Outdoor Learning and Sustainability Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Margaret; Dawson, Richard

2013-01-01

A shared conference presentation describes two ways of bringing education for sustainable development into education. The first part concentrated on putting science into outdoor learning backed up by a series of mind-mapping activities. The second was about linking schools with their surrounding communities to develop ways of working together. An…

Does (In)Formal Learning Enhance Employability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Heijden, Beatrice I.J.M.; Boon, Jo; van der Klink, Marcel R.; Meys, Ely

2008-01-01

Not much is known about the actual contribution of informal learning to employability over and above formal learning activities. This paper presents findings of a research project among university staff members and is aimed to determine the contribution of formal and informal learning activities in the light of future career potential. Findings…

The Effect of Outdoor Learning Activities on the Development of Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Günseli; Özyilmaz Akamca, Güzin

2017-01-01

Learning ought to be supported by both in class activities and outdoor activities contributing to structuring knowledge. Outdoor activities allow children to actively participate and to learn by doing. Learning requires a lot of work and activities. These activities, which provide primary experiences, help children to change theoretical knowledge…

Green School Grounds as Sites for Outdoor Learning: Barriers and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet E.

2005-01-01

In their review of evidence-based research entitled "A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning," Rickinson "et al." (2004) identify five key constraints that limit the amount of outdoor learning. This paper explores whether green school grounds might be a location where these constraints could be minimised. Specifically, it…

Cultivating Lived-Body Consciousness: Enhancing Cognition and Emotion through Outdoor Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorburn, Malcolm; Marshall, Aaron

2014-01-01

Through using school-based outdoor learning as the research context, the paper analyses the connections between bodily experiences and the embodied mind. Recent theorizing in outdoor learning, in reflecting phenomenology and Deweyian influences, has teased out how the relationships between the self, others and nature (environment) can be extended…

Students' Imaginings of Spaces of Learning in Outdoor and Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Lou

2014-01-01

In this article, I interrogate students' stories about the spaces and places in a tertiary Outdoor and Environmental Education course that support and shape their environmental ethics. Drawing on a longitudinal qualitative study, I explore the ways in which particular sites of learning (outdoor, practical learning) are privileged and how…

The Rocky Crags and Seascapes of Outdoor Education and Outdoor Recreation in Newfoundland and Labrador.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Gregory

1997-01-01

Four formal outdoor education programs in Newfoundland and Labrador are briefly described: Brother Brennan Environmental Education Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and College of the North Atlantic. Cooperation among these formal environmental and outdoor recreation programs, informal community outdoor…

Improving Learner Outcomes in Lifelong Education: Formal Pedagogies in Non-Formal Learning Contexts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zepke, Nick; Leach, Linda

2006-01-01

This article explores how far research findings about successful pedagogies in formal post-school education might be used in non-formal learning contexts--settings where learning may not lead to formal qualifications. It does this by examining a learner outcomes model adapted from a synthesis of research into retention. The article first…

Provisions for Outdoor Play and Learning in Slovene Preschools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kos, Marjanca; Jerman, Janez

2013-01-01

This study examined play and learning in the natural environment and on the playgrounds of Slovene preschools. It included 140 preschool teachers and 264 parents of children who attended preschools in 21 Slovene towns. Data were collected through questionnaires with questions referring to time spent outdoors, children's outdoor activities,…

Environmental Studies. Plano Outdoor Learning Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plano Independent School District, TX.

This curriculum guide for the Plano Intermediate School District (Texas) Outdoor Learning Center is divided into three major sections. Section I provides information on the numbered stations/posts found along the perimeter and inner trails of the center and includes brief comments on the philosophy of environmental education and the history…

Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broda, Herbert W.

