COUNCIL OF OUTDOOR LEARNING
Methods and Models
What does outdoor learning look like? And how can successful models be replicated without "recreating the wheel?" This section of the toolkit offers suggestions, resources, and models for taking the plunge into outdoor learning with the least risk and the most to gain.
Overcoming Obstacles to Teaching Outside
Overcoming Concerns about Managing Students Outside
One of the biggest obstacles to taking students outside is the perception of difficulties with classroom management. Educators are often reluctant to engage students outdoors because they fear being able to keep students on-task in such a setting. Preparation, organization, and communication are key to success. When a teacher or environmental educator has a plan and students have a clear understanding of the expectations, the results can be more effective than a similar lesson conducted in the classroom -- especially for struggling students. This document contains some basic strategies for managing students outside. Many thanks to Jerry Hightower and the late Petey Giroux for documenting their top tips for managing students outdoors.
Click below to download "Tips and Techniques"
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Overcoming Fears
Both teachers and students can have concerns about going outdoors to learn. These may range from safety concerns to fear of looking foolish. The best way to overcome fears is to name them and address them, one by one. Surveys and professional learning sessions can allow teachers to feel comfortable speaking out and working together to identify solutions, so that they feel confident teaching outside. Walkie talkies or cell phones can provide assurance that help is close-by, if needed. Some schools have been successful organizing Earth Parents and Grandparents who are available to go outside with a class and provide assistance.
If allowed to administer first aid, teachers may want to have a fanny pack, fishing vest, or apron that contains band-aids, cleansing wipes and injectors (epi-pens) for children with known allergic reactions. Being able to recognize and avoid poison ivy, fire ants, and other other hazards can reduce anxiety and lower risks. Faculty tours of outdoor learning areas with a local expert can also help teachers feel prepared and confident when they later take students outside to learn. Use of free apps such as SEEK and iNaturalist can relieve teachers of the unreasonable expectation that they should be experts before taking students outside.
Fears about being outside may be unfounded, but they are often based on legitimate concerns. Having a plan to address these concerns can improve the effectiveness and enjoyment of nature-based experiences - both for teachers and students.
If allowed to administer first aid, teachers may want to have a fanny pack, fishing vest, or apron that contains band-aids, cleansing wipes and injectors (epi-pens) for children with known allergic reactions. Being able to recognize and avoid poison ivy, fire ants, and other other hazards can reduce anxiety and lower risks. Faculty tours of outdoor learning areas with a local expert can also help teachers feel prepared and confident when they later take students outside to learn. Use of free apps such as SEEK and iNaturalist can relieve teachers of the unreasonable expectation that they should be experts before taking students outside.
Fears about being outside may be unfounded, but they are often based on legitimate concerns. Having a plan to address these concerns can improve the effectiveness and enjoyment of nature-based experiences - both for teachers and students.
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Be Snake-SMART
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Self-Education: Recognize snakes; use apps or contact [email protected]; increase your expertise.
Model Behavior you want to see in children: Remain calm and show students how to be safe around snakes. Teach them not to reach into holes or under rocks, not to touch or kick snakes, and not to step blindly over logs. Require close-toed shoes in natural areas. Assess: Scout the schoolyard to identify safe spaces for children to explore during outdoor activities. Risk Management: Be aware of areas that attract snake prey such as mice (fields, vegetable gardens, bird seed), eggs (chicken coops, bird nests, bird houses), and brush piles. Engage students in designing and building spill-proof bird feeders, predator-proof chicken coops, etc. Install rough surfaces (e.g. stabilized slate walkways) as deterrents or perimeters. Avoid snake repellents (ineffective and can harm other wildlife). Encourage natural predators such as owls and hawks, by keeping mature trees and installing owl boxes. Maintain some outdoor spaces to deter snakes, without removing all understory in the schoolyard. Teach Students: Participate in community science projects such as Urban Kings; engage children in learning about ongoing snake research and doing their own research on Georgia's 42 snakes to understand their intrinsic value as well as benefits to humans, roles in the ecosystem, and vulnerabilities. |
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Be Tick-SMART
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Self-Education: Recognize ticks; use ID apps; increase expertise through the National Tick Museum in GA.
