Link Outdoor Activities with your Classroom Learning
"Their behaviour did improve as a result of the intervention."
My Context
I am a primary school teacher at maintained school in Stockport with an Ofstead rating of 2. It is a gender-mixed school with 271students between the ages of five to eleven years old.
What I wanted to improve
Children need to see the outdoor area as an extension of the indoor classroom. The majority of the children view the outdoors as a learning area but there are a small number who see it as a playground and it is their perceptions that we would like to change.
Solution
The strategy that I used was Outdoor Learning in the Early Years by Helen Bilton.
What would success look like?
- Children will be able to talk about what they are learning outdoors.
- Children will be more focussed and engaged in purposeful learning activities.
- Activities are carefully planned to meet the needs and interests of the children
How did I approach it?
- I spoke to the children about what they would like to learn about outdoors and involve them in the planning.
- Careful planning of activities that link to our topic but are specific to the outdoor area.
- Remind children of the expectations during outdoor learning in terms of behaviour and attitudes.
Resources and Cost Required
All staff in reception also involved.
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Results and Conclusions |
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Success criteria |
What changed and why? |
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Children will be able to talk about what they are learning outdoors. |
Children were able to talk about what they were doing and how it enhanced/developed their learning. Many still missed the point of the question, but the knowledge was there. |
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Children will be more focussed and engaged in purposeful learning activities |
Children were engaged and focussed on learning. However, not enough use of the practice sheets in lessons running up to assessments. |
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Activities are carefully planned to meet the needs and interests of the children |
More ownership of their learning. The input from the children in planning activities encouraged them to be more engaged as they had been involved in the planning. |
Overall Rating - 4/5
There were days when we weren't able to deliver the intervention fully. The small group of children had to be constantly reminded about expecations, but their behaviour did improve as a result of the intervention. I think stepping back and refocusing helped both the saff and the group of children.
I will continue to use this strategy - having the golden rules/behaviour kits outdoors has really helped with behaviour management and involving children more at the planning stage has increased engagement. I would encourage using our strategy to others by sharing what we did. I am also going to share it with SLT and Governors.
