TIPS FOR WORKING WITH STUDENTS OUTDOORS

Plan Ahead

  • Gather together all the materials you’ll need for the activity in advance and keep track of what you take outdoors with you
  • Let the students know what they’ll need to bring (pencils, a jacket, paper, a journal, etc.)
  • Provide students with a detailed explanation of what they’ll be doing outside before leaving the classroom
  • Have students brainstorm what might they might encounter on their school grounds
  • Check the weather forecast and have students dress appropriately (closed-toed shoes, layers, rain gear, etc.)
  • Choose a location or landmark (benches, an entrance to the building, the edge of the garden, etc.) where each outdoor lesson will begin and end

Maintain Classroom Rules

  • Apply the rules that you use in your classroom to an outdoor setting and remind students of these rules before going outside
  • Clarify any questions that arise about expectations or tasks

Practice in the Classroom

  • Practice what you’ll be doing before going outdoors with your students. This will help the lesson or activity run a lot smoother and save time.

Give Everyone a Task

  • Make sure everyone has a task or assignment (data collector, recorder, group leader, etc.)
  • If there aren’t enough tasks to go around, break the class up into smaller groups and assign them to different areas of your school grounds
  • Provide each group with a clipboard and something to write with
  • Split up the remaining equipment between all group members, making sure each person is responsible for one or two things

Work in Small Groups

  • Break the class up into groups of 3 – 6. Even if it’s just you and the students, this will allow you to better manage a large class.

Get help – Recruit Volunteers

  • Recruit volunteers to help you manage your students outdoors. Volunteers could include teaching assistants, parent volunteers, community members or organizational partners.
  • Many program providers offer in-class and outdoor support to schools with which they work.

Follow-up

  • Follow-up with a classroom lesson discussing or expanding upon the outdoor activity
  • Take your students outdoors again, either to continue the project / study or to begin a new project