Model Behavior you want to see in children: Remain calm; show students how to check skin for ticks; and remove ticks carefully, saving dead tick in a sealed container in case it is needed later. Assess the Schoolyard: Scout the schoolyard to identify a place for upcoming outdoor activities. Mark potential hazards. Maintain space as necessary. (Removal of all understory plants is not recommended.) Risk Management: Be aware of tick attractants such as tall grass. Long pants tucked into socks can help reduce exposure to ticks. Carry tweezers, alcohol wipes, and zip top bag with you, when going outside. Teach Students: Participate in tick-related community science projects; create "Wanted posters" for various species of ticks; and explore the roles of ticks in Georgia ecosystems. |
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Be Poison Ivy-SMART
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Self-Education: Recognize poison ivy; use apps; increase .
Model Behavior you want to see in children: Teach children not to touch "leaves of three" or hairy vines. Assess Schoolyard: Scout the schoolyard to identify a place for upcoming outdoor activities. Mark poison ivy. Point it out to students so they can avoid contact. Maintain the space as necessary. Risk Management: Selective removal of poison ivy can be accomplished by mowing or pulling out by the roots, using gloves. Afterwards, clean urushiol oil off garden tools by wiping with a grease-cutting detergent and then alcohol; then wash skin with cool water, a grease-cutting detergent such as Dawn (not bar soap), and swab with alcohol; remove clothes with gloves and wash in hot water. Treat rash if needed. Teach Students: Create "Wanted posters" for poison ivy, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and their look-alikes; explore the role of poison ivy - a native plant - in Georgia ecosystems; and use the interactive Poison Ivy Quiz to make sure students can ID it. |
Overcoming Student Reluctance
Students and parents may be uncomfortable with outside learning for a number of reasons. It is worthwhile to ask about specific concerns, so they can be addressed. Share information with families about the value of students making sense of phenomena that they observe outdoors, so they can make real world connections to the curriculum. Be aware of cultural perceptions and lived experiences may leave some people feeling unwelcome or out of place in natural areas, while others feel deep familial or cultural connections to the environment.
Effective Teaching
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Students who are engaged in outdoor learning do not have to be convinced to go outside. Make sure the mission of the day is clear before stepping over the threshold. (Here are some strategies for giving clear instructions). Assign student partners before going out. Let children spend their time outdoors observing phenomena, figuring out how things work, designing projects, and solving problems - not sitting on benches listening to lectures that could have been delivered inside the building.
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Clear Communication
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Provide clear communication with families about outdoor learning plans, including advance notice and information about the purpose of activities. Some elementary school teachers send students home wearing a leaf on a string to signal that the class will be going outdoors the next day, in addition to calendar and newsletter notification. Some teachers have a set schedule for outdoor learning, such as "every Wednesday, rain or shine!" |
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Appropriate Gear (and Spares)
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Some children are reluctant to participate in an activity where their shoes might get dirty or messed up. Pull-over boots can be a good solution to have on hand. Other students may not have rain gear for inclement weather. A classroom set of ponchos helps - and cost as little as $1 each. Consider putting inclement weather gear on the class wish list or seek grants and donations to fund it. Provide advance notice of outdoor activities so students who are concerned about hair have the opportunity to decide how to manage it. |
Overcoming Logistics and Time Constraints
Logistics and time constraints are among the most commonly-cited obstacles to outdoor learning.