2011-01-01

Since Herb Broda published Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning, his groundbreaking first book on outdoor learning, many schools across North America have embraced the benefits of "greening" their learning programs. Herb has visited dozens of these schools and nature centers, and he showcases the very best examples of schoolyard-enhanced…

EFL Learners' Perception toward an Outdoor Learning Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asmara, Candra Hadi; Anwar, Khoirul; Muhammad, Ribeh Najib

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate EFL learners' perception of an outdoor learning program, called English Scout Organization which was developed to strengthen their students' interests in learning English at secondary school. For this purpose, the 20 secondary school students in YPI Darussalam Cerme Gresik, Indonesia, were given…

Go outside to Learn: The Value of Outdoor Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randall, Robin R.

2012-01-01

Outdoors opens up endless possibilities. Every place and space people experience offers an opportunity to learn. Accepted educational research first theorized by social scientist and author, Howard Gardner, shows that learners have nine multiple intelligences--visual, logical, intrapersonal, musical, body-kinesthetic, linguistic, interpersonal,…

An Introduction to the Constraints-Led Approach to Learning in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brymer, Eric; Renshaw, Ian

2010-01-01

Participation in outdoor education is underpinned by a learner's ability to acquire skills in activities such as canoeing, bushwalking and skiing and consequently the outdoor leader is often required to facilitate skill acquisition and motor learning. As such, outdoor leaders might benefit from an appropriate and tested model on how the learner…

Non-Formal Learning: Clarification of the Concept and Its Application in Music Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mok, On Nei Annie

2011-01-01

The concept of non-formal learning, which falls outside the categories of informal and formal learning, has not been as widely discussed, especially in the music education literature. In order to bridge this gap and to provide supplementary framework to the discussion of informal and formal learning, therefore, this paper will first summarize…

Bridging In-school and Out-of-school Learning: Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshach, Haim

2007-04-01

The present paper thoroughly examines how one can effectively bridge in-school and out-of-school learning. The first part discusses the difficulty in defining out-of-school learning. It proposes to distinguish three types of learning: formal, informal, and non-formal. The second part raises the question of whether out-of-school learning should be dealt with in the in-school system, in view of the fact that we experience informal learning anyway as well as considering the disadvantages and difficulties teachers are confronted with when planning and carrying out scientific fieldtrips. The voices of the teachers, the students, and the non-formal institution staff are heard to provide insights into the problem. The third part discusses the cognitive and affective aspects of non-formal learning. The fourth part presents some models explaining scientific fieldtrip learning and based on those models, suggests a novel explanation. The fifth part offers some recommendations of how to bridge in and out-of-school learning. The paper closes with some practical ideas as to how one can bring the theory described in the paper into practice. It is hoped that this paper will provide educators with an insight so that they will be able to fully exploit the great potential that scientific field trips may offer.

Family Learning Outdoors: Guided Participation on a Nature Walk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmerman, Heather Toomey; McClain, Lucy R.

2016-01-01

This informal learning research project examined how guided participation processes support the use of cultural tools (such as scientific equipment) during a nature walk at one nature center. This paper analyzed family interactions outdoors using microethnographic methods. An informal learning framework based on guided participation and cultural…

Planning an Outdoor Learning Environment for a Small School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keats, C.; And Others

1981-01-01

Developed to provide an outdoor learning environment for a small school which had relatively undeveloped grounds, these plans are aimed toward providing: physical activity (climbing, running, jumping, and games); imaginative activity; social learning; environmental study; mathematics and science; exploring materials, e.g., water and soil; and the…

Promoting Physical Activity and Science Learning in an Outdoor Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finn, Kevin E.; Yan, Zi; McInnis, Kyle J.

2018-01-01

Outdoor education programs have been shown to have a positive effect on the educational, physical and emotional development of youth. They are increasingly being used to foster a sense of community in schools and to provide students with learning opportunities related to the environment. This article describes an integrated outdoor education…

Enhancing Children's Outdoor Learning Experiences with a Mobile Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rikala, Jenni

2015-01-01

This paper examines how a mobile learning application can enhance children's outdoor learning experiences. The study draws upon empirical evidence gathered in one case study conducted in a Finnish primary school setting in the fall of 2012. The data were collected with student and teacher surveys. The case study indicated that the mobile…

Learning Outdoors: Leader Guide, Grade 3. 4-H Discovery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abell, John R.; Newman, Jerry A.

