Inquiry Question: To what extent does outdoor learning and nature discovery strengthen elementary student understanding and enhance student engagement?
Mental HealthImproved Mental Health
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Learning Through PlayFostering Creativity
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My Observations
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- When instructions and classroom activity are taken out doors, the student's excitement for learning and engagement with the lesson is visibly increased. When I began introducing more outdoor learning, I noticed that this excitement could lead to student distraction and sometimes difficulty managing the classroom. This was likely due to their connection between "outdoors" and "field trips" which led to the excitement they were displaying. However, after students started becoming familiar with the idea that the outdoors was essentially an extension of our indoor classroom, the engagement and focus was incredible.. Students were motivated to learn in an alternative setting than what they are used to, even if it is as simple as bringing students out into their local school yard.. With the school yard comes a sense of familiarity but also enough change to grasp student attention.. One particular lesson that really stood out to me was a science lesson that was centred around amplification of sound. After debriefing what "amplification" really meant, students were given the opportunity to create megaphones and test them outside. They were then challenged to amplify their voices in various ways without the use of the megaphone they created. Allowing students to explore this concept without the restrictions of the indoor classroom setting was extremely beneficial as they were able to "let it rip" as they would say. Without the noise level being a concern or opportunity for stress to build in the classroom, this lesson was a lot of fun and students enjoyed working in partners out in the fresh air!
- On our whole school L.A.N.D. days, lots of time was spent engaging in unstructured play. This means that students were allowed to play amongst the trees, with rocks, sticks, snow, etc. and create, roll, tumble, and use their imagination. What was really interesting, was that during these opportunities, students who often struggled on the playground when playing with others during recess, or in the classroom, would have no problems or conflict during these unstructured play time. I observed LOTS of cross-grade interaction and playing and hardly any students that were singled out or playing alone.. It truly was so refreshing.
- The Horace Allen kindergarten classes take part in "wonder walks" which simply involves students going for a teacher-led walk, experiencing the different sights and sounds that come with each new day and location, and allowing them to reflect on these experiences and sharing the things that sparked their interest or what caused them to "wonder.." This is a really fascinating concept, due to the assumption that students would lack engagement and would become easily distracted. However, what's the most interesting about outdoor learning is that it can not be overly teacher-led. The beauty and magic of it comes from the teacher taking a step back and allowing the students to experience the walk however they choose, resulting in each of them taking away a different outlook or perspective..
- I had the opportunity to participate in three separate days spent at the PEAKS Outdoor Learning Campus with a group of students from grades 1-3 while the rest of the school skied at the local ski hill. I had been to this location prior to this series of days, what was different through, was that when we had taken the grade three classes, the lessons were focused on the science unit, "Hearing and Sound." These few days we spent with with students from a variety of grades was focus on physical activity outdoors, learning new skills, and spending lots of time outside doing "unstructured play." Throughout the entire three days that we were there, there were ZERO conflicts and students from each grade intermingled with each other and played with individuals that they normally wouldn't see on a regular school day. Students would spend this unstructured time building forts, creating new games, or creating "tools" out of natural supplies. Problem-solving skills were developed, creativity flourished, and it got students moving. In a world where we rely so heavily on technology to entertain us, this was truly incredible to witness.