Extended or Combined Class Periods
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45-minute class periods can constrain outdoor learning - especially if the nature area is far from the building. Here are some strategies to consider for eking out more time:
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Organizational Efficiency
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Practicing class procedures can maximize outside learning time. Equipment that also helps:
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Weather
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Discomfort is distracting. Yet some schools teach outside every day (except when unsafe). How do they do it? Here are some strategies:
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Overcoming Lack of Resources
Outdoor Learning Spaces
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It would be ideal to have a schoolyard forest, work surfaces for student activities, and water features on campus. However, the best we can do is to start wherever we are. This "ditch ecology" study area at Dr. G. W. Carver Elementary is one way to make the most of every part of the schoolyard. Very small campuses might benefit from vertical gardens, bird feeders, and containerized trees to introduce natural elements and investigations stations. Engaging students in planting trees can instill a lifelong environmental ethic - and fast-growing species can mature to provide shade and wildlife habitat in a dozen years.
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Work Surfaces and Supplies
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Benches and amphitheaters are among the most commonly requested schoolyard improvements - but teachers who frequently take students outside say work surfaces are more needed and useful.
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Professional Learning & Teaching Resources
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Evaluations of outdoor learning have revealed that professional learning is the most reliable predictor of program longevity. Teaching in nature doesn't come naturally! Educators can benefit from training that increases their comfort level outdoors, provides opportunities to practice appropriate instructional strategies, and models ways of engaging students in investigations that focus on sense-making and problem-solving.
Many professional learning workshops are inexpensive or free. There are even free online courses and teaching materials. Conferences and annual events such as the Outdoor Learning Symposium can provide valuable skills and resources. |
Building Capacity to Teach Outdoors
Soliciting ideas and suggestions, creating a master plan, and investing in professional learning for teachers can bring great returns in terms of preparing for outdoor learning and ensuring program sustainability. When in doubt, build capacity before infrastructure. Well-prepared and confident teachers are a greater asset than amphitheaters and pavilions.
Invest in Professional Learning
This short film shows how Ford Elementary School combined forces with Captain Planet Foundation to host a conference on garden-based learning. Because the conference took place at their school, all the teachers got free training. The event gave the Ford teachers momentum for getting their school gardens in top shape. The school also had a chance to showcase its outstanding STEM aquaponics project, Native American gardens, World War II victory gardens, and other outdoor learning programs to educators from around the state.
This short film shows how Ford Elementary School combined forces with Captain Planet Foundation to host a conference on garden-based learning. Because the conference took place at their school, all the teachers got free training. The event gave the Ford teachers momentum for getting their school gardens in top shape. The school also had a chance to showcase its outstanding STEM aquaponics project, Native American gardens, World War II victory gardens, and other outdoor learning programs to educators from around the state.
Get Certified in Project Wild, Project WET, and/or Project Learning Tree
These professional learning programs provide curriculum and build confidence for teaching outside. Fees for day-long training include the cost of a curriculum book and supplies — typically $35 per person. Whole school trainings can be arranged on site. The sample lessons below are available for free to everyone, regardless of whether certified to teach Wet, Wild, or Learning Tree.
These professional learning programs provide curriculum and build confidence for teaching outside. Fees for day-long training include the cost of a curriculum book and supplies — typically $35 per person. Whole school trainings can be arranged on site. The sample lessons below are available for free to everyone, regardless of whether certified to teach Wet, Wild, or Learning Tree.
Partner with EE Professionals
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Another way schools can build capacity is by partnering with local environmental education (EE) professionals. For example, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and Elachee Nature Science Center partner to offer immersive field trips that get students out in nature, conducting field investigations.
In-school visits by EE providers can bring nature to the classroom. With topics that range from wildlife rehabilitation to habitats, food webs and indigenous technology, EE providers can enrich and supplement classroom learning, serve as subject matter experts, and even help identify schoolyard assets. Check with nearby nature centers, parks, state forestry offices, local watershed departments, botanical gardens, zoos, aquaria, and environmental non-profits to find local environmental educators. |
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Start with Easy Gateway Activities: Here are 3 Tried & True Projects
Teachers who are not yet experienced in outdoor learning may want to start with one of these three "gateway" approaches, which are easiest to initiate and likely to produce effective results.
