When grandchildren visit, their homework in tow, it’s essential to get involved. This is not so much to contribute the wisdom of venerability, as an extra pair of hands. The latest task was to write about a creature found in the rain forest. Whilst this was a generous topic: open-ended and full of possibility, there…
Today’s blog is by Alan Kinder, Chief Executive of The Geographical Association The contribution of fieldwork to geography education In geography education, fieldwork is regarded by the Government, most parents, and the overwhelming majority of subject teachers as an essential element of the learning experience for young people. Indeed, the commitment to fieldwork by teachers of…
As we noted recently, the Woodland Trust is leading a call for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People (the charter project) with more than 70 organisations taking part. The details are here. The 10 principles of the Tree Charter are here: Thriving habitats for diverse species Urban and rural landscapes should have a rich diversity…
Today’s blog is by Sheila Gundry, Resource Future’s Education Manager. Wider learning and connected experience Learning Outside the Classroom Day (18 May) is a lovely reminder of the great strides made across the country to encourage outdoor learning. For me, having worked in Field Centres for many years, nothing seemed more natural than to teach and…
Here’s a selection from a round up of recent evidence and reports, policy agenda developments, large scale delivery sector initiatives, resources and news items issued by the partnership of Natural England with The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and Historic England on behalf of and for the Strategic Research Groups. The Possibilities of “Doing” Outdoor and/or…
Today’s blog is by Clive Belgeonne, Education Adviser at DECSY (Development Education Centre, South Yorkshire), one of the National Leaders (North) of the Global Learning Programme (England), and Course Leader of PG Citizenship Education at Sheffield Hallam University. Education and Global Goals In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development.…
Today’s guest blog is by Geoffrey Guy who lectures at Reaseheath College. Geoff is the Director of Education for Bushcraft Education Ltd, and the founder of the Bushcraft Education blog: Bambi: a Menace to the British Countryside A red stag striding through the heather of a Scottish hillside might be a majestic sight but did you know that despite…
Discover Wildlife has a feature on 10 invasive species “causing trouble” in the UK. Most are the usual suspects: mink, grey squirrels, signal crayfish, etc. Not all ‘foreign’ species are trouble-makers, of course – which is just as well given how many there are: the consequence of our open borders to much wildlife. It’s important to…
Max Hooper died back in February. While you might not have heard of the man, you might just have heard of Hooper’s Rule. This is the idea that there was a relationship between the number of different woody plant species found in a particular length of hedge, and the age of the hedge. Hooper formulated this idea…
Today’s featured blog is that of the Green Schools Project. You can see a short video here which explains what Green Schools is about. There is a lot of emphasis on employment, green skills and leadership, and on student projects. There’s less emphasis on the curriculum. In fact, there’s none at all. Just as there’s…
This link will take you to a round up by Natural England of research relating to outdoor learning. Specifically, it is “a round up of recent and relevant evidence and reports, policy agenda developments, large scale delivery sector initiatives, resources and news items. This supports the Strategic Research Groups for Learning in Natural Environments and Outdoors…
Old economics is based on false ‘laws of physics’, but new economics can save us, says Kate Haworth in a recent Guardian article that begins: “Things are not going well in the world’s richest economies. Most OECD countries are facing their highest levels of income inequality in 30 years, while generating ecological footprints of a size that…