Outdoor Learning a Self Evaluation Checklist for Teachers

OUTDOOR LEARNING – A SELF EVALUATION CHECKLIST FOR TEACHERS

This series of statements is designed to make you think about your current practice and to consider what is possible. You may wish to give yourself a score out of 5 for each point. This would allow you to monitor your improvement year-on-year. It is illustrative rather than exhaustive. Please adapt and amend it to suit your circumstances.

Learning outside is a frequent and regular feature of your teaching practice: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
All year round, capitalising on seasonal, community, cultural and religious events, activities and celebrations
In all weathers
Across all curriculum areas
Encompassing a full-range of experiences, especially in wild or semi-wild spaces
Where children have a right to work and play where is most suits their learning needs
Where the benefits of outdoor learning have been identified as well as the risks
School policies followed in relation to all aspects of learning outside
You ensure learning outside takes place: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Within the school grounds (frequently and regularly)
Within the local area within walking distance (frequently and regularly)
Extended excursions to places further afield (occasionally)
Residential opportunities (annual)
That a variety of places and habitats are explored including wild spaces
Your class contributes towards collective outdoor activities and events including: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Parent Teacher Association activities
·
Assemblies (outdoors as well as inside)
Events in the local community
National events (e.g. Year of Natural Scotland, National Poetry Day)
International collaborative projects
The outdoor learning experiences include: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Interdisciplinary projects
Subject specific activities
Real life contexts where children can apply skills
Caring for animals and plants
A playful approach
Activities and approaches which develop children’s creative capacities and skills and independence
Opportunities to meet people who work outside and to collaborate on projects with artists, writers and others professionals who view the world in different ways
Children are actively involved in ongoing dialogue, collaborative decision-making and meaningful action which: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Continuously improves the biodiversity value of the school grounds and adopted local space
Continuously improves the formal learning opportunities within the grounds and adopted local space
Makes playtimes and school grounds more play friendly and where children can freely play where it suits them all year round and in all weathers and have daily play opportunities in nature or naturalised spaces
Ensures learning for sustainability is at the forefront of any decision-making and actions such as frequent and regular acts of stewardship
Results in the achievement of recognised awards relating to outdoor work and volunteering
Motivates them to learn to the best of their ability outdoors and in
Creates inclusive outdoor environments and experiences
Our class activities focus on wise, sustainable use of resources: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Making best use of materials and objects found in situ
Using resources gathered sustainably and in accordance with the law
Re-using and recycling materials as much as possible
Sourcing local products created sustainably
As a teacher, you undertake a range of professional development activities which you apply to teaching outdoors: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Increasing knowledge and understanding of nature
Developing your role of as a facilitator of learning outside
Understanding how pedagogy can be applied to outdoor practice
Collaborating with colleagues, outdoor professionals, local community organisations to develop quality experiences and programmes
Enables you to reflect and evaluate on the impact of your teaching practice outside
As a teacher, you act as a role model and mentor for the children in your class by: / Score / Robust Evidence / Comment including further action
Demonstrating care for the land as a limited resource essential for family identity and wellbeing
Questioning destructive practices which have an adverse impact on our environment
Taking an active interest in the details of living things and the elements
Expressing pleasure when being in nature or outside
Regularly contributing to events in the local community
Knowing and demonstrating the values which underpin your practice
Ensuring that principles of sustainability are embedded in your practice

TAKING LEARNING OUTDOORS: Reviewing your outdoor learning provision during the past year

In the OFSTED report (2008) Learning Outside the Classroom - How far should you go? a key finding was that even schools who demonstrated very effective outdoor learning were failing to measure the impact of outdoor learning on improving achievement. The aim of this sheet is to give you an indication of where you are at now so that in one year’s time you can look back and reflect upon your progress.

In each box write down the activity and main curriculum area covered (continue overleaf if needed):

In your school grounds / In your local area – within walking distance / A day trip or outdoor learning activity which required transport
Term 1
Term 2
Term 3

What do you need to do in terms of ensuring a balance of activities, where they happen and when? Write you thoughts overleaf.

An Outdoor Calendar: Embedding Outdoor Learning Throughout the Year

Class…………………………………. Teacher …………………………………

Maintenance Matters (SG, FS, Other) / Celebrations, events and customs (S, LC, IP) / Seasonal curriculum activities (SG, FS, etc)
Aug / Weed raised beds outside classroom (SG) / Outdoor Circle Time – New beginnings (SG) / Record plants found in woodland. Add to the database. Link to local biodiversity project (FS)
Sep / Harvest vegetables (SG) / Lead harvest assembly
Class to take photos of nature’s harvest in woodland and school grounds (SG/FS) / Scene setting activies in writing – small world scenes outside. Develop over 3 sessions
Graph work linked to favourite vegetables tasted.
Oct / Community clean up of local wood used for Forest School (FS)
Research which bulbs will grow best in school grounds and are wildlife friendly / Leaf activities in maths
Leaf characters in writing based upon Leaf Man story
Nov / Plant bulbs in school grounds (SG). Invite parents to assist (LC) / Divali – mini class project. Make divas and lanterns for use outside (SG)
Undertake Expressive arts oral story telling session based upon Rama and Sita
Remind parents about Rotary bonfire to link with Festival of Lights elsewhere. / Probability work in maths relating to the numbers of bulbs planted and likelihood of numbers producing flowers.
Dec / Christmas – Carol singing in local shopping mall. Proceeds to local charity (LC) / Have a solstice campfire. Use divas and lanterns as part of this celebration (FS/LC)

SG – School grounds FS – Forest school LC – Community IP – International partnership projects

Looking at learning opportunities outside across a whole year, through the use of a grid has several advantages:

· You can make the most of each season and the multi-sensory learning opportunities that go hand-in-hand with this

· Local and national religious and cultural events and celebrations can be part of the provision

· The maintenance aspects of managing school grounds or another patch of ground, e.g. an allotment or woodland can be integrated into the curriculum. Remember that practical tasks such as pruning are good skills. Children can find out through online research advice about pruning trees. This can be collated and shared prior to undertaking this task.

· It allows for a whole school approach where classes can join together for some activities, assemblies planned and continuity and progression assured. Each class can have a grid and this can feed into a whole school grid to ensure continuity and progression. Look at the “Mountains to the Sea” illustration to ensure coverage of all habitats when learning outside.

· In addition to this, each class can undertake regular classwork outside. For example, classes can decide to have at least one outdoor maths session per week. As each curriculum area is considered, look for outdoor opportunities to include. Ensure all ideas are in the same place as plans for indoor activities. If you have a maths planner, then photocopy and cut out and attach the maths ideas from course handouts into the different parts to save time on a day-to-day basis.