Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Outdoor Education

This practical text offers simple activities and lesson plans for young people in a variety of school and community settings. The author examines why outdoor education is important and includes a step-by-step guide for planning field trips through to a complete outdoor education programme.

Outdoor education, a general term describing the use of resources outside the classroom, has long been considered a method to improve student learning. This book aims to create a bridge between current school reform efforts and the field of outdoor education. Chapter 1 introduces the idea of outdoor education and relates several recent educational innovations to principles of outdoor education and experiential learning. These innovations include service learning, children's museums, constructivism, problem-based learning, technology-based authentic learning, concern for multiple intelligences, and interdisciplinary learning. Chapter 2 makes suggestions for planning outdoor learning, explains the role of the teacher in student-centered learning, and outlines a learning adventure model. Chapter 3 presents 12 outdoor adventures that move instruction into the community. Developed for grades 4-9, these adventures can be adapted to most ages or to nonschool situations or can be a model for teachers to develop their own thematic units. Each adventure contains an organizing problem, background, outcomes, activities, reflection questions, and performance assessments. Themes include observing people at the shopping center, community planning, local pollution problems, starting a democratic society, homesteading, seeing a city block, fast-food fact finding, scouting the school grounds, reading the cemetery "story," down the drain, nature in the city, and creating a nature trail. Appendices contain a brief history of outdoor education and experiential learning, an environmental inventory, bibliographies of related materials, guidelines for creating student-centered learning communities, related organizations, and 15 ways to study a place without a guide. Contains 44 references. (SV)

Following the acclaim for Learning Outside the Classroom in 2012, this latest book more deeply explains how well constructed outdoor learning experiences can benefit children and young people’s academic development and health and wellbeing. Outdoor Learning Across the Curriculum outlines the theory and practice to enable preservice and experienced primary and secondary school teachers to systematically incorporate meaningful outdoor learning opportunities into their daily teaching activities, in a range of environments and with diverse groups of students. Six of the chapters are substantially re-worked versions of the 2012 book, two are completely re-imagined, and four are entirely new. Topics for developing learning and teaching outdoors include: Inclusive educational design Learning for sustainability Community-based learning The role of student curiosity and wonder Evidencing learning Developing a whole school approach Place-responsive education Integrating digital technology With practical and engaging chapters containing aims, case studies, and guidelines for practice, this timely book provides teachers the tools with which they can integrate outdoor learning into their daily timetable. It will also be a valuable resource to other professions which use the outdoors for educational purposes.

"This book helps educators who use the outdoors as a learning setting. It presents teaching methods for people who teach in schools, nature centers, adventure centers, camps, environmental learning centers, government agencies, and universities. These methods apply to many subject areas such as physical education, science education, environmental studies, and recreation"--

The popular Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Physical Educationis back and better than ever. This new edition guides you in integrating the content of language arts, math, science, social studies, and the arts (music, theater arts, and visual arts) with the content of physical education through active learning experiences. This book has the following features: -It provides 24 learning experiences in the five academic areas, 193 additional ideas for developing those learning experiences, and 37 new, ongoing strategies for teaching physical education through cross-curricular methods. -It is revised and expanded, offering you more teaching tools to supplement, support, and enhance your teaching. -It delivers new practical ideas and activities for classroom use, based on current theory and best practices. In part I, you'll learn about the theoretical need for and benefits of interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The authors identify models for planning and implementing interdisciplinary experiences and provide ideas for getting started, building a support network, and assessing learning. In part II, the authors describe sample learning experiences in each of the five academic disciplines and offer ideas for developing additional learning experiences. They also present suggested scope and sequence of concepts for each grade level and describe the concepts and skills that are appropriate for primary- and intermediate-grade students. Interdisciplinary Elementary Physical Educationwill give your students a wealth of knowledge while they're being active. They'll have fun while they conjugate, calculate, investigate, explore, dance--and move across the curriculum.

Teaching Outdoors Creatively offers guidance and a variety of exciting ideas to suit the full range of primary schools and locations. Underpinned by current research and practical experience, it investigates innovative approaches to working creatively with children beyond the classroom. While recognising the diverse needs and opportunities that primary schools have to develop the outdoors as part of their curriculum, it presents a broad range of activities, philosophies and approaches. Key themes explored include: Understanding and using local and home environments Investigating streets and buildings in your area Planning fieldwork Using rivers to inspire children Forest schools Beach schools Physical education outdoors Learning through adventure. Teaching Outdoors Creatively supports teaching and learning in a wide range of settings, from schools in rural and urban areas, to off-site outdoor education centres and residential visits. With a focus on developing effective and stimulating learning environments for children it is a must-have resource for all busy trainee and practising teachers.

Outdoor learning continues to play an essential role in early years education, and this new edition of a bestselling book explores how the Forest School approach can be easily and effectively incorporated into early years practice. Expanding on aspects of Forest School teaching, and drawing on new developments and policy changes within the field, this new edition also includes: - a new chapter on working with parents - greater coverage of the 0-2 age range - new case studies to aid learning - coverage of international approaches to Forest School Yet again Sara Knight delivers an inspirational text for all those working in or studying early years education and care. Sara Knight is an experienced early years educator and Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. She is a trained Forest School practitioner and author of Forest Schools For All and Risk and Adventure in Early Years Outdoor Play (both published by SAGE).