1. Garden-based Learning
The least intimidating of all outdoor learning activities, teachers are usually somewhat familiar with gardens and comfortable engaging students in planting activities. Pollinator gardens, rain gardens, vegetable gardens, hydroponics and aquaponics provide exciting opportunities for students to design solutions to environmental problems such as the need to encourage healthy eating, loss of pollinator habitat, poor drainage, food deserts, polluted run-off from farming, and space constraints for growing food.
Garden planning, soil testing, research, and investigation is as important for student learning as planting, harvesting, or measuring. Gardening can be made more student-driven by allowing children "voice and choice" in deciding what to plant, where, and how. Below are links to a toolkit for starting a vegetable garden, and for University of Connecticut's Rain Garden Planner. Rich with math calculations, soil permeability testing, outdoor exploration, water quality monitoring, and native plant research, students who design and install gardens apply a wide range of knowledge to solve real-world problems.
Garden planning, soil testing, research, and investigation is as important for student learning as planting, harvesting, or measuring. Gardening can be made more student-driven by allowing children "voice and choice" in deciding what to plant, where, and how. Below are links to a toolkit for starting a vegetable garden, and for University of Connecticut's Rain Garden Planner. Rich with math calculations, soil permeability testing, outdoor exploration, water quality monitoring, and native plant research, students who design and install gardens apply a wide range of knowledge to solve real-world problems.
2. Schoolyard Investigations and "Bioblitzes"
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Scientists whose work requires more evidence than they can collect alone, may call on volunteers to "crowd-source" additional data. Students can contribute to authentic research and participate in real-world science by conducting field investigations for community (or citizen) science projects.
A Biodiversity Blitz is an easy way to start with community science. After watching the "Your Backyard Wilderness" film, students will wonder what lives in their schoolyard, and can use the SEEK app to observe, document findings, and earn digital badges while investigating outdoors. SEEK User and Teacher Guides are available, as well as directions for conducting a Biodiversity Blitz. |
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Additional resources for teaching Your Backyard Wilderness, including Family Fun Guides for backyard exploration and links to download the SEEK app, can be found here. Teachers may ask for permission to show the film to their class or school for free, using this screening request, or access it on Netflix.
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SEEK User Guide
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3. Water Quality Testing
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One of the most exciting and relevant projects for young scientists is to monitor the quality of water in a nearby creek. Testing physical and chemical properties of the water can determine whether nutrients or pollutants are present in unhealthy quantities. Students can collect macroinvertebrate larvae from the creek bottom to see if there is an excess of pollution-tolerant critters or a shortage of pollution-sensitive ones. Like the proverbial canaries in the coal mine, the presence of certain macroinvertebrates reveals whether a creek is clean and healthy or contaminated and unhealthy. Check out these resources from Captain Planet Foundation that scaffold project-based learning related to physical or biological monitoring of water quality.
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Key Instructional Strategies for Outdoor Learning: The four PBLs
Three great instructional strategies all go by the acronym PBL: Phenomenon-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Problem-Based Learning. Find out how to distinguish between these approaches and see how they fit into outdoor learning and environmental education by checking out the descriptions and examples below.
1. Phenomenon-Based Learning
Learning outdoors offers many opportunities to let students observe phenomena and try to make sense of things for themselves. This explore-before-explain approach deliberately avoids teaching vocabulary in advance, or telling students what they are going to learn, in favor of immersing them in unexplained experiences. After observing a phenomenon, students ask questions, generate ideas, design models, conduct investigations, and offer tentative explanations — all before the teacher-directed portion of the lesson begins. The Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science were designed to be taught this way.
Check out the film below, which shows teachers learning how to integrate phenomenon-based learning with environmental education, and then click the button below the film to discover the Georgia Science Teachers Association's Phenomenon Bank.
