About Outdoor Learning

Rather like defining sports or the arts, describing outdoor learning in a concise and inclusive way offers challenges.

Being too generalised does not highlight the unique qualities of outdoor learning as distinct from outdoor recreation, leisure, community or competitive sport, countryside or farming.

Excessive detail can narrow the focus and exclude some of the wide variety of approaches, participants, activities, locations, and outcomes in the field.

Describing Outdoor Learning

 

This current IOL description includes the work of volunteers, part-role, and full-time professionals and providers across the sector:

 

 

 

 

A Personalised Description of Outdoor Learning

 

 

Whilst the generic definition can be useful for many, the ability for individuals and organisations to customise the description to fit their audience and purpose is when it can be most beneficial. The starting point is answering five questions:

 

By completing the how, who, what, where, and why, professionals and providers can create a description that can convey their unique approach and work in the outdoors.

Some examples:

 

Benefits of Outdoor Learning

Whether an outdoor learning activity or experience is for a few hours, over a weekend or lasting many years, the chosen location, equipment and people involved can make each event unique.

 

 Lifelong activity and learning
At the intrapersonal level: strengthening self-confidence through engagement with activities and the environment leading to lifelong participation and outdoor competence. Learning through experiences and developing skills, knowledge, character, resilience, and a positive approach to risk-taking.

 

Appreciating and valuing differences
At the interpersonal level: providing a safe and supportive setting to enhance social skills, appreciate and value difference. Making time to meet and interact with peers and role models from outside the home, school or work environment. Encouraging meaningful relationships across generations that foster tolerance, respect and kindness.

 

Sense of place and community
At the societal level: providing space for spontaneous, in the moment events that are driven by the needs and interests of self and others. Developing a sense of place leading to greater engagement with the community and an appreciation of the opportunities available to live, learn and work in the local area.

 

Care for the worldwide environment
At the global level: giving people a chance to ‘unplug’ and foster a connection that leads to respect and care for the natural world, an appreciation of biodiversity and sustainability, and pro-environmental behaviours.

 

Making The Case for Outdoor Learning

Research, reports, policy documents and news items in support of Outdoor Learning impacts can be found on the Outdoor Learning Research website. There is strong evidence that Outdoor Learning activities and experiences can have positive impacts on:

 

 

In addition, the 2015 Blagrave report on The Existing Evidence-Base about the Effectiveness of Outdoor Learning found:

• Almost all outdoor learning interventions have a positive effect.
• The effect attenuates over time: the effect as measured immediately after the intervention is stronger than in follow-up measures after a few months.
• Evidence for the value of longer interventions. The systematic reviews found that overnight and multi-day activities had a stronger effect than shorter ones.

Theory of Change

 

 

 

The Institute recommends providers use their own theory of change model to describe the thinking (theory) behind how a designed programme or service will lead to beneficial outcomes and impacts for participants. The theory of change can be described and presented in many ways – the best way is that which is most appropriate to your audience.