My Journey with/in Outdoor Pedagogy

My journey in outdoor pedagogy started as a child. Spending endless hours in the community and sacred places and spaces- in the woods, under the bridge, along the creek etc. Friendships were created - we became part of the environment. As with the Lawson foundation – Outdoor Pedagogy Communities of Practice - we imagined, created new spaces, built upon personal autonomy, and equitable social responsibility within our group. As the seasons changed, so did our knowledge, skills and practices - through and within the outdoors. Our Communities of Practice helps me to vividly remember the smell of the creek cleansing itself as it roared over the rocks or the feeling of love as I had my first kiss under the bridge and returning to the same spot to grieve the breakup of this first love or the eerie yet mystical feeling of catching fireflies after dark. Nature helped me to learn, holistically develop and feel connections of wellbeing, spirituality and citizenship. “Neuroscience studies have also demonstrated that when children play, all areas of the brain “light up”, leading to adaptive and prosocial changes at each of the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels, reinforcing that play activities can simultaneously foster development and learning across all domains—physical, social, cognitive, and emotional.” (Loebach and Cox (2020), p. 2)

Educators’ Perspectives and Roles in Outdoor Play

Yet, among educators, there has been little time or conversation concerning the planning and preparation for outdoor learning (Davies, 1996; Davis & Waite, 2004; Louv, 2008; Renick, 2009). Research suggests that there is a prevailing belief that outdoor learning requires less time and attention in planning than indoor learning (Davies, 1996; Renick, 2009) and that when children are outside this becomes a time for teachers to take a break and solely ensure that children are safely supervised” (Hunter, Syversen, Graves, & Bodensteiner (2018) p.2)

As I moved into my adult years, I still had a deep love for the outdoors. When I worked as an early childhood educator – my favorite part of the day was when we took the children outside. These were different times (90’s) compared to today. We did not have an operators manual stating how long children had to be outside – but I remember wanting to be outside more frequently than my co-workers – away from the feeling confinements of the indoor space and rigid schedule; yearning for the feeling of zest for life and freedom in being outside WITH the children and being invited into their play (versus inviting them into my play like inside). I was one of the few educators who purposefully planned / set up “activities” throughout all the seasons. Why was this? Then, I just accepted that “I was different”. This journey with the outdoor pedagogy project, has offered the opportunity to reflect, analyze and debunk my perceptions and cultural experiences of being an early childhood educator who valued outdoor pedagogy in a time that did not. “Intentional teaching therefore, should occur throughout the day, in all spaces, with educators continually aware of opportunities for intentionality that arise with children.” (Leggett & Newman (2017) p.2)

Outdoor Pedagogy and Instructing Early Childhood Education Programs

“Frequent and repeated use of the schoolyard for teaching can support student learning and social development” (Feille, K. & Nettles, J. (2017). p. 19)

Outdoor pedagogy has and continues to evolve me and my post-secondary instructing in early childhood education program. Even when it was not required to “teach outside” – I found it refreshing and invigorating to take the students outside to “teach the class”; yet it was not a frequent occurrence. I started to notice, that some students did not share the same excitement as I did being in the outdoors. I was curious as to why students were not transferring their new knowledge of purposefully planning for the indoor environment to the outdoors environment. As I started my journey with the Lawson Foundation Outdoor Pedagogy Project, our community of practice has engaged me to reflect in my own experiences, and gain deeper and diverse perspectives in using outdoor pedagogy to enhance teaching in ECE, provide outdoor places and spaces for ECE students learning, and advocating for changes with/in our college to better prepare our early childhood educator students. I am excited to move forward outdoor pedagogy with faculty, students, community, children and families.

Tammie Hachey-Bell

References:

www. Howwelearn.com. Retrieved April 9, 2021

Dietze, B and Kashin, D. (2019). Outdoor and Nature Play in Early Childhood Education. Pearson. Canada.

Loebach, J., & Cox, A. (2020). Tool for Observing Play Outdoors (TOPO): A New Typology for Capturing Children’s Play Behaviors in Outdoor Environments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 5611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155611.

Leggett, N., & Newman, L. (2017). Play: Challenging Educators' Beliefs about Play in the Indoor and Outdoor Environment. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 42(1), 24–32. https://doi.org/10.23965/ajec.42.1.03

Hunter, J., Syversen, K., Graves, C. & Bodensteiner, A. (2018). Balancing Outdoor Learning and Play: Adult Perspectives of Teacher Roles and Practice in an Outdoor Classroom. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 7(2) 34-50.

Feille, K. & Nettles, J. (2017). Permission as support: Teacher perceptions of schoolyard pedagogy. Journal of Science Education, 23(3) . https://doi.org/http://ejse.southwestern.edu