Raising attainment through learning outside the classroom: In search of the holy grail?

Peter Higgins & Beth Christie Moray House School of Education The University of Edinburgh October 2012 pete.higgins@ed.ac.uk www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored/

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Outline of session

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Principles and priorities: Preparing young people for an uncertain future$

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Principles & priorities: Preparing young people for an uncertain future

A child born today (in the ‘developed world’) is likely to live to the turn of the century (2100) …

… What will they see in their lifetime?

… And how should we prepare them for this future?

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Do we need to help them face ‘a perfect storm’ - environmental, economic and social change

Why am I (as a teacher) doing this activity with these kids here, now?

Some Propositions

•  The education systems of the world will have to adapt to prepare young people for an uncertain future

•  They will need to be prepared in terms of knowledge and skills, critical awareness, attitudes, personal and social qualities, and above all the capacity to continue to learn.

Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.

John Dewey (1859-1952) American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer

The ‘Three Rs’ Reading, wRiting & aRithmetic

If education is life itself … … what should be at the core of our knowledge?

… and what does this mean for our school pupils?

Education for life itself …

•  Understand how we are all dependent on planetary systems – a part of rather than apart from the environment.

•  Develop respect for self, others (current and future generations; other species) and the environment

Education for life itself …

•  Understand how we are all dependent on planetary systems – a part of rather than apart from the environment.

•  Develop respect for self, others (current and future generations; other species) and the environment

•  Be confident in critique – of everything! •  Learn how to deal with complexity and change … and to do so with realism and optimism •  Learn how to contribute to our own development •  Endeavour to pass on a lasting positive legacy to

future generations

Why classrooms?

Schools are at the centre of a community and a ‘place’?

What is the value of learning outside the classroom to young people?

What young people value in out-of school experiences depends on the way three dimensions interact …

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Activity Place

People

Mapping these onto a philosophical model of learning outside the classroom …

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Activity Place

People

Physical/Practical Skills Active Educational Visits Environmental/

Sustainability Education

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Personal & Social Development/

Citizenship $

LOTC

Range and Scope of Outdoor Learning

$

Outdoor Activities

Environmental Education

Personal & Social Education

Physical activity Tackling obesity Life-long activity Skill development Adventure sport $

Sustainability Field Studies Biodiversity Sense of place Cultural landscape $

Wellbeing ‘Greenspace’

Self-awareness Self-esteem Social development Communal living $

Outdoor Learning

Effective learning in authentic contexts…

•  First, authentic and informal learning contexts provide rich opportunities for the development of peer and pupil-teacher relationships; such connections are central to young people’s attachment and commitment to school and their academic career, more generally.

•  Second, ‘place’ is key to the development of an understanding, at a local level, of issues such as environment, history, culture and sustainability.

•  Third, educators must be confident in their decision to teach out of doors. Understand both the socially situated nature of learning out-of-doors, and the individual experience. Yet, maintain an appreciation for the unexpected, and unintended connections that individual learners can draw from one such experience.

Christie & Higgins (2012)

Attainment, achievement and behaviour

Do children benefit from learning outside the classroom?

There is research evidence that answer is‘yes’: •  knowledge and understanding •  personal and social development •  residential living •  physical activity •  environmental awareness and sustainability •  health and ‘wellbeing’ •  sense of place

Impact of outdoor learning on attainment …

•  Research evidence is limited •  Some research offers modest support for

increased attainment in terms of specific subject areas such as maths, English, reading, science and social studies,

•  Greater evidence exists to suggest that outdoor learning affords an integration of curricular content and global skill development.

•  This falls in-line with the general philosophy and purpose of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence

Christie & Higgins (2012)

Impact of outdoor learning on attainment …

•  May be greater value in taking a general, rather than a subject-specific view of potential learning outcomes (due to the combination and variability of factors - the individual, the educator, the place, the weather etc.- as well as the serendipitous nature of learning outside the classroom).

•  In most of the research literature related to outdoor learning there is a degree of inherent uncertainty surrounding the generalisability of the findings; we believe that this uncertainty reflects the complexity of the field.

Christie & Higgins (2012)

Hands-on learning Nilson et al. (eds) (2011) Forests, Trees and Human Health

1.  General exposure to nature when undertaking educational activities outdoors

2.  Through active ‘hands on’ intensive /extensive contact with nature through learning outdoors

Not just outdoors ...

