Outdoor Education – Past, Present and Future

Writer and educator Naomi Clarke takes us on a journey to explore philosophies and theories about outdoor education through time

Driven by those who believe that the traditional academic approach to education is both too narrow and ignores important aspects of the whole person, the history of outdoor education in the UK is comprised of many factors that influenced its evolution to this point. Through exploring the millennia long history of people’s relationship with the natural environment, and the more recent changes in approaches to education, we can establish a deeper understanding of the roots of outdoor learning in the UK. This article will attempt to demonstrate the timeless need for nature to play a part in every child and young person’s personal and academic development.

What is outdoor education?

Outdoor education encompasses any type of play or learning activity that takes place outdoors and is beneficial to the development of the children involved in it. Some typical aims of outdoor education are to develop a deeper relationship with nature, enhance personal and social development, and to learn how to overcome adversity and increase resilience.

In recent years we have seen an increase in popularity of outdoor education practice across the UK, with much emphasis on forest schools. The reality is that forest schooling and other outdoor education initiatives build upon a love of the outdoors that has been seen across the UK and the rest of Europe for hundreds of years. The ethos of the forest school system, and many other outdoor play and learning practices were developed from a range of early philosophers, naturalists, and alternative educators.

Theories about outdoor education in the past

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746 – 1827) argued that rather than using words, children should learn through activities and things. Their interests should be pursued freely and conclusions drawn at their own discretion. Educating the whole child is the goal – intellectual education is only one component. He sought to balance three elements – hands, heart, and head. [1]

Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852) was a German educator who invented the kindergarten. Play, according to Froebel, is the highest expression of human development in childhood since it is a direct expression of the child’s soul. According to him, children construct their understanding of the world through play. His ideas about learning through nature and the importance of play have spread around the world. [2]

John Dewey (1859 – 1952) believed humans learn through doing, following the pragmatist philosophy of education, which affirms that reality must be experienced. According to Dewey, children must interact with their environment to learn and adapt. Dewey believed the same was true for teachers and that it was important for teachers and students to learn together.

“Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.” – John Dewey [3]

Margaret McMillan (1860 – 1931) was an educator, and a child and family advocate who fought for children’s causes and inspired legislation on a local and national scale. In 1914, sisters Rachel and Margaret McMillan opened the Open-Air Nursery School & Training Centre. The importance of free play was stressed, especially with crafts and water activities, as well as outdoor play – ensuring large and varied areas for this. Now, such views seem commonplace, but they were very different from the teaching methods generally used at the time. [4]

Susan Isaacs (1885 – 1948) was a British educationalist and psychologist known for her contributions to early childhood development and play theories. She is known for her explanations of how outdoor learning is used to improve children’s understanding of the natural world. It is Isaacs’ influence on how we view early childhood that is still very much reflected in the practice of today. Isaacs made the work of early years theorists simpler for parents and practitioners to access. [5]

More recent research into outdoor learning

Bridgwater College, Somerset, sent a group of nursery staff to Denmark in 1993 to study the pre-school system. Scandinavian culture celebrates an innate need for humans to interact with plants and animals by providing a variety of open-air educational opportunities. In Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, outdoor learning is a mandatory element of junior education. As the Bridgewater nursery staff returned home, they were enthused by the largely play-based, child-centred pedagogy employed by the Danish pre-school educators. A ‘Forest School’ was started at the college with children attending the crèche. They observed children’s creativity and watched as their ideas and skills blossomed. As a result, their entire practice changed, and they went on to share their learning with others.

Research into alternative educational models was popular in the 1990s, following the teacher-outcome approach encouraged by the release of the UK National Curriculum. An impact study conducted by the Forestry Commission in England and Wales in 2005 [6] identified key areas where forest schools can enhance learning: improved self-confidence, increased social awareness, more sophisticated vocabulary, faster motor skills development, and a greater awareness of the environment.

