Moving the Classroom Outdoors

New from Stenhouse in both paper and e-book versions is Herbert Broda's Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action. I was excited to read more about the possibilities of outdoor learning, a topic that I do not know much about. In fact, the main experience with outdoor learning that I remember as either a teacher or a student was at UNLA, a Mexican university while on exchange. I always loved sitting in one of their two outdoor classroom meeting areas.

As a teacher, I have never utilized the outdoors that much. Very occasionally we would go outside to read or write, but that was about the extent of it. Toward the end of the school year we were talking about outdoor learning as a staff, so I was excited to have a chance to read Broda's book and I will also be sharing it with my co-workers.

Broda divides the book into different chapters followed by spotlights of different people who have incorporated outdoor learning in their schools. As a novice to the concept the book was perfect to highlight the range of ways in which teachers can include outdoor learning. Yet, I think it will also have a lot to offer for those who already incorporate outdoor learning but are looking for new ideas.

Broda emphasizes that teachers should not see it as one more thing to squeeze in, but rather a powerful opportunity to teach aligned to content standards. One of the aspects that I loved the most was that Broda had frequent photographs, as well as expressing possibilities that would require different amounts of time, resources, and involvement levels. While reading I was mainly thinking about my colleagues, thinking it would be more relevant to their content areas; however, the more I read, I realized that there were a lot of language arts possibilities.

Broda did an excellent job of sharing ideas for different content areas, as well as cross-curricular units.  He did not just spark a lot of ideas, but he had tips in order to effectively integrate in outdoor learning including planning (both realistic short term and long term goals), organization, safety, and communication. His son, Matthew Broda, also wrote a chapter about how to weave technology into the concept of outdoor learning.

This summer for one of my doctoral courses we visited two schools in Boise, Idaho, and coincidentally, they both had outdoor learning components. ANSER Charter School incorporates expeditionary learning. A professor in one of my previous classes talked about how his children who are now in at the secondary level still remember a project they did as kindergarteners focusing on birds that the school does every year. The kindergarten classroom is in a portable outside of the main school building. What stood out to me the most was that it was very welcoming and inviting, instantly making me think about my Mom's yard and the hours of joy that my daughters spend in it when we visit. There is a beautiful archway as well as a wooden fence that a parent made in the shape of different birds. What lucky kindergarteners! The general playground also has a gazebo. Another school, Taft Elementary, has a beautiful garden that the school community has been developing in different stages with square foot gardening. It was impressive to see how far their garden had come, as well as hearing about future plans.

Reading Moving the Classroom Outdoors soon after visiting these two schools helped me to picture even more some of the many potential ways to integrate outdoor learning at different levels: individual classroom, cross-classroom, whole school, and community levels. While reading, I also thought about how this book complements Georgia Heard's A Place for Wonder well. I look forward to seeing the role that outdoor learning will play at our school.

*Copy provided by the publisher