Learning in Landscapes of Practice


Book Description

If the body of knowledge of a profession is a living landscape of practice, then our personal experience of learning can be thought of as a journey through this landscape. Within Learning in Landscapes of Practice, this metaphor is further developed in order to start an important conversation about the nature of practice knowledge, identity and the experience of practitioners and their learning. In doing so, this book is a pioneering and timely exploration of the future of professional development and higher education. The book combines a strong theoretical perspective grounded in social learning theories with stories from a broad range of contributors who occupy different locations in their own landscapes of practice. These narratives locate the book within different contemporary concerns such as social media, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary and multi-national partnerships, and the integration of academic study and workplace practice. Both scholarly, in the sense that it builds on prior research to extend and locate the concept of landscapes of practice, and practical because of the way in which it draws on multiple voices from different landscapes. Learning in Landscapes of Practice will be of particular relevance to people concerned with the design of professional or vocational learning. It will also be a valuable resource for students engaged in higher education courses with work-based elements.




Outdoor Learning and Play


Book Description

This Open Access book examines children’s participation in dialectical reciprocity with place-based institutional practices by presenting empirical research from Australia, Brazil, China, Poland, Norway and Wales. Underpinned by cultural-historical theory, the analysis reveals how outdoors and nature form unique conditions for children's play, formal and informal learning and cultural formation. The analysis also surfaces how inequalities exist in societies and communities, which often limit and constrain families' and children's access to and participation in outdoor spaces and nature. The findings highlight how institutional practices are shaped by pedagogical content, teachers' training, institutional regulations and societal perceptions of nature, children and suitable, sustainable education for young children. Due to crises, such as climate change and the recent pandemic, specific focus on the outdoors and nature in cultural formation is timely for the cultural-historical theoretical tradition. In doing so, the book provides empirical and theoretical support for policy makers, researchers, educators and families to enhance, increase and sustain outdoor and nature education.




Teaching the Primary Curriculum Outdoors


Book Description

Research evidence consistently shows that an outdoor learning environment can improve behaviour, engagement and encourage more active participation in learning. So why keep learning in a classroom? In reality, we know the challenges teachers face. We know the barriers that get in the way of taking learning outside. Learning through Landscapes has three decades of experience supporting teachers with the everyday challenges of teaching outdoors. Through this real life understanding of teaching and step by step guidance, this book shows you that every curriculum subject in primary schools can be taught outdoors. Through the pages of this book, Learning through Landscapes shows you that learning outdoors not only improves the health, wellbeing and attainment of the children in your class - it also brings joy to your teaching.




Play Out


Book Description

Do you know how to manage physical risks and encourage children to go out and test their own boundaries without fear or failure? How can you create a stimulating outdoor area that offers irresistible learning opportunities for young children? Does your outdoor learning environment support young children’s emerging life skills of confidence, perseverance, creativity, decision making and leadership Play Out! is an inspirational, accessible and pragmatic set of resources aimed at all those involved with improving the use, design and management of outdoor spaces in early years settings. It provides a step-by-step guide for planning and implementing physical changes to outdoor environments in order to facilitate high quality learning and play experiences. Physical and outdoor play has a major impact on the intellectual, emotional and social development of young children. Drawing on Learning through Landscapes experience in working with thousands of early years settings, this book provides the tools for settings to assess what they already have, work through what their needs are, and inspires them to take the next steps forward to make physical and practical improvements to their outside area. Featuring downloadable resources with a comprehensive and fully adaptable audit tool, plus activities and case study resources to support your work, the handy toolkit provides: Step-by step guidance on project management and how to plan improvements to your space Tools for engaging your whole school community Practical activity ideas to involve children and adults A wide range of case studies to illustrate how real life settings have improved their outdoor space This full colour, illustrated resource will make it as easy as possible for managers, practitioners and parents to plan and manage an outdoor improvement project, involving children at the core of the work and linking the process and the improved outside environment to the aims of the Early Years Foundation Stage.




Dirty Teaching


Book Description

One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it and this book will give you the confidence to do just that. Drawing on academic research, Juliet explains why learning outdoors is so beneficial and provides plenty of tips and activities to help you to integrate outdoor learning into your teaching practice, providing a broad range of engaging outdoor experiences for your students. There is no need for expensive tools or complicated technologies: all you need is your coat and a passion for learning - oh, and you'd better bring the kids too! Topics covered include: forest schools, learning outside the classroom, outdoor education, nature activities, caring for the environment, play in schools, investigative play, urban outdoor activities, problem solving, creative thinking and strategies for supporting curriculum objectives. For all primary practitioners who want to shake up their usual classroom routine and discover the benefits of teaching outdoors. Dirty Teaching was a finalist in the Non-Fiction People's Book Prize Winter 2014 collection.




