Dive Brief:
- Some schools in London are utilizing the surrounding landscape to get special needs students more engaged in reading and problem-solving.
- "Giving SEN students that feeling of space, and the sensory stimulation that comes with being outdoors, is absolutely vital," one lecturer in special education told The Guardian. Not only that, he said, leaving the classroom forces educators to relinquish some control, and empowers students who have often learned "helplessness and passivity" by teachers' rule in the classroom.
- A number of subjects can be tied into outdoor learning, and taking the lessons outside requires adaptability and patience, a helps students with special emotional learning needs better relieve stress and anxiety while taking an active role in their own learning.
Dive Insight:
The benefits of outdoor learning have long been touted for science instruction, but teachers of other subjects also have an opportunity to break out of the traditional classroom. And opportunities abound for all students, not just those with special needs.
Many experts say working outdoors enhances social skills critical for life after school and promotes personal growth through high levels of interaction with the environment. Outdoor learning also has a positive impact on a number of social-emotional indicators, including self-confidence, cooperation, sensory and environmental awareness, responsibility and personal control, experts say.
As schools continue to grapple with ways to close the college and career readiness gap, finding innovative ways to draw real-world connections will be key. A combination of highly personalized, blended learning methods like outdoor instruction will be imperative to the future of U.S. education.