Learning outdoors offers many opportunities to let students observe phenomena and try to make sense of things for themselves. This explore-before-explain approach deliberately avoids teaching vocabulary in advance, or telling students what they are going to learn, in favor of immersing them in unexplained experiences. After observing a phenomenon, students ask questions, generate ideas, design models, conduct investigations, and offer tentative explanations — all before the teacher-directed portion of the lesson begins. The Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science were designed to be taught this way.
Check out the film below, which shows teachers learning how to integrate phenomenon-based learning with environmental education, and then click the button below the film to discover the Georgia Science Teachers Association's Phenomenon Bank.
2. Place-Based Learning
Place-based learning takes advantage of local culture, heritage and landscapes to provide rich experiential education for children. Promise of Place and David Sobel's provide information on how to engage students in discovery and exploration outside.
For older children, distant locations and exotic species are often the focus of learning about endangered species, human impacts, and ecosystem connections. But many of these concepts can be more effectively taught using local examples. That is because local examples increase relevance, immediacy, and engagement.
For older children, distant locations and exotic species are often the focus of learning about endangered species, human impacts, and ecosystem connections. But many of these concepts can be more effectively taught using local examples. That is because local examples increase relevance, immediacy, and engagement.
3. Project-Based Learning
Student-driven projects such as the one depicted in these Captain Planet Foundation films and lesson plans give students an opportunity to identify a problem, research solutions, design a response, and implement their ideas.
In the first example, middle school students responded to a fish kill in the bay of their small island by consulting with the scientists at the Kwiaht Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. The scientists provided access to a lab where students compared the relative effectiveness of different mushroom species in digesting oil from oily run-off water in the bay.
The next example shows students removing an invasive plant species, marking the locations on GPS devices, collecting seeds from nearby native plants to grow in the school greenhouse, and returning six months later to plant the native seedlings in the areas where the invasive plants were removed.
Credit for both videos and lesson plans below: Captain Planet Foundation / This American Land
In the first example, middle school students responded to a fish kill in the bay of their small island by consulting with the scientists at the Kwiaht Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea. The scientists provided access to a lab where students compared the relative effectiveness of different mushroom species in digesting oil from oily run-off water in the bay.
The next example shows students removing an invasive plant species, marking the locations on GPS devices, collecting seeds from nearby native plants to grow in the school greenhouse, and returning six months later to plant the native seedlings in the areas where the invasive plants were removed.
Credit for both videos and lesson plans below: Captain Planet Foundation / This American Land
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4. Problem-Based Learning
Case studies, research briefs, and hypothetical scenarios are key components of problem-based learning, which gives students a chance to use their critical thinking skills and creativity to analyze and solve real-world problems. The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, Data Nuggets, and Natural Inquirer all provide free resources that can be used for problem-based learning. Teacher guides and answer keys are available for a small fee from the first two sources. Natural Inquirer publishes a student research journal (your preference) at no charge. |
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Storylines: A thematic approach
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A storyline (example below) is a thematic sequence of investigations where students are clear about how each new learning activity helps them answer questions or solve problems the class is exploring. Storylines use anchoring phenomena to begin investigations and allow student questions to drive the "sense-making" process. Storylines have an overarching structure and contain teacher-directed lessons, but also engage students in using science and engineering skills to design and conduct their own learning.
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To learn more about Storylines, explore these resources:
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The Council of Outdoor Learning (CoOL) is an EEA initiative that focuses on the design, development, use, and sustainability of outdoor learning environments on school campuses. CoOL provides tips and techniques for those who want to create outdoor classrooms or learning stations, hosts an annual symposium to share resources and strategies for teaching outdoors, curates a collection of outdoor learning activities that are integrated with state standards, and provides professional learning workshops, resources and webinars for teachers and non-formal educators
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Environmental Education Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 801066 | Acworth, GA 30101 EEA does not does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its program , activities, or employment. For more information on EEA's non-discrimination commitment click here . Grievance officer may be contacted at [email protected] |