Outdoor Classroom and Creative Play as an Inquiry based Learning.

Outdoor Classroom 

Outdoor Classroom can take place in any school which has underutilized space for children to learn and is not only a perfect example of child-cantered approach but also an example of Inquiry Based Learning as it helps children practically interact with the environment, participate in hands-on learning and question the learning that takes place outside the ‘normal’ classroom. Outdoor classroom is inclusive of all learning styles, interdisciplinary and curriculum-based meaning that children learn curriculum subjects however in more natural wild environment which is more enjoyable and fun for them (Scholars Choice Community, 2012). Outdoor Classroom enable children to physically move and learn language alongside. This is a reason why this approach of learning is liked by many teachers not only in Primary but also in Secondary and Higher Education. Teachers argue that although outdoor classroom requires previous careful preparation to guide children, this way of learning is more meaningful as children have the ability to experience and discover something rather than simply hear about it. Examples of Inquiry-Based Leaning activities outdoors that I have personally observed during practical experience include the use of collaborative learning. This involved dividing children into small groups and giving them a question or a task that linked to a subject to do together. E.g. In English lesson, children would go around and search for objects that begin with a specific letter and then write a story about it. In addition, teachers aimed at including incorporate discovery into these lessons in order to give children chance to discover different things on their own to give children chance to understand and observe what is being taught. During these lessons, teachers deliberately asked children questions where they had to explore the answers. Outdoor Classroom gives children 
opportunity to  experience hands-on activities in all subjects and is a perfect example of Inquiry Based learning that takes place in a lot of twenty-first century schools.  

Maths Lesson 

3D Geometry

          









Example of Learning through Inquiry Activities

Creative Play

The Importance of Creative Play Video

Creative Play has a central role in toddlers lives as it is their day-to-day activity. According to Raising Children’s Network (2015) creative toys/activities help to develop toddlers motor skills, improve their imagination and problem solving skills. As toddlers cannot verbally express their emotions they use creative activities like drama, music, dancing or art to communicate whether they feel angry/sad/happy etc. When toddlers learn through drama, they develop imagination a typical example of toddler’s behaviour is picking an object or a toy and pretending that their role is different. Art on the other hand is a sensory experience that all children love to participate in. According to ARTventures (2014) such play stimulates children’s brain while getting to know different textures of paint, paper etc. and what they can do with it also develops their eye-coordination and builds upon their self-esteem. Creative activities have an impact on children’s inquiry based learning. Firstly, creative activities help children to became creative thinkers which is essential when they grown older (Southgate, 2016). Secondly, activities named above challenge children to experiment with different toys, why questions e.g. when miming or drama. These will help children to engage and think for themselves in order to find an answer. The experience that I have undertaken strongly supports these views on creative play, and the benefits that it has on children.

Resources

ARTventurers (2014) 10 reasons why art and creative play activities are so important for children! Available at: https://www.artventurers.co.uk/blog/2014/01/04/10-reasons-why-art-and-creative-play-activities-are-so-important-for-children

Child Development Institute (no date) ‘Play Is the Work of the Child’ Maria Montessori. Available at: https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/play-work-of-children/#.WH35soSPT8t 

Dillon, J., ‘,King, London, C., Morris, M., ’Donnell, Lisa O, Reid, A., Rickinson, M. and Scott, W. (2005) Engaging and learning with the outdoors – the final report of the outdoor classroom in a rural context action research project final report. Available at: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/OCR01/OCR01.pdf 

Jenkin, M. (2013) Play in education: The role and importance of creative learning. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/feb/27/play-education-creative-learning-teachers-schools

 Raising Children Nrtwork (2015a) Creative learning & development: Toddlers. Available at: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/creative_arts_toddlers.htm

Scholars Choice Community (2012) Your outdoor classroom: Inquiry-based learning outdoors. Available at: https://community.scholarschoice.ca/general/your-outdoor-classroom-inquiry-based-learning-outdoor

Southgate, O. (2016) Benefits of creative play in early education. Available at: https://www.earlylearningfurniture.co.uk/blog/benefits-of-creative-play-in-early-education

Surrey County Council (2015) Creative play. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ1wMKaDLcA