Outdoor Education: Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls

Outdoor education, also known as outdoor learning, refers to any learning that takes place outside the regular classroom. In partnership with Model Teaching, an industry leader in supporting educators, this course will help you explore the various types of outdoor education and learn about the benefits that outdoor learning can bring to your students.

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3 Months / 1 Course Hrs
Open Enrollment
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Mohawk Valley Community College

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Outdoor Education: Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls

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Course code: T15128

This outdoor education course will help you explore what outdoor learning is, different types of outdoor education that can occur within your school, the benefits of teaching outside, and outdoor classroom ideas that you can consider incorporating into your regular lesson plans. You will leave with the SUNSHINE resource, a resource that lists activities that can make up outdoor learning that includes: Scenic learning spaces, Unique experiences, Natural lessons, Sensory exploration, Health and wellness, Interdisciplinary connections, Nature journals, and Environmental stewardship.

What you will learn

  • Define outdoor learning and explain how it can be implemented in your classroom
  • Evaluate the benefits of outdoor learning
  • Analyze various strategies and activities that can be incorporated into your lessons to support outdoor learning

How you will benefit

  • Your students will be less restless throughout the day, as they are able to benefit from outdoors, allowing you to ensure your time is spent on teaching and not on managing behaviors
  • Your classroom lessons will be more engaging as students interact with content in new ways
  • Student enthusiasm will improve in your classroom, allowing you to make deeper connections with your students

How the course is taught

  • Self-Guided, online course
  • 3 Months access
  • 1 course hours

Outdoor Education Content

The video and article will provide you with ideas for how to incorporate various outdoor education activities into your classroom. The course also includes some "Reflect or Discuss" prompts to help you connect with the course content and ends with a "Try This Task" to guide you explicitly on how you might implement the ideas into the classroom.

Quiz

You will answer questions related to outdoor education/ learning. Quizzes are automatically scored and provide feedback on answer choice rationale.

Implementation Reflection

The reflection prompt requires you to plan to use the "try this task" by either reflecting on the content yourself or discussing it with a colleague. You will then discuss a new concept you can attempt to implement in the future based on something you learned in the course.

Considerations for Implementation

This short statement helps you reflect on your ideas and assess whether you might be successful in your implementation.

Videos and Further Reading

Additional content suggestions are provided to enhance and expand your understanding of outdoor learning to engage and support student learning.

Self-Study

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 12 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Microsoft Word Online
    • Editing of a Microsoft Word document is required in this course. You may use a free version of Microsoft Word Online, or Google Docs if you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. You may be required to download documents.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

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Fundamentals
Move to Learn: Incorporating Movement in the Classroom
Fundamentals
Instructionally-Aligned Field Trips
Fundamentals
Taking Brain Breaks During Rigorous Classwork