Strategies That Are Used in Outdoor Learning Environments in order to Support Childrens Development - Literature review Example

Strategies that are used in Outdoor Learning Environments in order to Support Children’s Development Introduction Outdoor learning is descriptive of the processes of conducting lessons in an external environment. The educational activities that are created for outdoor learning are meant to accomplish development objectives in students which promote the acquisition of positive or constructive relationships and attitudes. Essentially, outdoor learning has to do with engaging in practical learning initiatives which cause the students to be involved in discovering answers and not just function as receptacles. In outdoor learning, the student is the most vital part of the experience. Outdoor learning can help children to be able to maximise on the available teaching assets as well as resources in order to generate ideas about their surrounding environment without numerous interruptions. Outdoor learning encourages children to gain educational insights through what they hear, see, or perceive and experience through spontaneous outdoor experiences. The First Experiences of Children in the Outdoors When they are first exposed to the world outside, toddlers or even infants usually need direct supervision to ensure that they do not cause harm to themselves. They immediately show signs of wanting to interact with their world through the five senses by looking listening, feeling, and even tasting foreign objects. This could be risky because they could ingest germs or even foreign objects if not watched. This means that their carers constantly have to employ wisdom when determining where to expose them to the outdoors (Gamson 2010). They cannot be exposed to the raw outdoors because their bodies can easily be affected by foreign objects or adverse weather conditions. Their learning experiences are therefore greatly tailored to meet certain conditions even in the outdoors. Once toddlers develop into young children, though, there are more opportunities for them to be able to learn more from the environment or surroundings outdoors. For the first learning experience, teachers or parents can start with exposing the children to simple experiences. According to Gouch (2010) young children as well as learners of all ages will learn best by means of experiences that have ties to what they are already comfortable as well as familiar with. This means that when children are first exposed to an outdoors-based classroom, they will only gain knowledge about things that are related to what they are already aware of. For example, if a teacher wishes to teach her young students about a certain type of plant or tree, she can begin by speaking about trees that are found in the children’s background before proceeding to speak about others that may be in a more dense part of the woodlands. It is also important for teachers to ensure that children have many positive experiences in the outdoors prior to exposing them to more knowledge from the outdoors. This is because children can easily acquire information through exposure to concrete facts that they can see. For example, to be able to fully understand different aspects of zoo life and wild animals, it would be necessary for students to be exposed to zoos on a regular basis. Visiting a local zoo just once would not be instrumental in ensuring that the children understood everything about the wild animals or plants ensconced in such a place. Teachers can also provide academic experiences that will be remembered by students by ensuring that their students have ongoing experiences with various domesticated animals, trees, and even plants that are near the areas that they are well accustomed to such as their homes or schools. This is actually more beneficial than arranging for irregular trips to places in other states that the children may not have the opportunity to visit regularly. Apart from exploring the natural world, teachers can also do things like altering ordinary playgrounds to become environmental enclosures that will then stimulate the interest of children. The transformation can be carried out by introducing bird-feeders, new plants and flowers, and even insects. The children can then be supplied with devices such as water hose, magnifying glasses, and rakes so that they can conduct their own investigations. To catch the attention of students and ensure that the children retain the memory of what they learn, teachers can also seek to ensure that the students experience what they learn about; in contrast to simply cramming it in their minds. According to Holmes and Procaccino (2009) the majority of young children tend to acquire knowledge or information about different things through self-initiated adventures. This means that any teacher in such a setting will merely serve as a facilitator. This also means that the teachers cannot expect the students to listen to them and follow or observe their instructions to the letter. Children will only tend to be interested in activities that they come upon through sensory engagement, hands-on-manipulation, and self-initiated actions (Youell 2008). Therefore, teachers have to concentrate only on what their students find engrossing instead of competing with the objects of their interest through the insistence on using adult-selected materials and activities. Another