The United States has a rich natural resource heritage. It is important to educate students in the principles of conservation so that these natural resources may endure for generations. This guide is designed to help leaders to learn to organize groups of children and conduct successful meetings; provide fun, safe, outdoor learning experiences for…

Learning in non-formal education: Is it "youthful" for youth in action?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norqvist, Lars; Leffler, Eva

2017-04-01

This article offers insights into the practices of a non-formal education programme for youth provided by the European Union (EU). It takes a qualitative approach and is based on a case study of the European Voluntary Service (EVS). Data were collected during individual and focus group interviews with learners (the EVS volunteers), decision takers and trainers, with the aim of deriving an understanding of learning in non-formal education. The research questions concerned learning, the recognition of learning and perspectives of usefulness. The study also examined the Youthpass documentation tool as a key to understanding the recognition of learning and to determine whether the learning was useful for learners (the volunteers). The findings and analysis offer several interpretations of learning, and the recognition of learning, which take place in non-formal education. The findings also revealed that it is complicated to divide learning into formal and non- formal categories; instead, non-formal education is useful for individual learners when both formal and non-formal educational contexts are integrated. As a consequence, the division of formal and non-formal (and possibly even informal) learning creates a gap which works against the development of flexible and interconnected education with ubiquitous learning and mobility within and across formal and non-formal education. This development is not in the best interests of learners, especially when seeking useful learning and education for youth (what the authors term "youthful" for youth in action).

The Hidden Turmoil: Females Achieving Longevity in the Outdoor Learning Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Michelle; Gray, Tonia

2013-01-01

Being a woman in the outdoor learning profession can bring distinctive challenges and roadblocks. Even more difficult is sustaining a life-long career, flourishing into a woman's 50s or 60s. Based on this premise, career longevity seems elusive for some women who aspire to work in the outdoors. This paper analyses the autobiographies of three…

Learning Conditions for Non-Formal and Informal Workplace Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyndt, Eva; Dochy, Filip; Nijs, Hanne

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the presence of learning conditions for non-formal and informal workplace learning in relation to the characteristics of the employee and the organisation he or she works for. Design/methodology/approach: The questionnaire developed by Clauwaert and Van Bree on learning conditions was…

The Interrelatedness of Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Evidence from Labour Market Program Participants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Roslyn; Harrison, Jennifer L.

2012-01-01

Definitions, differences and relationships between formal, non-formal and informal learning have long been contentious. There has been a significant change in language and reference from adult education to what amounts to forms of learning categorised by their modes of facilitation. Nonetheless, there is currently a renewed interest in the…

Everyday Teaching and Outdoor Learning: Developing an Integrated Approach to Support School-Based Provision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacQuarrie, Sarah

2018-01-01

In the UK, teachers are increasingly being encouraged to support and undertake outdoor learning. Despite such support there is a paucity of research that has considered how outdoor learning can be implemented and offered on a regular basis by teachers. The lack of empirical research that has centralised the role of the teacher is at odds with the…

Learning Arithmetic Outdoors in Junior High School--Influence on Performance and Self-Regulating Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fägerstam, Emilia; Samuelsson, Joakim

2014-01-01

This study aims to explore the influence of outdoor teaching among students, aged 13, on arithmetic performance and self-regulation skills as previous research concerning outdoor mathematics learning is limited. This study had a quasi-experimental design. An outdoor and a traditional group answered a test and a self-regulation skills questionnaire…

How Online Journalists Learn within a Non-Formal Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kronstad, Morten; Eide, Martin

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of workplace learning, with a focus on the non-formal learning that takes place among online journalists. The focus of this article is journalists working in an online newspaper and their experiences with workplace and non-formal learning, centering on framework conditions…

Connecting Formal and Informal Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Mahony, Timothy Kieran

2010-01-01

The learning study reports on part of a larger project being lead by the author. In this dissertation I explore one goal of this project--to understand effects on student learning outcomes as a function of using different methods for connecting out-of-school experiential learning with formal school-based instruction. There is a long history of…

Using Narrative-Based Design Scaffolds within a Mobile Learning Environment to Support Learning Outdoors with Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seely, Brian J.