Learn and Play Out


Book Description

Do your children know how to grow potatoes, where to see a dragon-fly or how to fire a rocket? Are you one of the 82% of teachers who thinks their school isn’t making as much use of their grounds as they should? Do you know how to make the most of your outdoor teaching and learning spaces? Learn and Play Out is an inspirational, accessible and pragmatic set of resources for making changes to Primary school playgrounds in order to provide high quality learning and play experiences. Drawing on Learning through Landscapes’ experience in working with thousands of primary schools, it provides practical support to improve the use, design and management of your outdoor area. More schools are seeing the benefits of their pupils spending longer periods of their school day outside, with research showing that this improves attainment, behaviour, motivation and self-esteem. For many schools however, the environment of their grounds does not meet the needs of their pupils. This toolkit helps them assess what they already have, work through what their needs are, and inspires them to take the next steps forward to make physical and practical improvements to their grounds. Featuring downloadable resources with a comprehensive and fully adaptable audit tool, plus activities and case study resources to support your work, the handy toolkit provides: An overview of what your school grounds can do for you; A step-by-step process to work through; Advice on how to involve the whole school community in planning changes; Guidance on managing your school grounds project; Practical activity ideas to involve children and adults. This illustrated resource which contains over 140 full colour photos will make it as easy as possible for teachers, parents and school governors to plan and manage a playground improvement project, involving children at the core of the work and linking the process and improved school grounds to curriculum learning objectives.




Information Literacy Landscapes


Book Description

Drawing upon the author's on going research into information literacy, Information Literacy Landscapes explores the nature of the phenomenon from a socio-cultural perspective, which offers a more holistic approach to understanding information literacy as a catalyst for learning. This perspective emphasizes the dynamic relationship between learner and environment in the construction of knowledge. The approach underlines the importance of contextuality, through which social, cultural and embodied factors influence formal and informal learning. This book contributes to the understanding of information literacy and its role in formal and informal contexts. - Explores the shape of information literacy within education and workplace contexts - Introduces a holistic definition of information literacy which has been drawn from empirical studies in the workplace - Introduces a range of sensitizing concepts for researchers and practitioners




UDL and Blended Learning


Book Description

You can develop the skills to meet the needs of learners in any learning environment. This approachable, in-depth guide unites the adaptability of Universal Design for Learning with the flexibility of blended learning, equipping educators with the tools they need to create relevant, authentic, and meaningful learning pathways to meet students where they're at, no matter the time and place or their pace and path. With step-by-step guidance and clear strategies, authors Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker empower teachers to implement these frameworks in the classroom, with a focus on cultivating community, building equity, and increasing accessibility for all learners. As we face increasing uncertainty and frequent disruption to traditional ways of living and learning, UDL and Blended Learning offers bold, innovative, inclusive solutions for navigating a range of learning landscapes, from the home to the classroom and all points in between, no matter what obstacles may lie ahead.




Learning Outside the Classroom


Book Description

"The first curricular-focused outdoor learning textbook for prospective and practising K-12 teachers, this book provides both academic justification and practical support for educators working in a wide variety of environments and with diverse populations of students to incorporate more meaningful outdoor learning opportunities into their daily teaching activities. Learning Outside the Classroom is not a set of prescriptive activities that can be read and used uncritically. The idea of adaptation for personal relevance is central. All teachers are capable of enhancing their students' learning experiences by systematically and progressively incorporating ventures outside the classroom into their lessons. The principles and examples presented in this book are intended to be adapted by teachers to suit the needs of their students in ways that draw upon content offered by the local landscape and its natural and built heritage. Nor is this book just about outdoor learning; it's about good teaching -- wherever it takes place. It is about helping teachers devise and use the tools with which they can address the largely uncontested assumption that legitimate learning only occurs within four walls. Learning outside the classroom affords teachers the privilege of helping and the joy of observing students in a process of intellectual, emotional, and social growth that can last a lifetime"-- Provided by publisher.




The SAGE Handbook of Outdoor Play and Learning


Book Description

There has been a growing academic interest in the role of outdoor spaces for play in a child′s development. This text represents a coordinated and comprehensive volume of international research on this subject edited by members of the well-established European Early Childhood Education Research Association Outdoor Play and Learning SIG (OPAL). Chapters written by authors from Europe, North and South America, Australasia and Asia Pacific countries are organised into six sections: Theoretical Frameworks and Conceptual Approaches for Understanding Outdoor Play & Learning Critical Reflections on Policy and Regulation in Outdoor Play & Learning Children′s Engagement with Nature, Sustainability and Children′s Geographies Diverse Contexts and Inclusion in Children′s Outdoor Play Environments Methodologies for Researching Outdoor Play and Learning Links Between Research and Practice