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Introduction
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EEA's Council of Outdoor Learning has created the CoOL Toolkit for Outdoor Learning to make it easier for schools to extend learning beyond the classroom walls. From creating schoolyard learning stations to selecting lessons and managing students outdoors, this Toolkit covers much of the information a school would need to implement outdoor learning effectively.
Providing an authentic, real-world context for learning is always valuable but during the epidemic, outdoor learning can be even more important as an instructional strategy that prioritizes the health and safety of students. |
Many school districts welcomed students back to the classroom by eliminating labs and investigations. The lack of space available for hands on activities in light of covid distancing guidelines - which also necessitate that students face the same direction and require disinfection of surfaces and shared materials - make it too difficult to engage students in science and engineering practices in crowded classrooms. Outdoor learning, on the other hand, is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control because of better air circulation and more space to keep children appropriately distanced. Engaging students in the science and engineering practices as they make sense of phenomena in the schoolyard is an approach that increases engagement and deepens understanding. It also centers equity by reducing dependence on previous knowledge for academic success. But science is not the only subject well-suited to outdoor learning. Language arts, math, social studies, art, and PE can also be effectively taught outside - especially during the epidemic.
And outdoor learning does not require expensive or complicated infrastructure. Weather instruments hanging on a prefabricated section of fence; "bucket seats" full of supplies for investigations; part of an asphalt parking lot and packs of colored chalk for drawing systems models; gardens that students design and plant based on their research; bird feeders that enable students to collect data for citizen science projects; event tents with folding tables to use as work surfaces: all of these low-cost, temporary improvements make effective outdoor learning stations.
Preparing teachers for successful experiences with outdoor learning requires involving them in the planning, providing appropriate professional development, and offering whatever support may be needed. Many nature centers and other local environmental education (ee) providers are idled or underutilized during the epidemic, due to restrictions on school field trips. This provides an opportunity for school districts to partner with ee providers for help planning and creating outdoor learning spaces, training and mentoring teachers, assisting with the logistics of managing students outdoors, or providing virtual tours and live, remote "ask a scientist" sessions to help students make sense of the phenomena they observe and investigate outdoors.
Teachers and school administrators are encouraged to explore this Toolkit to glean ideas for outdoor learning, and to seek the assistance of an ee provider to assist in implementation. Check out www.EEinGeorgia.org to find a local ee provider or contact the Environmental Education Alliance for more information (KWood@eealliance.org).
And outdoor learning does not require expensive or complicated infrastructure. Weather instruments hanging on a prefabricated section of fence; "bucket seats" full of supplies for investigations; part of an asphalt parking lot and packs of colored chalk for drawing systems models; gardens that students design and plant based on their research; bird feeders that enable students to collect data for citizen science projects; event tents with folding tables to use as work surfaces: all of these low-cost, temporary improvements make effective outdoor learning stations.
Preparing teachers for successful experiences with outdoor learning requires involving them in the planning, providing appropriate professional development, and offering whatever support may be needed. Many nature centers and other local environmental education (ee) providers are idled or underutilized during the epidemic, due to restrictions on school field trips. This provides an opportunity for school districts to partner with ee providers for help planning and creating outdoor learning spaces, training and mentoring teachers, assisting with the logistics of managing students outdoors, or providing virtual tours and live, remote "ask a scientist" sessions to help students make sense of the phenomena they observe and investigate outdoors.
Teachers and school administrators are encouraged to explore this Toolkit to glean ideas for outdoor learning, and to seek the assistance of an ee provider to assist in implementation. Check out www.EEinGeorgia.org to find a local ee provider or contact the Environmental Education Alliance for more information (KWood@eealliance.org).
Planning
CoOL Toolkit: PLAN Part 1 -
Ask & Survey
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CoOL Toolkit: PLAN Part 2 -
Make a Map
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CoOL Toolkit: PLAN Part 3 -
Identify Assets and Gaps
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CoOL Toolkit: PLAN Part 4 - Consult Experts
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CoOL Toolkit : PLAN Part 5 - Master Plan
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SPACES
CoOL Toolkit: SPACES
METHODS & MODELS
CoOL Toolkit METHODS & MODELS
CONTENT
CoOLToolkit: CONTENT
SUSTAINABILITY
CoOL Toolkit: SUSTAINABILITY
Outdoor Learning AS A STRATEGY FOR SCHOOLS DURING THE covid epidemic
Executive Summary
| eea_exec_summary_on_outdoor_learning_during_epidemic_and__beyond__1_.docx |
The Value of Outdoor Learning during the epidemic
| eea_statement_on_the_role_of_outdoor_learning_in_safe_reopening_of_schools__1_.docx |
GREEn Schoolyards Report
| cnn_gsy_report2016_final.pdf |
FROM EEA to EE PRoviders
NWF / NAAEE Guideto Advocating for outdoor learning
| outdoor_classroom_policy_guide_final_2__1_.pdf |
ARTICLES & REsources ABOUT OUTDOOR LEARNING AND COVID
| articles_about_the_value_of_outdoor_learning_during_the_epidemic.docx |
Outdoor Learning during COVID
The Council of Outdoor Learning (CoOL) is an EEA initiative focusing on the design, development, use, and sustainability of outdoor learning environments on school campuses. CoOL provides resources 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 development workshops and webinars for teachers and non-formal educators.
