Banack, Hartley

English

University of New Brunswick: Centre for Digital Scholarship Journals

the undertAken pAth, misunderstOOd:      educAtiOnAl leAdership And the OutdOOr leArning imperAtiveHartley BanackIf  you were to ask me, “why dwell among green mountains?”I should laugh silently; so serene … Li PoTwo trails diverge around a yellowing school.  One is well-trodden and oft-travelled, while the other, although always present and acknowledged as lovely, regularly fades into background.  The more stridden leads to the school’s innards, buttressed by brick and mortar, climate controlled, soundproofed, illuminated, and plumbed. This trajectory may be described as safe or known.  Within dwell teachers, students, administrators, and educational leaders engaged in planned, implemented, and evaluated learning.  The other side skirts the school, enveloping it, and is commonly referred to as outside.  It is a realm of  uncontrolled experiential sensations.  Its essence is our natural world.  School-goers regularly traverse outside to enter/exit the school. Outside images conjure wild places, with distracted, over-excited, or uncontrollable learners.  Some refer to this outside as unsafe.  Outside is a divergent path of  marginalia, where travellers are forewarned to beware.In numerous ways, a growing body of  literature evidences outdoor learning as essential to wellbeing and health (Bowler, Buyang-Ali, Knight, & Pullin, 2010; Cleland et al., 2008; Coon, et al., 2011; Gill, 2014).  Outdoor learning, as Dewey (1916) conceived, may be akin to cultivation: It is as absurd for the [educator] to set up his “own” aims as the proper objects of  the growth of  the children as it would be for the farmer to set up an ideal of  farming irrespective of  conditions. (p. 73) Over the past few decades, educational practices have seen declines in outdoor learning (Faber & Kuo, 2006).  Elaborated below are three central claims that seem to guide educational decisions around outdoor learning: cost, risk, and training.As Taylor, Power, and Rees (2010) noted, “Cost to schools and to families remains a major constraint” (p. 1032) to participation in out-of-school activities. However, the outside is freely available, and location is extremely convenient—just outside the school.  Curricular-wise, the local outside offers relevant, experiential, and accessible learning opportunities.  Research associated with health costs of  sedentary activity (Pretty et al., 2007) revealed that development of  a healthy lifestyle, including being outside, reduces societal costs in later life.  Educational leaders need to quell cost-related myths and promote local outdoor learning towards healthy living.46 AntistAsisNowadays, risk embodies competing notions as both liability and healthy development.  Recently, liability conversations have been winning (Banack, in press), though research suggests otherwise.  Brussoni, Olsen, Pike, and Sleet (2012) showed, “Children have a natural propensity towards risky play; and keeping children safe involves letting them take and manage risks” (p. 3134).  They noted, “Literature from many disciplines supports the notion that safety efforts should be balanced with opportunities for child development through outdoor risky play” (p. 3134).  Educational leaders need to familiarize themselves with the different types of  outdoor activities current and possible at school, and school data on the cost-benefit of  outdoor learning needs to be gathered and tabulated.  Policy and procedure manuals, such as YouthSafe Outdoors (Hanna, 2005) are available to guide school leaders and educators on how to safely conduct activities outside.Teachers need professional development to teach in classrooms, and the same holds for outdoor education.  Smith (1987) commented, “Best [outdoor] results are achieved when teachers are fully involved in the activities, sharing experiences with pupils and helping to evaluate those experiences” (p. 212).  Thus, all educators, not just specialists, need preparation around outdoor teaching.  If  not currently the practice, educational leaders need to spend time outside at various points during school days to observe what learning is going on and what learning might be going on.  Outdoor education festivals such as Wild About Vancouver (n.d.) and Wild About Saskatoon (n.d.) are practical opportunities to build outdoor learning capacity.  Natural Curiosity (The Laboratory School, 2011) and Connecting the Dots (Kozak & Elliot, 2014) are two free Canadian outdoor learning guides accessible to educational leaders.  By educational leaders fostering outdoor professional development, the capacity of  the entire school community increases.   A significant question for outdoor learning is: “How might implementation of  outdoor curriculum take place?”  Burns, Leung, and Yeung (2014) suggested educators change their own behaviors before asking others to change.  Educational leaders may lead by role modeling such practices.  For example, educational leaders could bicycle to school, eat their lunch outdoors, schedule meetings outdoor, and plan school-community events outdoors.  Conducting community scans and/or consultations to assess available outdoor assets is another approach educational leaders might explore. Inviting local stakeholders to an outdoor meeting to discuss outdoor learning is one way to begin.  By familiarizing oneself  with outdoor learning practices, educational leaders may begin to shift school practices. Traveling the outdoor path requires strategic efforts that three practical considerations illustrate: research, partnerships, and professional development.  First, use evidence-based findings and academic partnerships to enhance outdoor learning knowledge and practice.  The Sooke School District Nature Kindergarten (Colwood, BC) and the Maple Ridge School District Environmental School Project (Maple Ridge, BC) are examples of  partnerships between postsecondary institutions and K–12 schools using evidence-based data to further outdoor learning research.  Both programs place outdoor learning at the center of  the learning experience.  Students are outside daily engaged in learning in all weather, throughout the year.  Educational leaders need to forge analogous relationships to appraise outdoor learning impacts. AntistAsis 47Second, as mentioned previously, consider the local community to build partnerships. As funding limits choices, educational leaders may utilize local, adjacent, free outdoor learning spaces.  