Articles Reviewed
These articles are the ones I reviewed as part of my assignment for this class.
Article 1
Tanner,
Kenneth C. (April 2001). Into the Woods, Wetlands, and Praries. Educational
Leadership, 58(7), 64-57.
This
article gives some reasons for outdoor learning environments. As educators, we
all know that most people learn better when they discover their knowledge. We
certainly know that children have a great curiosity for new things. What better
way to combine the two than to use outdoor learning environments!
The
article gives some general guidelines on what might be included in an outdoor
learning environment. Outdoor learning environments should include places for
children to use their imaginations, run, kick, jump and perform other motor
activities.
The
article also highlights some very successful outdoor learning environments. We
have talked in class about the site in Katy, Texas but I was unfamiliar with the
school in Sylvania, Georgia with such an extensive outdoor learning site. What a
great community project and I like the fact that the community can use the site
even with children that are not necessarily in that school.
I
went to the DesignShare site to look at Rockford. That looks like a project that
was well thought out and well planned. This would seem to be a school that could
be used as a model for a system that is looking for a great outdoor learning
site as well as a school that pulls in the community.
This article is an excellent place for people who are just learning about outdoor learning environments since it is basic, yet contains some excellent information.
Article 2
Brown,
Robert G. (Sep/Oct 1998). Outdoor Learning Centers: Realistic Social Studies
Experiences for K-6 Students. Social Studies, 89(5), 199-205.
Robert
Brown spends a great deal of time talking about outdoor experiences called
Outdoor Learning Centers. Often what he refers to is as simple as moving a
complex activity outside. For example, he talks about the 3rd grade
activity where students are part of a city and have different roles within that
city, policeman, judge, ect. His suggestion is to move this activity outside and
make it more meaningful as students now have to locate the police station in
order to get to work on time. He details some activities that he used with
teachers in Florida during a workshop. None of the activities are difficult to
set up. The hardest part would be having enough space to set up the state of
Georgia and have student travel through it.
The
activities he discusses are a great springboard and make the article well worth
reading. There are lots of great ideas in here for those of us who would like to
use outdoor environments but have no idea how.
The
hidden jewel in this article however is the Pine Jog Environmental Education
Center that is mentioned in the article. I searched for this center on the web
and the web site is a gold mine of information. This center has many things to
offer. It is unfortunate that we cannot take advantage of some of the offerings
but the information on the web site could be used by teachers and schools that
are looking for guidance in outdoor learning activities.
The last thing mentioned in the article is the author’s request for outdoor learning activities. He states in his article that if you send him an activity, he will send you two different ideas back. I wonder if he has considered publishing these ideas, either in book form or on the web.
Article 3
Layton,
Rob. (Nov 2001). The Great Outdoors. American School and University,
74(3), 358-359.
This is a fairly short and straightforward article about using outdoor space as a classroom. The author does detail many possible scenarios about using outdoor spaces and the many different activities that can take place in them. He discusses making the drainage ditch a place for learning, not just for waste disposal. This article speaks to the why of outdoor learning and gives a good start to the how.
The
author talks a great deal about planning. This is probably the area I have seen
spoken about the least. This author begins his article with the idea that
outdoor spaces must have some planning, just like indoor spaces.
The
author also talks about how to involve the community as well. This is another
very thought provoking idea. Create an environment at a school where someone
outside of the school might choose to be. This is an interesting idea. The
author talks about two ways of involving the community. One way is in the
building of the outdoor spaces the other is in the use of the outdoor spaces.
Article 4
Zuberbuhler,
Jim. (Fall 1995). Independent School. Outdoors the Rules are Different,
55(1), 20-26.
This article talks about a very different outdoor experience than we have discussed. This author is looking at taking students to the real outdoors, camping, rock climbing, ect. His ideas are good and the arguments he makes for these activities are valid. In the real world of public education, this would probably only occur with a club or as an extracurricular activity.
If
you as a principal have teacher that is extremely interested in this type of
outdoor activity with their students, this article would be a place to begin for
this teacher to do some research. This would also be some great suggestions for
someone who is working with students who need enriching experiences.