Section outline


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      SECTION 1:  Cultivating Support

      Where can you get support? In this section, we’ll explore what type of outdoor learning you’d like to do and the how, where, and why of gaining support to help that learning take place.

      TASK: Outdoor learning opportunities can vary greatly from as simple as taking students outside the school building to read a book, to taking a field trip, to creating an entire outdoor learning classroom.  Think through what outdoor learning you would like to do.  This might include goals for something in the short, medium, and long term. Starting small with your outdoor learning can be beneficial to its long-term sustainability.  It can help by establishing the building blocks of support and partnerships that can grow and expand along with the outdoor learning that you’d like to do over time.  

      TASK:  Now that you have an idea of what outdoor learning you’d like to do, explore what types of support you might need to make that happen.  Finding support can be greatly beneficial to the sustainability of your outdoor learning.  Support could include things like administrator/supervisor support, funding, buses, donated materials and supplies, etc.  To help you brainstorm, here is a general list of people and places where you might be able to get support:

      • Parents

      • Fellow Teachers

      • Administrators

      • Maintenance Staff

      • Food Service Staff

      • Community Members

      • Local Businesses

      • Local Library, Conservation District, or other resource organizations

      • Grants   

      Once you have thought through what types of support you need you can determine what strategies will be helpful to you in gaining that support.  


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      SECTION 1, ASSIGNMENT:  In the first module you did an initial draft of making your case, now that you’ve had time to think through what you want to do in more detail, you can refine your case statement and strategy.  Keeping in mind who and what type of support you might need, go back and flesh out your case statement and strategy that you did in Module 1.  Include the following:

      • What type(s) of outdoor learning would you like to do (remember this could include short, medium, and long-term goals/projects for outdoor learning)

      • What types of support might you need for your outdoor learning 

      • Who/Where you might be able to gain support from

      • What strategies might you use to gain the support you need

      (Include your refined case statement and strategies in your course journal)


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      SECTION 2:  Considerations for Outdoor Learning

      In this section, you’ll learn about helpful considerations for teaching and learning outdoors and how to manage the considerations that are most relevant to you.

      TASK: There are several overall strategies that can help your outdoor learning be a success.  Review at least two of the following resources on overall guidance for outdoor learning:

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      TASK: Managing students is key to your outdoor learning experience.  Review at least two of the following resources on managing students during outdoor learning:


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      TASK: Planning for the weather helps you and your students be prepared and can help ensure a rich and meaningful experience.  As the saying goes… “There’s no such thing as bad weather, there’s just bad planning!”  Review at least two of the following resources on planning for the weather with outdoor learning:


      TASK: Taking Tech outdoors can be a great way to engage students with the environment and enhance your outdoor learning.  Watch the following video to learn about how to incorporate technology into your outdoor learning: 



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      SECTION 2, ASSIGNMENT:  In your course journal, record your answers to the following questions:

      • What were two overall strategies for outdoor learning that you found most interesting/helpful?

      • What are two student management strategies that you learned about, that you plan to implement in your outdoor learning?

      • In which season/seasons do you plan to implement outdoor learning? What strategies can you implement to deal with the weather in those seasons?

      • How do you think you could incorporate technology into your outdoor learning and what benefits do you think you might see from doing that?


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      Section 3:  Compare and Contrast

      How is teaching outdoors different from teaching in a classroom?  What does a classroom have that the outdoors doesn’t and what do outdoor settings have that aren’t in a classroom? In this section, you’ll compare and contrast an indoor classroom space with an outdoor learning space.

      TASK:  Now that you have thought through what outdoor learning you’d like to do, strategies for gaining support, and considerations for outdoor learning, you can compare and contrast how you would do that type of learning indoors versus outdoors to help broaden your scope of thought and plan for even the little things like not having outlets to plug into.  


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      SECTION 3, ASSIGNMENT: In your course journal, use the chart provided to review the two examples comparing and contrasting learning in an indoor learning space versus an outdoor learning space and continue to fill in the chart (feel free to add more rows) with as many other considerations that you can think of.

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      Submit Course Journal: 

      • Upload your COURSE JOURNAL with MODULE 3 Assignments completed. You may either upload it as a Word document or share a link to your Course Journal Google Document (Be sure that you set the Sharing Setting to “Anyone with the link” and the role of “Commenter”). 


    • MODULE 3 FINAL TASK Assignment
      Opened: Wednesday, 15 November 2023, 1:00 AM
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