For example, the Vancouver Park Board reclaimed some of  their field houses in city parks as one-stop outdoor learning hubs for teachers to take students (Environmental Education and Stewardship Task Force, 2014).  Vancouver schools, University Hill (n.d.) and Norma Rose Point (Sherlock, 2015) regularly integrate local outdoor spaces into learning.  With regard to professional development, training opportunities need to connect educational leaders with Faculties of  Education and outdoor experts offering certifications for teaching outside.  For instance, skill-based outdoor education courses at the University of  British Columbia provide educational leaders with outdoor curricular and pedagogical competencies for local practice (Professional Development and Community Engagement, n.d.).  The Outdoor Council of  Canada (OCC) developed national certification levels for outdoor leadership, and Mount Royal and Camosun Colleges include OCC content as part of  their outdoor programing (A. Sole, personal communication, April 10, 2014).Gruenewald (2005) stated, “Geographically, schools function as a tool of  isolation and segregation” (p. 267), urging assembly of  local connections.  Smith (1987) reminded educators of, “the importance of  how things are learned is as important as what is learned, and this style of  learning, with emphasis on process, is a basic feature of  the pedagogy which outdoor education has always tried to embrace” (pp. 212–213).  Development of  increased low cost/risk local outdoor learning pathways, which prioritize safe and sound practice, is an imperative for educational leaders. Learning outdoors results in healthy lifestyle habits that benefit individuals and society, educational leaders must aid in charting this course and reconcile divergent paths.  Peach blossom follows moving water;There are sky and earth beyond that world of  men. Li PoReferencesBanack, H. (in press). Fractals of  outdoors and experiential education: Interview patterns with Dr. James Raffan. The Ontario Journal of  Outdoor Education.Bowler, D. E., Buyung-Ali, L., Knight, T. M., & Pullin, A. S. (2010). A systematic review of  evidence for the added benefits to health of  exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health, 10(1), 1–10. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-456Brussoni, M., Olsen, L. L., Pike, I., & Sleet, D. A. (2012). “Risky play and children’s safety: Balancing priorities for optimal child development.” International Journal of  Environmental Research and Public Health, 9(9), 3134–3148.Burns, D., Leung, C., Yeung, B. (2014). Do as we say, not as we do: The nature of  environmental education. Antistasis, 4(2), 1–4.48 AntistAsisCleland, D. C., Crawford, D., Baur, L. A., Hume, C., Timperio, A., & Salmon, J. (2008). A prospective examination of  children’s time spent outdoors, objectively measured physical activity and overweight. International Journal of  Obesity, 32(11), 1685–1693.Coon, J. T., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M. H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review.  Environmental Science and Technology, 45(5), 1761–1772.Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education.  Retrieved from  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/852/852-h/852-h.htm. Environmental Education and Stewardship Task Force (July 2014). From sustain to flourishing: an environmental education and stewardship action plan for the Vancouver Park Board. Vancouver Park Board. Retrieved from: http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/enviromental-education-stewardship-action-plan.pdfFaber, T. A., & Kuo, F. E. (2006). Is contact with nature important for healthy child development? State of  the evidence. In C. Spencer & M. Blades (Eds.), Children and their environments (pp. 124–140). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.Gill, T. (2014). The benefits of  children’s engagement with nature: A systematic literature review. Children, Youth and Environments, 24(2), 10–34.Gruenewald, D. A. (2005). Accountability and collaboration: Institutional barriers and strategic pathways for place-based education, ethics, place & environment. A Journal of  Philosophy & Geography, 8(3), 261–283.Hanna, G. (2005). Youth safe outdoors. Edmonton, AB: Quest Research and Consulting.Kozak, S., & Elliot, S. (2014). Connecting the dots. Oshawa, ON: Learning for a Sustainable Future.  Retrieved from http://lsf-lst.ca/dotsThe Laboratory School (2011). Natural curiosity: Building children’s understanding of  the world through environmental inquiry. Toronto, ON: The Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of  Child Study, OISE. Retrieved from http://www.naturalcuriosity.ca/pdf/NaturalCuriosityManual.pdfPo, L. (1947). Conversations in the mountains. In E. R. Payne (Ed and Trans), Anthology: The white pony. New York, NY: John Day.Professional Development and Community Engagement (n.d.). In Outdoor Environmental Education. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://pdce.educ.ubc.ca/getoutside/ Pretty, J., Peacock, J., Hine, R., Sellens, M., South, N., & Griffin, M. (2007). ‘Green exercise in the UK countryside: Effects on health and physiological well-being and implications for policy and planning.’ Journal of  Environmental Planning and Management, 50(2), 211–231.AntistAsis 49Sherlock, T. (2015, March 7). Experts enrich students’ learning experience: Norma Rose Point elementary principal draws on expertise of  parents and nearby UBC. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Experts+enrich+students+learning+experience/10869244/story.html Smith, P. R. (1987). Outdoor education and its educational objectives. Geography, 72(3), 209–216.Taylor, C., Power, S., & Rees, G. (2010). Out-of-school learning: The uneven distribution of  school provision and local authority support. British Educational Research Journal, 36(6), 1017–1036.University Hill Elementary School (n.d.) In Vancouver School Board. Retrieved from http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/uhe/Pages/default.aspx Wild About Saskatoon (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wildaboutsaskatoon.org/Wild About Vancouver (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wildaboutvancouver.com/ 

The Undertaken Path, Misunderstood: Educational Leadership and the Outdoor Learning Imperative

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The Undertaken Path, Misunderstood: Educational Leadership and the Outdoor Learning Imperative

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