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Outdoor Learning
Barriers to outdoor learning.
“For the most part, nothing keeps our children indoors. I do frequently (at least once a week) have to provide clothing to allow them to partake in outdoor activities.” (Teacher in Canada)
Taking children outdoors for lessons at primary and secondary school is most often instigated by individual teachers as opposed to being at the centre of whole-school policies. With that in mind, we asked what stops teachers taking lessons outdoors. They told us:
• Pressures caused by curriculum work (47% in the USA; 45% in the UK; 40.5% globally; 39% in Australia; 35% in South Africa; 33% in Canada).
• Health and safety fears (17% in Canada; 17% in the UK; 15% globally; 14% in the USA; 9% in Australia).
• The weather (81% in South Africa; 79% in Canada; 77% in the USA; 70% globally; 68% in Australia; 58% in the UK).
Again, a promising 17% of teachers worldwide said that nothing prevents them from taking classes outside (24% in the UK; 23% in South Africa; 18% in Australia; 17% globally; 15% in Canada; 6% in the USA).
The future?
These findings are encouraging as they show that there is a fast-growing number of schools worldwide that recognise how important outdoor learning and play is for children, teachers and whole schools, as well as parents and the wider community. This is part of a wider growing movement, backed by research spanning neuroscience to biology, that recognises unequivocally that time outdoors – and time to play - is important for all children.
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Outdoor learning has huge benefits for children and teachers — so why isn’t it used in more schools? Research shows that healthier and happier children do better in school, and that education is an important determinant of future health. But education is not just about lessons within the four walls of a classroom. The outdoor environment encourages skills such as problem solving and negotiating risk which are important for child development. But opportunities for children to access the natural environment are diminishing. Children are spending less time outside due to concerns over safety, traffic, crime, and parental worries. Modern environments have reduced amounts of open green spaces too, while technology has increased children’s sedentary time. It is for these reasons and more that many think schools have arguably the greatest potential – and responsibility – to give children access to natural environments. This is not just about improving break times and PE lessons - physical education, however. Across the UK, teachers are getting children outdoors by delivering curriculum-based lessons in school grounds or local areas. A variety of subjects, such as math, art and science, are all being taken outside.
