Outdoor education is on the rise in Europe and beyond, and there is an emerging trend of integrating outdoor learning activities in formal education and bringing the outdoors inside. Not only does outdoor education help students become in tune with their surroundings and gain an appreciation for the natural world, it also plays an important part in bringing what they learn in the classroom into real life through application and observation, and also highly contributes to their personal and social development. However, there are many barriers to the comfortable facilitation of ‘taking the class outside’.

It is clear that the provision of outdoor learning in schools and universities is affected by a wide range of barriers and opportunities. Notable barriers include:

•  Fear and concern about health and safety;
•  Teachers’ lack of confidence in teaching outdoors;
•  School and university curriculum requirements limiting opportunities for outdoor learning;
•  Shortages of time, resources and support;
•  Wider changes within and beyond the education sector.

This project aims to create a more convenient bridge to the outside by equipping teachers with the knowledge, resources and confidence to conduct classes outside. These innovations will be designed to be of equal benefit not just to state schools, but also to language schools and all training organisations.

As a consortium we will produce a large website resource which we will be dividing into three separate sections, each of which represent 3 distinct bodies of work.

1. A comprehensive guide on outdoor education which will include sections on leading groups, exploiting the natural resources, safety measures, and the many benefits of the outdoors on mental health.
2. A green spaces map workshop – participants gather to determine the key green and blue urban spaces of the host city (Zaragoza, Spain). During a workshop participants will define the best features of a map of green spaces for educational purposes. Post-meeting participants will return home and produce maps for their own cities.
3. Teaching resources – These are tried and tested teaching materials – divided into several categories and levels – which will be submitted by teachers.

Project file.