REYNOLDS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND THE IMPACT ON PUPIL DEVELOPMENT AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING Citation Reynolds, O. (2018) ‘A critical analysis of outdoor learning experiences and the impact on pupil

Outdoor learning in education is an area that is difficult to ‘measure’ the benefits of. This paper is a critical analysis of outdoor learning experiences and aims to explore the impact opportunities may have on pupil development and children’s subsequent conceptual understanding. It provides an attempt to yield a better understanding of ‘experience’ as a key concept of learning and to ultimately find ways to better personal practice and enhance the opportunities for children to reach their potential. The results of this research suggest that outdoor learning is best utilised when supplemented with focused classroom learning, providing learners with multiple sources and styles of information to deepen their conceptual understanding. A clear connection between pupil and teacher enjoyment and their subsequent engagement was present in the data, culminating in significant leaps forward in understanding and learning, thus providing evidence to support the provision of as many outdoor and experiential learning opportunities for students as possible. Introduction Due to a significant lack of space, outdoor learning is a tool rarely harnessed in my school setting, which I am concerned may result in some missed benefits for the pupils. I wished therefore to critically observe the experiences of the children when outdoor opportunities are presented to them. I aimed to ascertain the potential impact it has on promoting pupil’s development and conceptual understanding (Alexander, 2008; Claxton, 2002) and used use the Leuven Scale of motivation and engagement as a framework to assess this. Moreover, as part of this research I wanted to gain a better understanding of ‘experience’ as a key concept of learning (Waite, 2007; Kolb, 2015) and to ultimately find ways to better my own practice and enhance the opportunities I can provide for the children to reach their full potential. Literature Review Outdoor education can be defined as using places, other than the classroom, to facilitate teaching and holistic learning (Parliament. House of Commons, 2010; White, 2011). Within his exploration of experiential learning, Kolb cites Piaget’s theory that intelligence is “shaped by experience” (2015, p12), developed as a product of interaction between the user and their environment rather than as an inbuilt attribute (Kolb, 2015). Further, early pioneers included Froebel and McMillan, who used outdoor environments to impact on child development. Froebel (1782-1852; cited by Bilton, 2010) advocated the ‘kindergarten’ or ‘nursery garden’, as being central to nursery education. Influenced by Froebel, McMillan theorised that physical and emotional well-being, arguably essential prerequisites for intellectual development, can be fostered through outdoor learning (1911; cited by Bilton, 2010). My own experiences align with this and certainly my own well-being has always been positively impacted by spending time outside. I believe I am not alone in this. The Countryside Alliance’s outdoor education campaign was cited, in which 97% of teachers surveyed believed it important for children to learn about the countryside and 85% of children and young people wanted to take part in countryside activities with their school (Parliament. House of Commons, 2010). However, I am concerned that my own preferences may colour my pedagogical practice and therefore research and reflection is vital. Certainly, research exists to suggest that children do benefit emotionally, REYNOLDS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND THE IMPACT ON PUPIL DEVELOPMENT AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING 23 psychologically and physically from spending time outside (Bilton, 2010; Waite, 2011), yet it is apparent in my own setting that children do not choose to or do not receive enough time outside. This has many implications; nationally, figures of obesity are on the increase, with one in three children in Year 6 measuring as obese or overweight (NHS Digital, 2017). For my school, a large barrier to outdoor learning is the sheer lack of space; we have one concrete playground with three scrubby bushes and reside in a heavily built up area, full of Victorian terraces, multiple train lines and a main road. Moreover, for my school and for many more, other barriers such as weather, time, safety, accountability (Gruenewald, 2006), adult supervision and vandalism (Edgington, 2002) can also impact on outdoor provision. Significantly too, it seems that outdoor ‘play’ is not given the weight it deserves once a child has left the Foundation stage. Waite explains that the Early Years Foundation Stage framework endorses outdoor learning due to its positive impact on children’s well-being and development, but that the use of the outdoors is exponentially decreased upon transition to Key Stage One and beyond, suggesting that curriculum demand has a significant role in this (2011, p50). However, there is suggestion the UK is moving towards change; outdoor learning in education has recently become a topic under much scrutiny, with the popularisation of ‘Forest School’ and the Government’s support of research in this area. The ‘Natural Connections Demonstration Project’ (Waite et al, 2016) emphasised the positive impact of learning in the natural environment, particularly highlighting the level of enjoyment observed across the participants. The researchers’ findings emboldened them to link enjoyment with attainment, although the evidence arguably remains difficult to measure objectively; schools working within the study were reluctant to place definite weight on the impact on attainment. Despite this, the report draws attention to enough difference in data between the schools to suggest that the project had had an impact on this. I feel that, in a climate where attainment is a driving aim and with Schools Minister Nick Gibb keen on rote learning and testing (DfE, 2016), surely this vague connection to attainment is a negative. There is certainly a connection between enjoyment, engagement or ‘involvement’ and the hoped-for outcome of better pupil results, as stated within the Leuven Scale, but it seems that, as yet, no research has been able to prove this conclusively in an outdoor setting. In fact, Laevers’ (2012) explanation of ‘involvement’ within the frame of the Leuven Scale casts further doubt for me as to whether outdoor learning can effectively improve pupil progress. Laevers’ explains that ‘involvement’ is when a child is “engrossed by an activity” (2012). This suggests a need for one single focus point – but anecdotally, in a new or changed environment it can be incredibly difficult to maintain this. By the very nature of the outdoors, one’s concentration is continually interrupted. Moreover, pupil enjoyment must be nurtured Laevers argues that a child needs to have confidence in their environment for them to be able to engage in learning (2012), as, in unfamiliar surroundings, some children may feel vulnerable and thus unlikely to engage happily in any activity. Lovell’s briefing notes on the links between natural environments and learning repeatedly allude to the need for more research in this area. She suggests that there is evidence that greater use of outdoor environments can improve emotional, behavioural and learning processes and outcomes, but that the data are skewed with regards to which environments, as there is more likelihood that any research done will be connected to forests or more “wild spaces” (2016, p2) and there is a lack of consistent, measurable factors. Furthermore, Warren et al (2014) discuss social equality and justice within ‘outdoor experiential environments’ as an “exercise in hope and despair” (p98), whereby huge inequalities in diversity and inclusion are still rife. Lovell suggests this further impacts current data, as only a section of society has been included and no uniform, correlative structures for research have yet been laid out (p3). In fact, findings in a study of the impact of outdoor education on children’s mental health, outdoor learning had only a small positive impact on male participants, and no perceivable impact on girls (Gustaffson et al., 2012, cited by Lovell, 2016). Also within her brief, Lovell cites evidence suggesting outdoor learning may be beneficial to children with autism or with other special needs. This resonates with my ‘beach train’ diary notes on one of the children, who was a very REYNOLDS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF OUTDOOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND THE IMPACT ON PUPIL DEVELOPMENT AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING 24 nervous traveller and had almost not joined the trip, such is his discomfort with change. He was notably calmer when given a task to focus on. In fact, he became deeply engaged with the activity, in which he was able to think from another's perspective. In counterbalance, in the Cambridge Primary Review (2010), Alexander cites Holt (1983), arguing that children should be allowed opportunities to pursue topics that interest them, so that a natural love of learning can be fostered (2010, p424). This does suggest a potential for deeper, conceptual learning, the clear engagement and enjoyment repeatedly mentioned in the ‘Natural Connections Demonstration Project’ (Waite et al, 2016), could be due to the opportunity to take control of one’s own learning. It could be argued that this provides a chance for children to take ownership and responsibility (Bilton, 2010), exercising a greater level of choice in learning for themselves. Within Bilton’s research (2010) there is a suggestion that children’s increased competence promotes selfconfidence, potentially enhancing self-esteem. Through this, children could develop a strong ‘can do’ approach, thus developing a growth mindset (Dweck, 2012) Moreover, whilst children are not necessarily free from adult control or supervision, with greater space there is the potential for children to feel happier and less stressed (Bilton, 2010) and to develop resilience and independen