This interactive workshop will empower teachers, coaches, mentors and administrators to make their first tentative steps towards including more outdoor education in their curricula, or bolster the bag of tricks for those already immersed in the local garden, woodlot and green-space.
Educators will leave having crafted their own lessons, after reviewing best practices, example activities and the research underlying the field.
This workshop will aim firstly for utility, but sport a strong grain of levity.
Please bring questions, standards that are hard to meet, or concerns about neighborhoods that lack enough nature for "outdoor education."
We will work through some wild ideas towards an understanding of how time outdoors can provide instruction, medicine, understanding and justice to our children and for our communities.
Analyze outdoor education research to assess its effectiveness as a classroom tool.
Experiment with various outdoor education concepts and lessons, to gain an appreciation for how each might fit their students' needs, classroom, and teaching philosophy.
Adapt outdoor lessons or series, using the research, techniques and activities discussed for both synchronous and asynchronous learning.