Outdoor Learning and the Curriculum: A Professional Development workshop for Educators
Event description
This practical workshop demonstrates how the Australian Curriculum cross-curriculum priority area of Sustainability can be addressed while taking learning outdoors. The content draws on place-responsive pedagogies and nature connection practices which connect students to place and foster a care of the natural world.
Workshop participants will:
- Learn about the benefits of outdoor learning and how outdoor activities can be applied to learning areas including Science, English, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Arts.
- Experience a range of activities and tools that foster connection to place and grow children's ecological literacy. Activities include 'sit spots', ‘the web of life’; nature journaling; the 'Council of all Beings' and more.
- Reflect with other participants on the activities experienced and consider ways to adapt or extend them for different groups of students or for different learning areas.
- Be introduced to 'nature names' - a practice that can be woven through units of work to support students to learn about the plants and animals in local ecosystems and their relationships with each other.
- Receive access to a resource pack, activity descriptions with links to the Australian curriculum and a certificate for 6 hours of professional development.
The approaches and activities introduced in this workshop support students to increase critical and creative thinking and have the knowledge, understanding and skills to engage in creating a more sustainable world. Outdoor learning using these experience-based strategies also supports children’s emotional well-being and physical health.
While the workshop is focused on primary school teachers, the learnings are also applicable to teachers and educators who work with other students as well as homeschooling parents. The content relates particularly to sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, and 3.3 of the Australian professional standards for teachers.
About the main presenter:
Emma Brindal is the founder of WiseEarth Education and has been teaching and facilitating experiential learning and environmental education programs for over a decade. She also works at Northey Street City Farm, where she has developed and run a range of permaculture and sustainability activities and programs for children and adults. Emma holds a Bachelor of Environmental Science and a Master of Education (Social Ecology).
Guest presenter:
Artist and educator Bethan Burton of Journaling with Nature will also be running a session on nature journaling to inspire you with a range of ways that nature journaling can be used to enhance outdoor learning.
Registration for the workshop:
Cost: $160 school-funded/full | $110 student/unwaged
We offer a group discount of 20% for schools / organisations with 3 or more people attending. Use the code 'group_discount' when booking or contact us to be invoiced.
Includes morning tea. BYO lunch.
Register online at:
E: Gavin at adultedn@nscf.org.au
PH: 3857 8775
If your school or organisation is paying for your attendance, we can invoice you – email info@nscf.org.au to arrange this.