Article Review: Outdoor Education

Wood, Karan. The Field of Dreams (and Other Outdoor Classroom Myths). Green Teacher Summer 2006; Issue 79, CBCA Education. 35 – 39.

Hey Everyone,

Using an Elementary School in Georgia, this article looks at 3 myths around creating well-used outdoor classrooms. The three myths are 1. If you Built it, Teachers will use it, 2. Everything I Need to Know About Science is in a Book, and 3. Once in Motion, and Outdoor Program Stays in Motion.

The good points this article brought up were that before assembling a board to make something for the school, talk to the teachers about what they think would be useful. This article missed out on discussing that students should be given a voice, too, but it definitely highlighted the importance of combining the community with the teachers to produce something fantastic for a school. It also emphasized in the second myth how many textbooks need to be supplemented to fulfill the teaching standard, and how by creating kits to take outdoors, this ES was able to address that issue and incorporate learning in a new setting. The point that came through again and again was the importance of establishing a foundation of support around new programs, not only to start them, but especially to maintain them and the sites created.

This article was great at demonstrating the mutual benefits of bridging communities to the school, and vice versa, with the establishment of outdoor programs and facilities. The most valuable lesson that teachers saw first hand was that “explain[ing] a concept fully before student investigation takes places, or demonstrat[ing] what is supposed to happen before allowing students to experiment for themselves, takes away the intellectual benefits and excitement of the discovery process” (3). This seems to be a concept that makes sense in writing, but something that is difficult to conciously provide space to occur in practice.

This article is very accessible to read and has some good points to consider about expanding your classroom, and how to make that possible. If you're interested in outdoor ed, take a quick read!