way in which teachers can capture the interest of their students and turn it to learning outside is by showing personal interest in the outdoors. According to Huggins (2012) a teacher’s expressions of enjoyment and interest are critical to a student or child’s actual interest in learning in the outdoors environment. A teacher’s expression of his or her amazement at the elements of nature will be more stimulating for a child than any type of scientific finding. For children, the feelings of those they admire and respect are of greater importance than any real scientific facts that the teacher may be amazed at. This means that teachers as well as parents need not be unduly concerned about their lack of knowledge on different aspects of the environment. Just their expressions of interest in it will prompt their charges to respond to it (Knight 2011). Another way in which teachers can ensure that their charges remain interested in learning in the outdoors environment is by respecting it and ensuring that the children see their respectful actions. According to Maynard and Waters (2007) speaking to children or students about the different ways in which they can take care of the outdoors environment is not as impactful as actually physically taking steps to take care of the environment. This can be demonstrated by handling domesticated as well as exotic plants and animals carefully and in a gentle manner. It can also be demonstrated by ensuring that there are proper ways of disposing of trash and also recycling what can be recycled. According to O’Brien (2009), it is not unusual for children to become emotionally attached to the things that they are accustomed to or which are comfortable for them. Once children as well as students of other ages develop a feeling of connectedness with the thought of learning in an outdoors environment through the experience of positive feelings associated with the outdoors, they are likely to become attached to the concept of learning and working in the outdoors even without much prompting (Waters and Maynard 2010). This means that, for teachers, supplying opportunities for these experiences and allowing young children to share in them forms the basis of environmental education. In the early years, environmental education is mainly concentrated on the concept of young learners exploring the natural world under the direction of caring adults. Teaching in the Outdoors For teachers who wish to participate in outdoor learning experiences when teaching children, there are different challenges that they are faced with. One of the challenges lies in finding creative ways with which to engage their students in outdoor settings. For the benefit of students, outdoor learning programs have to find ways of sustaining interconnectedness in a setting in which students tend to centre on their own interests. For example, the school ground is a natural setting in which students may interact together in an outdoor environment. According to Rose and Rogers (2012) play can be used to help in learning objectives where children are concerned. When play is self-initiated by children and is spontaneous, there is more opportunity for them to learn about relational issues in outdoor environments. According to Rose and Rogers (2012) the outdoors can actually function as a ‘stage’ in which children express themselves in ecological, social, and cultural domains. In outdoor environments such as school grounds, children are able to acquire cognitive and social skills. Indoor places tend to restrict the chances of benefiting from ecological experience and social interaction (Steampfli 2009). As they develop, children’s physical and psychological qualities can adapt developmentally even as they are exposed to different environments. According to Steampfli (2009) the employment of the outdoors for learning purposes increases alongside a childs age. The child’s affective, cognitive, and behavioral capacities will also adjust to his or her age. To make the most of this reality, teachers should seek to support, facilitate, and encourage this growth. According to Tovey (2007) outdoor learning programs for children are beneficial because they make it possible for children to benefit from sensory stimulation, response feedback, and affordances. Sensory stimulation is descriptive of an environment’s potential to supply much needed stimulation by means of assorted shapes, colors, textures, patterns, and dimensions. Response feedback, on the other hand, refers to the process of forming an environment that can be reactive to a learner or child’s reactions (Waters and Maynard 2010). This creates the opportunity for the child in question to be able to profit from feedback about his or her capacities and competencies. The concept of affordance emphasises on potential action possibilities that are permitted by environmental settings. Outdoor Learning and Natural Classrooms There are different strategies that can be used to make outdoor learning enjoyable and beneficial for children or even older students. According to Dyment and Bell (2008) where children are concerned, the natural spaces that are found in outdoor areas can easily be utilised to create a sense of genuineness for learning activities. The teacher can also use management strategies to establish definite boundaries while also minimising residual risk in outdoor settings. To ensure that classes are manageable, teachers