Children Learning Outside the Classroom

Sue Waite is Associate Professor (Reader) in Outdoor Learning in Plymouth Institute of Education at Plymouth University, investigating how place, people and pedagogies interact to support positive societal outcomes in play, learning, health and wellbeing through the great outdoors. A qualified primary school teacher, over the last 20 years, Sue has published widely in academic and practitioner journals and edited books. Her research projects have included a sequence on Forest School practices and principles, a series looking at youth benefits from living and engaging with activities within National Parks, Economic and Social Science Research Council grants looking at ‘Opportunities afforded by the outdoors for alternative pedagogies in children’s transition from Foundation Stage to Year 1’ and ‘Understanding educational and wellbeing implications of learning outside the classroom through cross-national collaboration’. She also conducted a study about the effect of camping on children’s educational outcomes for the Camping and Caravanning Club. A BIG Lottery Research Programme award, Good from Woods, developed research capacity in third sector organisations to investigate ‘Social cohesion and well-being deriving from woodland activities’ and more recently the Natural Connections Demonstration Project, the largest outdoor learning project in the UK commissioned by Natural England, DEFRA and Historic England, provided strong evidence for multiple positive outcomes of curricular learning in local natural environments. She sits on Editorial Boards of several international journals:  Pastoral Care in Education, Education 3-13, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education and the Journal of Experiential Learning.  Sue Waite will be discussing key ideas from Children Learning Outside the Classroom: From Birth to Eleven in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie. To sign up, or for more information, click here.

Introduction - Sue Waite
Theoretical Perspectives on Learning outside the Classroom - Relationships between Learning and Place - Sue Waite and Nick Pratt
PART ONE: EARLY YEARS PRACTICE - REACHING OUT
Crawling and Toddling in the Outdoors - Very Young Children′s Learning - Valerie Huggins and Karen Wickett
Using the Local Community as Part of the Early Years Learning Environment - Karen Wickett and Valerie Huggins
A Time of Change: Outdoor Learning and Pedagogies of Transition between Foundation Stage and Year One - Sue Waite, Julie Evans and Sue Rogers
PART TWO: LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM ACROSS THE CURRICULUM FOR PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN
English and Language outside the Classroom - Howard Cotton
Mathematics outside the Classroom - Nick Pratt
Science and Technology outside the Classroom - Beth Gompertz, Julia Hincks and Rachael Hincks Knight
Understanding Places and Society Through History and Geography outside the Classroom - Orla Kelly and Roger Cutting
The Arts outside the Classroom - Jeff Adams, Martin Ashley and Ian Shirley
Physical Development, Health and Well-Being: The Role of Physical Education ′outside′ - Emma Sime and Liz Taplin
PART THREE: OUTSIDE THE BOX
Residential Centres: Desirable Difference? - Tony Rea
School Gardens and Forest Schools - Rowena Passy and Sue Waite
Environmental Education in the National Park: Case Studies on Exmoor - Dave Gurnett, Linda la Velle and Sue Waite
Managed Learning Spaces and New Forms of Learning Outside the Classroom - Alan Peacock
Making a Difference: Learning on a Grand Scale - Sue Waite
Appendix: Some Useful Websites