Sharing Good Practice Taking Citizen Science Outdoors to support - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sharing Good Practice

Taking Citizen Science Outdoors to support your teaching

Thursday 16th March 2017 Natalie White – Outdoor Learning Development Officer @natsywhite @EdScotOL

What is Citizen Science?

Citizen Science gives young people and their communities the chance to get hands-on with science and STEM subjects, in an exciting and meaningful way. It provides them with

• pportunities to learn new skills, discover the

world around them, to engage with the scientific community and to find out how science impacts

• n their lives and on society.

Policy support

Our vision for outdoor learning in Scotland:

• all children and young people are participating

in a range of progressive and creative outdoor learning experiences which are clearly part of the curriculum.

• schools and centres are providing regular,

frequent, enjoyable and challenging

• pportunities for all children and young

people to learn outdoors throughout their school career and beyond

• teachers and educators embed outdoor

learning in the curriculum so that learning in the outdoor environment becomes a reality for all children and young people

Published 2010

Recommendation 1.1: As part of this entitlement, outdoor learning should be a regular, progressive curriculum- led experience for all learners.

Scottish Government Response: Outdoor learning is a key approach to learning within the curriculum and practitioners are encouraged to make

• utdoor learning a natural and normal

part of practice. The frequency with which outdoor learning activities take place in schools should be determined by the needs of the curriculum and learners.

The current priorities for the National Improvement Framework are:

• Improvement in attainment, particularly

in literacy and numeracy

• Closing the attainment gap between the

most and least disadvantaged children

• Improvement in children and young

people’s health and wellbeing

• Improvement in employability skills and

sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people;

National Improvement Framework

School leadership;

• Policy references
• How Good is Our School 4

Teacher professionalism;

• CLPL courses
• Building capacity with teachers
• Professional recognition

Parental Engagement;

• Family homework
• Family events
• Wider achievement awards

Assessment of children’s progress;

• Use of evaluation tools
• Impact reports
• Benchmarks – applying in new

context

• Wider achievements

Outdoor Learning is not a subject –

it is an extension to your learning environment

Planning for outdoor learning should not be additional or separate from the rest of the

• planning. Outdoor

Learning should not be view as additional work, we are simply using the

• utdoor environment to

enhance a learning experience.

Observing and Monitoring

Citizen science offers, all teachers, the opportunity to take their class outside to gather information. This information can be shared through displays, presentations or uploading to national sites and apps.

‘Listening and talking’ within literacy experiences and outcomes, responsibility of all. – to help me when interacting or presenting within and beyond my place of learning. ‘Data and analysis’ , within numeracy experiences and

• utcomes, responsibilities of all.

Opal resources

Informing action

Using Community Resilience as an approach to learning schools can;

• Embed within the curriculum to understand the causes
• f emergencies and how they can affect communities;
• Nurture the skills, capabilities and attributes of

learners to help them become confident and resilient individuals

• Discuss scenarios as a class - what would you do if…?
• Help learners and families prepare for emergencies,

how can they stay informed with plans in place.

• Raise awareness of important websites, phone

numbers and supports available

Promoting Learning

Using curriculum subjects to engage learners;

• Describe the effects of weather and

climate on living things(SOC)

• Compare and contrast land use of

local environment and that of a contrasting environment (SOC)

• Use apps to collect information and

upload to national databases ie WOW/Met office (TCH)

• Collecting data about local

environment and creating habitats (SCN)

Helping children and communities learn about their local environment

Encouraging pupils and families to engage in their local greenspace has multiple benefits. Natural Connections report;

STEM outdoors

How do we make a difference?

• Remove barriers; myths, risk assessments,

‘dementors’

• Engage staff in creating meaningful learning

experiences.

• Identify the key teaching points in lessons
• Ensure opportunities for pupil led learning;

collaboration, metacognition, self assessment

• Support staff to celebrate and recognise

success

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks – John Muir