- Department: Education
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
This module provides students with an opportunity to learn about, experience, design, deliver, and evaluate outdoor learning activities aimed at developing the connections between people, nature and the environment. This module will be of interest to students who want to learn more about, and raise awareness of, environmental and sustainability issues through an outdoor learning approach.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
This experiential learning module aims to:
provide students with an opportunity to learn about and experience different approaches to outdoor learning
allow students to explore and critically analyse how outdoor learning can be used to develop connections between people, nature and the environment
enable students to design, deliver and evaluate outdoor learning activities for sustainability education
help students to develop a broad range of transferable skills
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
Identify, explain and apply a range of theories and philosophies linked to outdoor learning
Critically analyse the role of outdoor learning for developing connections between people, nature and the environment
Design, deliver, and evaluate an outdoor learning activity
Graduate attributes that will be developed during this module include:
communication skills
group working skills
project management
digital literacy
critical analysis
research
self-reflection
creativity and innovation
Students will be supported in their learning through a combination of lectures, workshops and outdoor learning activities. Student participation in these activities is crucial to the learning and teaching strategy, and will help students understand the experiential learning approaches used in outdoor learning. Students should be prepared to spend time outdoors during this module, whatever the weather.
The module will be taught through practical outdoor learning experiences, workshops with skill development activities, and student-led activities. These applied learning activities will be important for developing the skills and confidence students need to deliver outdoor learning activities to their peers. Group work will be employed at times during these sessions.
Indicative content:
International perspectives on people’s relationships with nature and the environment
Theories of learning and development relevant to outdoor learning
Outdoor learning for sustainability awareness and environmental education
Experiential learning opportunities – participation in a range of outdoor learning activities
Different types of outdoor learning, for example: Forest School, Friluftsliv, environmental education, field studies
Group management and risk-benefit analysis
Equality, diversity and inclusion in outdoor learning
Outdoor learning design, delivery and evaluation
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
None
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
Individual written feedback reports, with follow-up tutor meeting if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information
Books
Cree, J. and Robb, M. (2021). The essential guide to forest school and nature pedagogy. London: Routledge.
Glantz, Matz; Sandell, Klas; Lundqvist Jones, Therese; Andersson, Per; Brügge, Britta; Szczepanski, Anders. (2021). Friluftsliv explored. https://doi.org/10.3384/9789179290665
Grindheim, L. T., Sorensen, H. V., & Rekers, A. (2021). Outdoor Learning and Play (1st ed.). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72595-2
Humberstone, B., Prince, H., & Henderson, K.A. (Eds.). (2015). Routledge International Handbook of Outdoor Studies (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315768465
Jucker, R., von Au, Jakob. (Editors). (2022). High-Quality Outdoor Learning: Evidence-based Education Outside the Classroom for Children, Teachers and Society / edited by Rolf Jucker, Jakob von Au. (1st ed.). Cham: Springer International Publishing: Imprint: Springer.
Learning through Landscapes (2022). Teaching the primary curriculum outdoors. London: Corwin SAGE Publications.
Robertson, J. (2014). Dirty teaching: a beginner's guide to learning outdoors. Bancyfelin: Independent Thinking.
Sobel, D., Bailie, P., Finch, K., Kenny, E., & Stires, A. (2015). Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens (1st ed.). St Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
Wong Blonder, B. et al. (2023). Place-Based Scientific Inquiry. A practical handbook for teaching outside. Taylor & Francis. [Online]. Available at: doi:10.4324/9781003367192.
Journals
Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning
Journal of Environmental Education