An outdoor learning project, funded by Natural England and delivered by Plymouth University in 2012 – 2016, showed clear evidence that children are more motivated to learn in the great outdoors. In the Natural Connections Demonstration project [7] 92% of students reported that they enjoyed their outdoor lessons more and 90% felt happier and healthier as a result. Furthermore, the project found that using the outdoors enhanced teachers’ motivation, their wellbeing, and their job satisfaction, demonstrating the importance of using the outdoors for teaching and learning.

“We learn to love nature as children, and our commitment to nature later in life – respecting it, protecting it, restoring it, or simply enjoying it – is built on that childhood foundation. That’s why it’s so important we give all children the chance to experience the natural world.” Environment Minister Rory Stewart [8]

Present-day understanding of outdoor learning

In the early years stage of life from birth to five, outdoor play is essential, it’s a very important part of early childhood development. The government’s Development Matters guidance for teaching the EYFS places a strong emphasis on outdoor play. According to the guidance, outdoor play can be an effective teaching tool in supporting all seven areas of learning and all three characteristics of effective teaching and learning. Inspections conducted by Ofsted expect early years settings to have a rich and stimulating outdoor area and for these spaces to be used in all weathers. Additionally, the DfE’s Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework [9] stipulates that children should have access to an outdoor area daily and that outdoor activities should be planned in advance. By providing outdoor education programs, early years settings can mitigate potential further COVID-19 related restrictions, as well as ensuring and enhancing the mental wellbeing and education of their students.

Learning outdoors can help build social, cultural, and nature connections. Modelling and mentoring, and building local networks are helpful with this, especially where families lack confidence in how to facilitate and encourage outdoor play. Attitudes and behaviours toward the environment are influenced by connection to nature. Rather than simply building an understanding, it is necessary to enable an emotional response to nature, such as enjoyment, awe, and wonder. Childhood experiences of nature should be interpreted emotionally, rather than cognitively. For a child to have a sustainable, healthy, and self-directed relationship with nature, we also need to support experiential learning and reflection.

What might outdoor education look like in the future?

When looking to the future we can turn our sights to Scotland. The Scottish HM Inspectors of Education have published a new report highlighting features of effective practice in outdoor learning titled ‘Successful Approaches to Learning Outdoors’. [10]

In this report, they examine the factors that contribute to high quality outdoor provision that positively impacts children and young people and can be achieved by everyone. It is intended to celebrate the successes in Scottish education that are taking place even during an extremely challenging period when settings, schools and services are managing the ongoing impact of COVID-19. These bold moves towards centring outdoor education at the forefront of educational reform can be something we can aspire to across other parts of the United Kingdom.

“Scotland is one of only a handful of countries which now explicitly includes the use of the outdoor environment as a necessary approach and context for delivering its education curriculum. Just as Scotland is being recognised as an innovative forerunner in curriculum reform at a time of exponential change, so it is beginning to be recognised as a leader in the use of outdoor learning”

Extract from ‘Outdoor Learning – Practical guidance, ideas and support for teachers and practitioners in Scotland’. [11]

Naomi also recorded with us a podcast episode about opening up outdoor learning and the representation children see in outdoor educators and spaces.

References

1. https://infed.org/dir/welcome/johann-heinrich-pestalozzi-pedagogy-education-and-social-justice/
2. https://early-education.org.uk/friedrich-froebel/
3. https://www.biography.com/scholar/john-dewey
4. https://runner500.wordpress.com/2015/12/02/the-mcmillan-sisters-and-their-open-air-nursery/
5. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/susan-isaacs-theory
6. https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/a-marvellous-opportunity-for-children-to-learn/
7. https://ltl.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/necr215_edition_1.pdf
8. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/englands-largest-outdoor-learning-project-reveals-children-more-motivated-to-learn-when-outside
9. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2
10. https://ltl.org.uk/resources/successful-approaches-to-learning-outdoors/
11. https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Documents/hwb24-ol-support.pdf