TEN REASONS WE WANT OUR STUDENTS LEARNING OUTDOORS
1. In outdoor classrooms the educational focus is shifted from secondary sources (i.e. textbooks, video) to primary sources (i.e. direct observation of nature, hands-on measurement).
2. Outdoor classrooms foster active, inquiry based learning in real world settings, as well as offer children opportunities for multi-disciplinary and multi-sensory experiences.
3. In the outdoors children experience the complexities of natural systems, which prompts critical thinking.
4. Learning in outdoor environments has positive benefits on behavior in addition to academic achievement (Louv, R. 2007).
5. Environmental education during the formative years plays a critical role in shaping lifelong attitudes, values and patterns of behavior towards the natural world (Wilson, 1994).
6. If children learn about sustainability, they are capable of exerting intergenerational influence on parents and other household members (Maddox, et.al, 2011).
7. There is evidence that environmental education leads to higher performance on standardized tests, improved analytical and critical thinking skills, increased student enthusiasm and engagement, better behavior and less bullying (Westmoreland-King, 2012).
8. Educators who incorporateenvironmental education report a greater enthusiasm and revitalization in their teaching (Bruyere et al., 2012, p. 329).
9. The most effective environmental education usually includes frequent opportunities for outdoor educational experiences that supplement learning in the classroom and foster a child’s emerging sense of wonder and discovery (Braun, Buyer & Randler, 2009).