can also divide large groups so that each lesson constitutes of a given number of children who can be monitored from a central spot (Waters and Maynard 2010). Teachers can also use analogies when describing various scenarios while seeking to concentrate on group discussions that recognise the significance of skill demonstrations and participant knowledge. It is also important for teachers to play at experiential learning. Experiential Learning In outdoor settings, the significance of experience can be in reference to accumulated knowledge over numerous years or knowledge acquired from a singular incident. According to John Dewey, experience is central to the process of genuine learning (Clark 2007). Essentially, from Dewey’s theory, experience has to do with more than physiological awareness through senses (Tovey 2007). According to Waite (2010) experiential learning comprises of the acquisition of knowledge through socio-societal and cognitive dimensions. For students to comprehend different concepts, experience has to be grounded in the pertinent social contexts. The child must also be ready to function as an active participant in the dealings between a person and his or her material surroundings, instead of absorbing whatever knowledge is supplied with hardly any expressed commitment. From the physiological neurological viewpoint, the human body perceives sensory stimuli through unconscious and conscious processes in the brain (Dyment and Bell 2008). This means that even though children may experience different environments through biological senses, their comprehension of such experiences will be determined by factors such as their mother-tongue, culture, personal history, and other unconscious aspects. Specific Strategies for Outdoor Learning There are definite strategies that teachers can use when employed in outdoor learning initiatives. In the first place, they can make sure that they conduct lessons in areas outdoors that contain qualities that can make the lesson more authentic. Participant interests can even be prompted by means of firsthand experience, which is an essential part of the experiential process. It is also important for the teachers to exhibit a lot of enthusiasm even when factors such as the weather may not be conducive (Clark 2007). They can also generate a sense of community which stimulates children to seek to learn new skills. The teacher can also seek to ensure that he or she is well aware of the outcomes of each learning activity. This will help him or her to be able to know when the skills are not well-applied. There should also be reminders, nearby, for functions such as the inspection of equipment and updating the students on the necessary tasks. Teachers can even use demonstrations or visuals to highlight the meanings of different lessons. The Fostering of Competence in an Outdoor Environment According to Dewey, the competencies of developing children can only be improved by actively participating in functions. In any outdoor learning environment, the learners or children are usually given the opportunity to be interactive participants who actively contribute to different types of learning processes (Waite 2010). Dewey was a scholar who felt that teachers had the responsibility of determining the information that the children already had before embarking on their lessons in order to know where to start or what to emphasize on. He also stated that teachers had the responsibility of determining the best exercises for each child in order to understand how best to cater to each of those needs. Dewey was of the opinion that children could only benefit from lessons or educational learning by being exposed to first-hand experience in the real world. According to Dyment and Bell (2008), in the present world, there are many educational scholars who feel that children should not be exposed to the outdoors because this would increase the chances of them being wounded by potentially injurious implements in the outdoors. This is not only false, but it also negatively affects children. When they become aware that the teachers and other adults that they hold in high esteem feel that they could easily harm themselves in the outdoors, they will begin feeling more unsure of their capabilities and become incompetent (Waters and Maynard 2010). Moreover, when teachers and parents show their trust in the abilities of children, they tend to gain confidence in their own confidence and seek to learn more and explore their surroundings. There are different theories that can be used in outdoor settings when teaching children. The Zone of Proximal Development theory, which was developed by Vygotsky, held that factors such as scaffolding can be quite beneficial when expanding children’s knowledge. This works because, in outdoor settings, children are put in situations where they are challenged and their skills are stressed (Dyment and Bell 2008). Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi’s Optimal Experience theory can also be used to make out the most profitable conditions such as the use of tangible rules, clear objectives, positive feedback, and connecting challenges to skills, for encouraging children’s development. Another theory that can be utilised in outdoor settings is Howard Gardner’s ‘Intelligence Multiple Intelligence theory (Clark, 2007). Gardner’s theory is significant in regards to the subject of engaging in outdoor learning because it challenged the notion that there was only a single interpretation of true intelligence. Gardner’s theory held that each individual actually has multiple intelligences which do not really have to do with explaining the scores of psychometric assessments but are concerned with determining the different roles in assorted cultures. Gardner believed that intelligence does not just address the mental capacities of a human being; but also include musical, linguistic, spatial, inter-personal, naturalist, intra-personal, and logical intelligences. The significance that this theory of multiple intelligences is that it is describes the different capacities that can be developed in outdoor learning. In indoor learning settings, it is more common for the mental skills of children to be developed and enhanced. The different insights that are prompted in outdoor settings are more in alignment with the capabilities of Gardner’s theory. Conclusion Children, due to their naturally inquisitive nature, have a distinctive and experiential method of learning about different facets of the natural world. This attraction to nature is not really based on the aesthetical properties of plants and animals that are exotic parts of the natural world, but is based on the manner in which the children are taught to interact with nature’s plants and animals. Where children are concerned, outdoor environmental learning mainly takes place through sensory stimulation, direct observations, and movement in the space. It may also be imbibed indirectly through popular media channels, interpersonal communication, and experiences of nature. In towns and cities, teachers have to create areas in which the imagination of children is stirred to consider the benefits of participating in outdoor learning experiences. This is because there are fewer parks and gardens in which children can be encouraged to develop bonds with nature and be comfortable in it. However, children who live in states which have a multiplicity of farms or outsized natural backyards and green spaces have the opportunity to experience unique experience that is provided in the course of outdoor learning. Outdoor learning environments provide the opportunity for children to take part in creativity by discovering new concepts based on their interactions with the environment. This type of creativity is mainly simulated by unconscious or conscious insight. Outdoor grounds care critical in promoting students’ engagement with learning initiatives as well as their drive to succeed. Outdoor-learning essentially inspires activity based learning which is crucial to a child’s social as well as emotional development. The outdoor learning initiative gives children the opportunity to benefit from further learning possibilities because students are given the chance to immerse themselves in the outdoors environment which provides many opportunities for learning about more than just the recognized academic aspects. References Clark, A. (2007) ‘A hundred ways of listening: gathering children’s perspectives of their early childhood environment’, Young Children, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 76-81. Dyment, J.E. & Bell, A.C. (2008) ‘Grounds for movement: green school grounds as sites for promoting physical activity’, Health Education Research, vol. 23, no 6, pp. 952-962. Gamson, D.S. (2010) Asphalt to ecosystems: design ideas for schoolyard transformation, New Village Press, Oakland. Gouch, K. (2010) ‘Understanding playful pedagogies, play narratives and play spaces’, Early Years, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 93-102. Holmes, R.M. & Procaccino, J.K. (2009) ‘Preschool children’s outdoor play area preferences’, Early Childhood Development and Care, vol. 179, no. 8, pp. p1103-1112 . Huggins, V. (2012) ‘Risk and adventure in early years outdoor play: learning from forest schools and forest schools for all’, Early Years: an International Research Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 99-100. Knight, S. (2011) Forest school for all, SAGE Publications Ltd, New York. Maynard, T. & Waters, J. (2007) ‘Learning in the outdoors environment: a missed opportunity’, Early Years: an International Research Journal, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 255-265. O’Brien, L. (2009) ‘Learning outdoors: the forest school approach’, Education, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 45–60. Rose, J. & Rogers, S. (2012) The role of the adult in early settings, McGraw-Hill International, New York. Steampfli, M. B. (2009) ‘Reintroducing adventure into children’s outdoor play environments’, Environment and Behavior, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 268-280. Tovey, H. (2007) Playing outdoors: spaces and places, risks and challenge (debating play), Open University Press, London. Waite, S. (2010) ‘Teaching and learning outside the classroom: personal values, alternative pedagogies, and standards’, Education 3-13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 65-82. Waters, J. & Maynard, T. (2010) ‘What is so interesting outside? A study of child-initiated interaction with teachers in the natural outdoor environment’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 473-483. Youell, B. (2008) ‘The importance of play and playfulness’, European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counseling, vol.10, no. 2, pp. 121-129. Read More