Maths in the woods, Shakespeare in the park New campaign to take the classroom outdoors
SPECIAL REPORT
SCHOOLCHILDREN across Scotland should be given more opportunities to learn lessons – including English, maths and science – outdoors, according to leading education advisers and experts.
The call comes as an estimated 37,000 Scottish nursery and school pupils prepare for Outdoor Classroom Day this Thursday, a worldwide celebration of using learning in the great outdoors.
A growing body of evidence points to the benefits of outdoor learning, which it is claimed boosts mental and physical wellbeing and promotes more engaged learning in literacy and numeracy. Other studies suggest it helps narrow the attainment gap between children from well-off and less affluent households.
But despite Scottish Government policy and curriculum guidelines that insist every child is entitled to regular outdoor learning experiences at school, many claim the mixed picture
Professor Pete Higgins, chair of Edinburgh University’s outdoor and environmental education department at Moray House, admitted that provision was patchy. The academic, who advised the Scottish Government on current outdoor learning policy and curriculum guidance, said while some schools embraced the approach, others needed more encouragement.
“Teachers must get kids out,” he said. “There shouldn’t really be any choice about this. The policies are in place and we are contravening those if we do not go out. But unless teachers see it as a requirement and are obliged by the inspectorate or by the SQA, it often doesn’t happen.”
One school taking outdoor learning seriously is Shawlands Academy in Glasgow. All 252 first year pupils are currently engaged in a John Muir Award outdoor programme, which sees them do all their classes in nearby Queens Park for three days in May. provision is still a
Last week’s lessons included French, where pupils learned vocabulary for the plant and animal life around them, and biology where they took part in the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) tree health survey, monitoring horse chestnut, oak and ash trees.
Maths groups used formula to calculate the age of trees from their circumference while drama students devised and filmed an advert for the park on their phones. In English they wrote poems, song lyrics and raps inspired by