017.
• I am hoping to join soon the engagement process looking at teacher leadership, at www.scelengage.com.  

Bhalla_Presentation

Bhalla_Poster

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.

 

… high quality, out-of-classroom learning … influenced how children behave and the lifestyle choices they make. It shows the potential not just to change individual lives, but the lives of whole communities. Peacock, 200617

In reading the article  from which the above quote came from, I was struck by the idea that not only have I been challenging my thinking and reflecting on my practice all the way through the enquiry process, I’ve also been asking pupils to do the same.

I’ve been examining and acknowledging the assumptions and preconceptions I have to the enquiry, about the enquiry outcome and the focus of it, but I’ve also been asking of pupils that they develop the same ‘reflexivity’. I’ll be more aware of this in future and use it to support pupils’ learning and how they can articulate their thinking and reflection and how that can change over time.

The pupil reflection process on learning I’ve conducted through the use of feedback forms has been insightful. Pupils have been positive and constructively critical and I’ve really been able to see the experience from their point of view. Self-motivation is an all-encompassing initiative mainly through outdoor education which is showing significant improvements in pupils’ resilience not only to failure but also to fear of failure. Outdoor Learning Curriculum and the experiences it offer children promote tolerance and understanding, also respecting other’s opinions.

Implications for my department/school

Once the Teacher Leadership programme is complete, I’ll share my findings with my department and the wider school. There’s a number of different reasons for this:                                                                                                                           a) suggestions of other ways of approaching teaching through outdoor learning especially at lower school.

b) the use of students’ own ‘wonderings’ to encourage pupil ownership and engaging curiosity                                                                                                                      c) Encouraging colleagues to consider undertaking the SCEL Teacher Leadership programme.                                                                                                              

Wider implications                       

 ‘The core values of Curriculum for Excellence resonate with long-standing key concepts of outdoor learning. Challenge, enjoyment, relevance, depth, development of the whole person and an adventurous approach to learning are at the core of outdoor pedagogy’.

I’ve recently had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues who is a historian and also Lead teacher in outdoor education. I believe school curricula often actively favour a theory-based approach rather than practical work, and fail to identify the benefits of learning in a more appropriate location. School grounds are frequently less than ideal to encourage teachers to use them for educational purposes, even when new schools are designed and built. Further, there has been little formal encouragement to establish and maintain standards of outdoor learning experiences, for example through HMIE school inspections, and outdoor centres are very rarely inspected. All of this is in stark contrast to the very successful approach of Nordic countries where outdoor learning pedagogy is central to formal education and culture throughout, and indeed beyond, the period of statutory schooling. There is a need to raise awareness, increase training opportunities, making sure the design of school grounds supports outdoor learning and inspections.

 References

 Christie, B., Beames, S., Higgins, P. (2015). Culture, context and critical thinking: Scottish secondary school teachers’ and pupils’ experiences of outdoor learning. British Educational Research Journal.

Education Scotland (2015). How Good is Our School 4? Glasgow: Education Scotland

Higgins, P. & Nicol, R. (2013). Outdoor Education. In T. Bryce & W. Humes, D. Gillies and A. Kennedy (Eds.), Scottish education – fourth edition (pp.620-627). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

University of Edinburgh (2016). Outdoor learning and policy development in Scotland. ‘Impact snapshot’ http://www.ed.ac.uk/education/rke/making-a-difference

Although it seems a long time ago now, my original enquiry focus and question were as follows:

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.

This Task is a useful one to reflect on whether I’ve managed to answer or address the enquiry question.

What I’ve learned (evidence gathering)

From my observations over the course of the enquiry, pupils seemed to be enthusiastic going outdoor, engaged in work and keen to explore each next stage as we progressed. This was from a mix of informal observation combined with formal observation of individual groups and recording their group discussions. When I was writing up their assessment feedback. They then went on to self-assess this feedback, focusing on what they felt they were successful at and setting a target for themselves too.

We did discuss the areas of curriculum and different skills involved they would be working on. Perhaps I needed to give pupils reminders of this on a regular basis throughout the time they were working together.

At the end of the enquiry, I asked everyone to complete a feedback form, either anonymously or giving their name, so I could collate their comments as they reflected on their experience. I don’t have a full set of these back yet as some pupils were absent when we worked on them. This has been an ongoing issue for me at times, to continue work as a full class with some groups low in numbers for various issues. I think I’ve become much more aware of this as a result of how focused I was on the enquiry and everything I wanted to achieve in the time we had.

A quick look at the feedback indicates pupils, on the whole, really enjoyed the enquiry and the amount of group work involved. They appear to have liked the opportunity to come up with their own ideas of achieving numeracy skills out with the classroom creating an option to have more outdoor lessons. I asked them questions about what they learned but also about their own learning.

Whole school impact

 At this point, there’s not really been any impact on my colleagues. There is an awareness I am trying to raise attainment in numeracy through outdoor learning which is not a routine practice for most of our secondary schools. I think, once I’ve created my enquiry poster, I’ll feel more confident about sharing my learning and observations. Perhaps this will be one of the deputes in the first instance. I’ve been open about what I am doing and have welcomed feedback or questions throughout. It really is that people are so busy, there isn’t a lot of time for discussions on outdoor learning.

 

I believe learning need not take place solely within educational buildings. The outdoor environment has massive potential for learning. This year one of the priorities in the School improvement plan was National Improvement Framework Priorities of closing the attainment gap by improving Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing in the Broad General Education stage. Outdoor learning offers many opportunities for learners to deepen and contextualise their understanding within curriculum areas, and for linking learning across the curriculum in different contexts and at all levels.