2015-01-01

This study aims to advance learning outdoors with mobile devices. As part of the ongoing Tree Investigators design-based research study, this research investigated a mobile application to support observation, identification, and explanation of the tree life cycle within an authentic, outdoor setting. Recognizing the scientific and conceptual…

Enhancing Formal E-Learning with Edutainment on Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labus, A.; Despotovic-Zrakic, M.; Radenkovic, B.; Bogdanovic, Z.; Radenkovic, M.

2015-01-01

This paper reports on the investigation of the possibilities of enhancing the formal e-learning process by harnessing the potential of informal game-based learning on social networks. The goal of the research is to improve the outcomes of the formal learning process through the design and implementation of an educational game on a social network…

Why formal learning theory matters for cognitive science.

PubMed

Fulop, Sean; Chater, Nick

2013-01-01

This article reviews a number of different areas in the foundations of formal learning theory. After outlining the general framework for formal models of learning, the Bayesian approach to learning is summarized. This leads to a discussion of Solomonoff's Universal Prior Distribution for Bayesian learning. Gold's model of identification in the limit is also outlined. We next discuss a number of aspects of learning theory raised in contributed papers, related to both computational and representational complexity. The article concludes with a description of how semi-supervised learning can be applied to the study of cognitive learning models. Throughout this overview, the specific points raised by our contributing authors are connected to the models and methods under review. Copyright © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Place-Based Curriculum Making: Devising a Synthesis between Primary Geography and Outdoor Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolan, Anne M.

2016-01-01

Outdoor learning provides children with an opportunity to experience the interdisciplinary nature of the real world through interactions with each other and the planet. Geographical enquiry involves exploring the outdoors in an investigative capacity. Space, place and sustainability are three core concepts in primary geography, although…

Stations Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madison, John P.; And Others

1976-01-01

Described is a program of outdoor education utilizing activity-oriented learning stations. Described are 13 activities including: a pond study, orienteering, nature crafts, outdoor mathematics, linear distance measurement, and area measurement. (SL)

Recognising Non-Formal and Informal Learning: An Open Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perulli, Elisabetta

2009-01-01

The social-institutional endorsement towards the perspective of recognising and enhancing learning acquired outside the formal education and training contexts (non-formal and informal learning), has been gaining strength and has entered policy agendas throughout Europe, but also in other major non-European countries. Nevertheless there are still…

Developing a Mobile Learning Management System for Outdoors Nature Science Activities Based on 5E Learning Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ah-Fur; Lai, Horng-Yih; Chuang, Wei-Hsiang; Wu, Zih-Heng

2015-01-01

Traditional outdoor learning activities such as inquiry-based learning in nature science encounter many dilemmas. Due to prompt development of mobile computing and widespread of mobile devices, mobile learning becomes a big trend on education. The main purpose of this study is to develop a mobile-learning management system for overcoming the…

Adolescent Learning in the Zoo: Embedding a Non-Formal Learning Environment to Teach Formal Aspects of Vertebrate Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randler, Christoph; Kummer, Barbara; Wilhelm, Christian

2012-06-01

The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of a zoo visit in terms of learning and retention of knowledge concerning the adaptations and behavior of vertebrate species. Basis of the work was the concept of implementing zoo visits as an out-of-school setting for formal, curriculum based learning. Our theoretical framework centers on the self-determination theory, therefore, we used a group-based, hands-on learning environment. To address this questions, we used a treatment—control design (BACI) with different treatments and a control group. Pre-, post- and retention tests were applied. All treatments led to a substantial increase of learning and retention knowledge compared to the control group. Immediately after the zoo visit, the zoo-guide tour provided the highest scores, while after a delay of 6 weeks, the learner-centered environment combined with a teacher-guided summarizing scored best. We suggest incorporating the zoo as an out-of-school environment into formal school learning, and we propose different methods to improve learning in zoo settings.

