NATURE AS A FANTASTIC CLASSROOM FOR LEARNING
"Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning"
Lucía Megino 18th-24th August
Biology and Geology teacher
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To learn how to work with the outdoor environment as a classroom and teaching media and how to work with experience-based learning and sensory awareness as a support for learning in school
To develop personal and social skills through outdoor activities and lessons
To understand the health benefit gained by taking learning into the outdoors.
To gain knowledge about the theoretical basis of outdoor educational pedagogy, research and literature
To learn about outdoor pedagogy in a cross-cultural perspective and share experience and knowledge with others
To develop a personal activity plan - how to put new knowledge into action back home and how to support the school development in the field of outdoor learning
The course was held in Brokind close to Linköping in Sweden. We stayed in Vårdnäs Stiftsgård in a beautiful natural setting in the typical landscape among lakes.
METHODOLOGY
The main methods were through practical training, cooperative work, various activities and discussions. The content was thematic and interdisciplinary and based on ”learning by doing” combined with “reflection upon action”.
Through experiencing by heart, hand and head meet the three key parts of Outdoor Education (personal and social development, outdoor activities and environmental education).
Positive atmosphere, exchange and fun was a part of the process during the week. The course took place mainly outdoors close to nature, in the rural as well as the urban landscape, visit the local schools.
Every day we reflected up on what had we done, what was the purpose and how could we use this back home/professionally, how could we adopt it to our professional life, schools – and learning conditions in Europe
A new team among different schools is still in touch sharing experiences " Our Melona group"