Learning in the outdoors can make significant contributions to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. In numeracy there are certain E’s & O’s which can be measured in the outdoor learning. In health and wellbeing there are opportunities to become physically active in alternative ways and to improve emotional wellbeing and mental health.

S3 pupils work in groups of 4 to design an outdoor classroom. They brainstormed 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 were 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.

This Area of Learning and Development included seeking patterns, making connections, recognising relationships, working with numbers, shapes, space and measures, and counting, sorting and matching. Children use their knowledge and skills in these areas to solve problems, generate new questions and make connections across other Areas of Learning and Development.

At this stage I am starting to consider Did it work? From my point of view, it hasn’t been a disaster letting go of the reigns and allowing pupils to work more collaboratively for a longer period of time.  They’ve had much more in the way of opportunities to wonder about their learning and find ways to articulate learning though outdoor.                                                                                                                                                 What I wanted to do in terms of engaging pupils, allowing them to have more exposure outdoor and gaining more confidence in achieving numeracy skills worked well.                                                                                                                                             Pupils were motivated and engaged in learning numeracy skills out with the classroom. It was a successful attempt & positive feedback received from pupils.

• • What went according to plan?                                                                                              What I wanted to do in terms of engaging pupils, allowing them to have more exposure outdoor and gaining more confidence in achieving numeracy skills worked well.                                                                                                           
  • What was easier?                                                                                                                           Organizing outdoor learning with S3 elective group twice a month and enforcing basic numeracy skills with them.                                                                                     
•       What surprised you?                                                                                                                     Increased level of confidence and group work and the quality of the discussions I have observed, just by listening to the groups outdoor was amazing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            What was more difficult?                                                                                                                  Weather not been so friendly, it was bit difficult to take pupils out and carry out activities as planned.                                                                                                                                                                       
• What other things would you tell someone?
• Definitely to give yourself more time to plan. Ensure that risk assessment is already done, checking weather conditions, visiting the outdoor site and support from management.

After going through various thoughts in Learning arithmetic outdoors in junior high school – influence on performance and self-regulating skills           I guess it is worthwhile asking myself following question.

3. In what way (if at all) has my own thinking about Outdoor Education changed since I began teaching Outdoor Education?
4. To what extent does educational theory (or thinking/ or philosophy/ or ideas) guide my present thinking about Outdoor Education?
5. There is a view that the experience of Outdoor Education is sufficiently powerful or valuable that the experience stands on its own. What do I feel or think about this idea?                                                                                                                    Though my answer to all this is my prospective towards raising numeracy skills through outdoor education especially at lower school is very positive. As noted earlier in the update 1, students’ interest and engagement are reported to be positive outcomes (Han and Foskett 2007;Moffet 2011; Waite 2011), but the perception or experience of students’ lack of interest has also been reported (Smith 1999; Han and Foskett 2007; Moffet 2011). In a study by Bentsen et al. (2010), teachers reported a lack of knowledge about students’ attitude towards outdoor teaching. Thus, given the possible potential of outdoor teaching and learning in promoting cognitive and affective outcomes, and the lack of research exploring mathematics learning outdoors in secondary school, this study seek to examine the influence of outdoor teaching and learning on junior high school students’ performance in arithmetic and self-regulation skills (such as motivation, self-concept and anxiety).                                                                                                                                           Extracted from-                                                                                                                 Education -13 –International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early  Years Education               

After reading through the outdoor learning literature review on teaching styles and change in the attitude through sharing practice in outdoor learning I personally feel in comparison with North America, there is relatively little in the UK literature which focuses on teaching styles, although there is a literature on skills teaching. However, it is reasonable to draw inferences regarding teaching styles from recently enunciated statements regarding the nature of Outdoor Education. The implications are that Outdoor Educators would teach for experiential learning, which here has the meaning of unmediated learning. Two consequences follow from this experiential approach: firstly, students are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their own learning; and secondly, personal development is facilitated.

Carver (1996) defines four pedagogical principles of experiential education. The first principle, authenticity, can be related to Proudman”s (1995) emotionally based learning. The second principle is active learning, which can be related to Chapman”s (1995) engagement of mind. The third principle, drawing on student experiences, is self-evidently at the  heart of experiential learning. The fourth principle is providing mechanisms of connecting experience for future opportunity. The final principle is related to the major contribution of Dewey (1938), who argued that experience alone is not sufficient to be of educational value, but must also be reflected upon. Similarly, Proudman (1995) argues for a series of working principles. These include a mixture of content and process, an absence of teacher judgment, a re-examination of values, meaningful relationships and challenging students to operate outside their comfort zones”.                                                                       More negatively, Wichmann (1995) points to a number of syndromes that are commonly adopted by teachers when they fail to adopt a deep approach towards Experiential Education. One example is the “cookbook” (1995, p.113) syndrome, where activities are deemed to work if firstly, students do them without losing interest; secondly, they fill a time slot; and thirdly, they have a reputation for working. By posing these syndromes, Wichmann (1995) argues for the necessity of developing criteria for distinguishing practice where the aims of the educational experience have been poorly thought out, from practice where the aims have been subject to careful deliberation.

References                                                                                                                                 Barrett and Greenaway (1995) Why Adventure? A Review of Research Coventry: Foundation for Outdoor Adventure.

Blumenfeld, P (1992) Classroom Learning and Motivation: Clarifying and Expanding Goal Theory Journal of Educational Psychology 84 272-281.

Carver, R (1996) Theory for Practice: A framework for thinking about experiential education The Journal of Experiential Education 19, 1 8-13.

Chapman, S. (1995) What is the Question? In K. Warren, M. Sakofs and Hunt The Theory of Experiential Education (pp. 236-239)

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.