OUTLINE

Introduction

The aim of this training module is to train teachers and other people working with teenagers to be able to support them being in interaction with society and life around them and to develop their understanding about how important it is that they can relate to a diversified environment.

In the first part of this module we will describe the needs of children for their development that have been identified by science and experience, and describe the way that the democratic open school l'Arbre des Possibles (Belgium) has been using this to support them. L'Arbre des Possibles will be used as a model of an open school.

The second part of the module focuses on the starting point: “How can a classical school bring students more outside?”, and will show examples of activities that teachers can propose to their students to be more in contact with their environment and with people outside of the school.

Keywords

Importance of being outdoor, diversity of the interactions and experiences available, connection with nature, richness of the environment, open school, community, multi-age and inter-generational grouping, discovery, adventure, social, emotional and physical skills, grounding in the spacial and social environment, physical well-being, sustainability, forest days

Learning objectives

• To understand that the diversity of experiences, inputs, relationships, environment, is an essential key for the learner's development.
• To develop an attitude towards the learners that supports their curiosity, creativity, expression of their emotions and wishes, participation, cooperation, empathy, social skills, autonomous learning and thinking.
• To explore the relevance of connecting with nature.
• To discover how to implement outdoor activities for students.

Learning outcomes

Teachers will develop their attitude as described above.

Time estimation: 3.5 hours

Teachers will learn  how to organize forest days and forest days.

Time estimation: 3.5 hours

Teachers will learn how to develop multi-age and inter-generational relationships inside the school.

Time estimation:

3 hours

Teachers will learn how to organize “Skills Markets”.

Time estimation:

1,5 hours

Teachers will find inspiration on how to open more their school to diverse actors and stakeholders.

Time estimation: 0.5  hour

Teaching and learning activities

• Workshops/webinar, internships, conferences, debates, cinema meetings, documentaries, conferences, practical immersions in school
• Tests
• Self-study
• Literature Review, loans of specialized books
• Case study

Learning content

• OUTSIDE resource center
• Theoretical framework/learning scenarios
• PPT
• OERs

Assessment

• Project-based activities
• Quiz
• Group work
• Outdoor activities, forest days

To go further

- Peter Gray, Free to Learn : Unleashing the instinct to play, Play as the Foundation for Hunter-Gatherer Social Existence, Decline of Play & Rise of Psychopathology
- Daniel Greenberg (one of the creators the Sudbury valley school) Fee at last: The Sudburry Valley School.
- John Holt, Learning all the Time
- Rudolph Steiner
- Montessori education
- Dr Catherine Gueguen, Heureux d'apprendre à l'école. Comment les neurosciences affectives et sociales peuvent changer l'éducation, Les Arènes Eds, 2018.
- Céline Alvarez, Les Lois naturelles de l'enfant, Les Arènes, 2016.
- Louis Espinassou, Laissez-les grimper aux arbres , Presses d'Ile de France, 2015 ; Pour une éducation buissonnière , Hesse éditions, 2010
- André Stern, Semeurs d’enthousiasme. Manuel pour une écologie de l’enfance, Editions L’Instant Présent, 2014; …et je ne suis jamais allé à l’école : Histoire d’une enfance heureuse, éditions Actes Sud, 2011; Jouer : Faisons confiance à nos enfants, éditions Actes Sud, 2017; Tous enthousiastes! : Retrouver votre énergie d’enfant, éditions Albin Michel, 2018.
- Laurence Dudek, Parents bienveillants, enfants éveillés ; les 10 clés de l’éducation efficace ; édition First, 2017.
- Thierry Pardo, Une education sans école, éditions Ecosociété, 2015.
- Alexander.S.Neil, Summerhill School : A New View of Childhood, St Martin’s Griffin, New York, 1995
- Neurosciences researches: Pr. Dr. Gerald Hüther, le Dr Catherine Gueguen, Isabelle Filiozat
- Theoretical models: John Bowlby’s attachment theory, active listening by Carl Rogers, Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, Shared Governance by Frédéric Laloux.

Number and title of the training sessions

This module consists of 3 mutually independent sessions.

Session 1: The importance of an open and diversified environment in child's and teenager's development
Session 2: How to implement outdoor activities with students in a classical school

The users can choose only one, several or all of them according to their needs.

Preparation to the sessions

Prior to the session, the teacher will have prepared different slide presentations and training material. These documents are needed to support the learning process and to guide discussions. The teacher will make the presentations available to all trainees prior to the training.

Material required

Laptop

Projector or large screen

Internet connection

Powerpoint