Informal and Formal Learning of General Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spaan, Nadia Roos; Dekker, Anne R. J.; van der Velden, Alike W.; de Groot, Esther

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand the influence of formal learning from a web-based training and informal (workplace) learning afterwards on the behaviour of general practitioners (GPs) with respect to prescription of antibiotics. Design/methodology/approach: To obtain insight in various learning processes, semi-structured…

Assessing Learning in the Early Years' Outdoor Classroom: Examining Challenges in Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Ruth; Hamilton, Paula

2018-01-01

The benefit the outdoor environment has for young children's development is widely documented. However, there is less literature outlining practitioners' experiences of assessing learning in the outdoors and factors which impact the level and quality of assessments undertaken. This study, based on a pragmatic mixed methods approach, undertaken in…

Planetariums as a Source of Outdoor Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seyma, Aksu; Umdu Topsakal, Ünsal

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to study the effect of using planetariums as an outdoor learning environment regarding students' opinions. Therefore, descriptive qualitative research was used. The participants were from a school in Istanbul. Ten students, 4 male and 6 female, participated in a planetarium visit to a museum. The data of the study were…

Outdoor Learning: Supervision Is More than Watching Children Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Heather; Thompson, Donna; Hudson, Susan

2011-01-01

Early childhood programs strive to provide good-quality care and education as young children develop their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual skills. In order to provide children with positive, developmentally appropriate learning opportunities, educators ensure the safety and security of children, indoors and outdoors. The outdoor…

Location Based Services for Outdoor Ecological Learning System: Design and Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Lin, Chih-Cheng; Feng, Ruei-Ting; Li, Kun Jing

2010-01-01

This paper aimed to demonstrate how location-based services were implemented in ubiquitous outdoor ecological learning system. In an elementary school in northern Taiwan, two fifth grade classes on an ecology project were randomly selected: The experimental group could access the ecological learning system on hand-held devices while the control…

Outdoor Education and Science Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rios, José M.; Brewer, Jessica

2014-01-01

Elementary students have limited opportunities to learn science in an outdoor setting at school. Some suggest this is partially due to a lack of teacher efficacy teaching in an outdoor setting. Yet the research literature indicates that outdoor learning experiences develop positive environmental attitudes and can positively affect science…

Family Literacy and the New Canadian: Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Learning: The Case of Literacy, Essential Skills and Language Learning in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Sarah Elaine

2011-01-01

This paper examines literacy and language learning across the lifespan within the context of immigrants in the Canadian context. It explores the process of improving literacy skills and acquiring second or third language skills through the systems of formal, non-formal and informal learning, as defined by the OECD [Organisation for Economic…

Development and Evaluation of an RFID-Based Ubiquitous Learning Environment for Outdoor Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Tan-Hsu; Liu, Tsung-Yu; Chang, Chi-Cheng

2007-01-01

Many issues have been identified in outdoor teaching, especially in places that lack the capacity to effectively present information about such subjects as historical relics, rare animals, and geological landscapes. This study proposes an Environment of Ubiquitous Learning with Educational Resources (EULER) based on radio frequency identification…

Weaving a Formal Methods Education with Problem-Based Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, J. Paul

