Learning Outside the Classroom

At Two Rivers High School we have built a culture for teaching and learning that consistently uses our surroundings and communities to an educational advantage. Learning Outside the Classroom does feature as a standalone lesson on our timetable; but it is more than that, Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) is an ethos, linking to holistic personal development and rooted in our values.

Evidence suggests that building a strategic approach to outdoor learning can positively affect the overall attitude to learning in schools. Using our specialist teaching rooms, open teaching spaces and outdoor areas, as well as off-site visits & trips means that learning is meaningful, fun and memorable.

Research and Rationale

It is essential to present our students with opportunities to explore the world around them. It is our aim to raise achievement by not just placing a focus on what we learn, but by placing a strong emphasis on how and where we learn too. An Environment Centred Approach to education nurtures learning through ‘interactions between emotions, actions and thoughts in practical situations’ (Gustaffson, Szczepanski, Nelson, 2012).

Learning Outside the Classroom is evidenced to have specific benefits to learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities; taking safe risks defined in an outdoor curriculum is shown to build character and personality, self-reliance and resilience, traits that link with a ‘meaningful and satisfying life’ (Gill, 2009).

By adding value to our creative curriculum offer through the implementation of LOtC, it is our intent that students will be inspired to do more and know more, with increased willingness to show ambition and confidence.

Two Rivers High School

Learning Outside the Classroom

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