‘Museums offer real objects - the ideal diet for whole brain activity - Collections provide right brain appeal coupled with left brain cognition' This is why museums are vital alternative, complementary learning environments for schools …’

Dean (1996) Audiences and Learning

Personal and social development …

•  Traditional argument - generally accepted •  Focus on self-esteem etc. •  A number of international studies •  Edinburgh and other PhD studies

The role of residential centre experiences …

•  A longstanding element of outdoor education in the UK (and elsewhere)

•  Large number of pupil overnights per year •  Focus traditionally on PSD and residential benefits •  Largely ‘deregulated’ •  State, charitable, commercial

Physical activity … Evidence of life-long activity patterns: •  Outdoor recreation - high participation rate; lifelong activity

patterns; low stress on the body etc. •  Telford PhD – Ardentinny Centre (1973 to 1996) - positive

influence - continuing activity outdoors; encouraging outdoor activity for children and family life; integrating outdoor experiences into their working life; or sparked an awareness and appreciation of the natural world.

•  Link to ‘greenspaces’ – Geyer (PhD) •  More active than PE – Lovell (PhD)

Environmental awareness and sustainability …

•  Being in ‘the environment’ and experiencing natural processes

•  Significant Life Experiences (SLE) research indicates links between outdoor experiences and life-long personal values

•  Link to schooling – knowledge & understanding evaluated

•  Values development

Impact of outdoor learning on attitudes to sustainability & global citizenship

•  Sustainable behaviours depend on an empathy and ethic of care towards the environment

•  Teachers and pupils need to develop their ecological literacy and gain a sound understanding of key ecological principles to help them understand the impact of their actions and manage their behaviour

•  Direct hands-on experiences in nature helps students develop a sense of place and connection to the local area and the wider world around them

Christie & Higgins 2012

Health & wellbeing … Clinical evidence of impact of ‘greenspace’ on health & wellbeing: •  Healthy cognitive development of children •  Concentration levels in children & office workers •  Treating children with poor self-discipline, hyperactivity and ADHD

(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) •  Coping with anxiety and stress

(e.g. hospital operations etc.) •  Reducing crime etc. •  Physical activity patterns

(Geyer, PhD)

Sense of place … •  Significance of return visits to local places •  Getting to know habitats and communities •  Links to environmental and sustainability education •  Awareness of culture and heritage •  Increasing field of research •  A unifying concept

History – Cultural heritage Folk lore$

Geology Socio-economics – distilleries, agriculture etc.

Ecology/natural heritage

Literature – prose, poetry, art

Recreation – fishing, canoeing, walking

Physical activity - skills Forests – history/management

Hydrology / meteorology

The law, access etc.

Estates / land ownership

National parks

A sense of place … $

The‘Three Hs’ Education for Heart, Hand & Head

Policy issues (Scotland)

Recent trends in learning outside the classroom – the past 5 years (observations)

•  Emphasis on the Primary Phase •  More school provision is locally based •  Closer links to curriculum •  Closer links to communities and ‘place’ •  Health and well-being focus •  Environment and sustainable development focus •  Residential provision – more providers, more

diversity, more competition

A Curriculum for Excellence •  Values:‘wisdom, compassion, integrity and justice’ •  The four‘capacities’(‘successful learners,

confident individuals, effective contributors, responsible citizens’)

•  Educational principles to pervade teaching •  Subject areas must address these •  Progression from 3 – 18

Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2005

Why indoors?

A framework for learning outdoors

“The journey through education for any child in Scotland must include opportunities for a series of planned, quality outdoor learning experiences.”

Learning & Teaching Scotland 2010 p. 5

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How shall we know?

A letter to my daughter’s head-teacher Thank you for your letter inviting me to send Ella to your annual P7 residential at … Centre. I am happy to pay the £250 and allow Ella to go but I note that this trip takes place in term-time and before I agree I would like you to please explain the following: 1. What is the educational purpose of the trip? 2. In what way are the activities appropriate to the educational purpose, and what evidence is there for this? 3. How are the staff who work with the pupils qualified to deliver these educational aims? 4. What aspects of the curriculum and her general education will she miss whilst she is away from school for this week? 5. Why is this trip deemed to be more valuable than a week in school? 6. If it is ‘educational’ then why am I paying £250 for it? 7. If you are unable to answer any of the above, perhaps you will explain to me how this trip differs from a holiday? If it is a holiday I would rather take Ella out of school for the week and go away with her myself. I would be grateful if you would agree to me doing so as I would rather have your permission rather than a ‘rebuke’ from the school for an ‘un-authorised absence’ (as I did when I took her out for a half-day in P2 to visit her cousins).

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Aims Assumptions Content Methods Evaluation Claims

Learning Outcome

(curricular or other)

Why am I doing this activity in this place with these kids now ?

Are we training kids for the shopping mall, and to be good consumers?

just bad clothes or a bad attitude?

Will they be ready to deal with environmental, economic and social change?

The goal of education is to form the citizen. The citizen is a person who, if need be, can re-found his civilisation.

Eugene Rosenstock-Huessy (1888-1973)

Raising attainment through learning outside the classroom: In search of the holy grail?

Peter Higgins & Beth Christie Moray House School of Education The University of Edinburgh October 2012 pete.higgins@ed.ac.uk www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored/