Getting the best for children outside the classroom

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Getting the best for children outside the
classroom Bob Bull Glachbeg Croft
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What is outside the classroom?The use of places
other than the classroom for teachingand
learning.

• Field studies centres
• Adventurous activity bases
• Community gardens/ farms
• Parks/ woodlands etc
• School grounds
• Facilities outside of the school museums.
  offices , factories, shops etc ???

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• REALISTIC
• Hopkins and Putman Personal Growth Through
  Adventure 1993

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IDEAL Hopkins and Putman Personal Growth Through
Adventure 1993
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The aims may not have been accomplished but a lot
of useful learning may have taken place.
Hopkins and Putman Personal Growth Through
Adventure 1993
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How can Field work help

• Pupils involved in fieldwork gain strongly in
  terms of self-confidence.
• Real tasks that necessitate co-operation aid the
  personal development of pupils
• Pupils are often highly motivated in the
  different surroundings out of doors, and by
  investigating reality.

Raising Achievement through the Environment.
Dr Stuart Nundy. NAFSO
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How can Field work help

• New and unfamiliar surroundings create events and
  images that significantly enhance long-term
  memory recall, knowledge and understanding.
• Such fieldwork must, however, be carefully
  designed and structured
• Learning outcomes go from lower levels such as
  knowledge recall, to a point where they begin to
  think critically.

Raising Achievement through the Environment.
Dr Stuart Nundy. NAFSO
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How can Field work help

• Pupils who learn in the outdoors, undertaking
  real tasks that are self-motivating, learn at
  enhanced levels compared to pupils who learn only
  within a classroom context.
• Pupils have to move beyond simple knowledge
  recall to a point where they can apply knowledge,
  hypothesise and think critically.
• An holistic approach to education which is
  normally not available in the context of a normal
  classroom environment.

Raising Achievement through the Environment.
Dr Stuart Nundy. NAFSO
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• What are these outdoor tools?
• The whole environment- and everything that is
  in it- including the people, the weather, the
  plants, the animals, and the things you havent
  thought of !

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Barriers to working outside the classroom

• Unreliable weather
• Money
• Children not contained
• Health and safety
• Time
• Etc etc.

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Seed planting

• team work,
• working on your own,
• writing,
• problem solving,
• etc etc

• handling small objects,
• measurement,
• estimating,
• counting,
• reading,
• co-ordination

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Collecting Eggs

• working on your own,
• recording/reporting,
• respect for living
• things,
• etc etc

• handling small objects,
• problem solving,
• estimating,
• counting,
• reading,
• co-ordination

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Colour hunt

• working on your own,
• develops a view of
• the world
• respect for living
• things
• etc etc

• handling small objects,
• problem solving,
• estimating,
• counting,
• self awareness,
• co-ordination

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• Collecting Leaf Mould
• It is possible to build a list stretching over
  several pages of important new learning
  opportunities that are accessible to anyone who
  has not collected leaves before.
• Just consider the mini beasts. Without an
  appreciation of the leaf mould fauna how is it
  possible for children to understand a woodland
  habitat, tree nutrient cycling woodland
  foodchains, woodland biodiversity, soil formation
  processes, natural soil fertility etc etc?

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• Bob Bull
• Glachbeg Education Centre
• Allanglach Wood
• North Kessock
• Inverness
• IV1 3XD
• 01463 811923
• bob_at_glachbeg.org.uk
• www.glachbeg.org.uk

NAFSO Stibbington Centre Church
Lane Stibbington Peterborough PE8 6LP 01780
782386 office_at_nafso.org.uk www.nafso.org.uk