Eric Reisweber

Return to ETAP 623 Spring 2017 Mini Course: Teaching in the Outdoors

Introduction/Purpose

I currently teach at Dryden High School in Central New York and graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2014 with my BS in Adolescence Education Earth Science 7-12. This will be my fourth semester in the CDIT program. I am an outdoor enthusiast and love to hunt, fish, canoe, hike, ski and appreciate all seasons that New York has to offer. My students appreciate being outdoors as well and we've managed to conduct 20 full classes outside this year alone. In all, I'm passionate about the natural world and enjoy inspiring students through hands-on learning opportunities.

Purpose and Learning Objectives

- The purpose of this course is to teach you to develop experiential learning opportunities in nature regardless of your subject area.

• Learning Objectives:
• 1. Define experiential learning
• 2. Design opportunities that incorporate experiential learning in a natural setting
• 3. Leverage natural spaces even in urban setting
• 4. List the benefits of having students learn in and about the natural world

Needs Assessment

-An increased emphasis on high-stakes testing has caused a change in curriculum and teaching methods. However, the focus should still be the benefit of our students as lifelong learners. For this reason I recognize the need for educators to incorporate authentic learning opportunities regardless of the subject. One common approach that can be applied to engage all students is the use of experiential lessons in a natural setting. Based on this understanding, I’ve compiled a list of benefits for teachers to implement this teaching technique.

Benefits:

1. Develop intrinsic drive to conduct scientific inquiries/observations
2. Physical exercise while navigating terrain/exploring
3. Increased motor skill development
4. Increased attention to details
5. Greater concentration for students with ADHD
6. Establishes stewards of the environment
7. Encourages creative thinking when students design “play” outside
8. Develop stronger social skills
9. Hands-on learning to care for living things
10. Understanding of local ecology

Resource: Jacobi-Vessels, J. (2013) Dimensions of Early Childhood. Discovering Nature: The Benefits of Teaching Outside the Classroom. Volume 41.

Performance Objectives

Learner will…

1. Understand the difference between teaching “outdoors” and “utilizing the natural environment as a part of the learning experience”
2. List benefits to promoting experiential learning in a natural setting.
3. Recognize helpful resources to refer to when implementing this teaching approach.

Course-level Objectives

Students will...

1. Develop a concern for the natural world and the effect of our actions upon it.
2. Provide students with hands-on experiences applying scientific processes, such as observing, inferencing, and drawing conclusions.
3. Use the natural setting as a way to promote real-world learning opportunities.

Task Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this course is to promote the design and implementation of outdoor education opportunities for secondary education teachers. Supporting Research:

Out of eleven alternative strategies for learning science, ‘going on a science trip or excursion’ was rated the most enjoyable way of learning and the fifth most useful and effective. (Cerini et al., 2003).

Five ways in which out-of-classroom contexts can add to and improve the learning of science are described:

Improved development and integration of concepts

Extended and authentic practical work

Access to rare material and to ‘big’ science

Attitudes to school science: stimulating further learning

Social outcomes: collaborative work and responsibility for learning The influence of home-initiated activities in the environment (such as birdwatching and wildlife walks with parents) has been found to have an impact on pupils’ performance on animal classification tasks.

Curriculum Map

Unit 1: Observation vs. Inference

Unit 2: Local Ecology

Unit 3: Design for the Future

Resources and References

Braund, M. (1991) Children’s ideas in classifying animals, Journal of Biological Education, 25, 103–110.

Braund, M., and M. Reiss. 2006. “Validity and worth in the Science Curriculum: Learning School Science outside the Laboratory.” The Curriculum Journal 17 (3): 213–228.

Cerini, B., Murray, I. & Reiss, M. J. (2003) Student review of the science curriculum: major findings (London, Planet Science).