The idea of weaving formal methods through computing (or software engineering) degrees is not a new one. However, there has been little success in developing and implementing such a curriculum. Formal methods continue to be taught as stand-alone modules and students, in general, fail to see how fundamental these methods are to the engineering of software. A major problem is one of motivation — how can the students be expected to enthusiastically embrace a challenging subject when the learning benefits, beyond passing an exam and achieving curriculum credits, are not clear? Problem-based learning has gradually moved from being an innovative pedagogique technique, commonly used to better-motivate students, to being widely adopted in the teaching of many different disciplines, including computer science and software engineering. Our experience shows that a good problem can be re-used throughout a student's academic life. In fact, the best computing problems can be used with children (young and old), undergraduates and postgraduates. In this paper we present a process for weaving formal methods through a University curriculum that is founded on the application of problem-based learning and a library of good software engineering problems, where students learn about formal methods without sitting a traditional formal methods module. The process of constructing good problems and integrating them into the curriculum is shown to be analagous to the process of engineering software. This approach is not intended to replace more traditional formal methods modules: it will better prepare students for such specialised modules and ensure that all students have an understanding and appreciation for formal methods even if they do not go on to specialise in them.

Outdoor Education and Mobile Learning: An Autobiographical Narrative Using Application-Based Information and Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolaeff, Ivan

2016-01-01

Although mobile learning using smartphones and applications or apps have the potential to inform and educate individuals in an outdoor environment, users may find that connectivity issues and basic knowledge of outdoor environments, including both physical and emotional, could be limited by what this technology provided. This study provided my…

Outdoor Fieldwork in Higher Education: Learning from Multidisciplinary Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munge, Brendon; Thomas, Glyn; Heck, Deborah

2018-01-01

Background: Many disciplines use outdoor fieldwork (OFW) as an experiential learning method in higher education. Although there has been an increase in research into the pedagogical approaches of OFW, the use of OFW is contested. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to synthesize the OFW literature across a range of disciplines to identify common…

Formal and Non-Formal Digital Practices: Institutionalizing Transactional Learning Spaces in a Media Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Lange, Thomas

2011-01-01

This article examines how a classroom procedure known as PGE (Plan/Go-through/Evaluate) group work aims at integrating formal and non-formal media experiences and practices into classroom-based media learning. The study displays, on the one hand, how PGE group work emerged and was institutionally embedded in a media course. On the other hand, the…

Adolescent Learning in the Zoo: Embedding a Non-Formal Learning Environment to Teach Formal Aspects of Vertebrate Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Randler, Christoph; Kummer, Barbara; Wilhelm, Christian

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of a zoo visit in terms of learning and retention of knowledge concerning the adaptations and behavior of vertebrate species. Basis of the work was the concept of implementing zoo visits as an out-of-school setting for formal, curriculum based learning. Our theoretical framework centers on the…

Learning in later life: participation in formal, non-formal and informal activities in a nationally representative Spanish sample.

PubMed

Villar, Feliciano; Celdrán, Montserrat

2013-06-01

This article examines the participation of Spanish older people in formal, non-formal and informal learning activities and presents a profile of participants in each kind of learning activity. We used data from a nationally representative sample of Spanish people between 60 and 75 years old ( n  = 4,703). The data were extracted from the 2007 Encuesta sobre la Participación de la Población Adulta en Actividades de Aprendizaje (EADA, Survey on Adult Population Involvement in Learning Activities). Overall, only 22.8 % of the sample participated in a learning activity. However, there was wide variation in the participation rates for the different types of activity. Informal activities were far more common than formal ones. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that education level and involvement in social and cultural activities were associated with likelihood of participating, regardless of the type of learning activity. When these variables were taken into account, age did not predict decreasing participation, at least in non-formal and informal activities. Implications for further research, future trends and policies to promote older adult education are discussed.

Child-Initiated Learning, the Outdoor Environment and the "Underachieving" Child

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maynard, Trisha; Waters, Jane; Clement, Jennifer

2013-01-01

The Foundation Phase for Wales advocates an experiential, play-based approach to learning for children aged three to seven years that includes child-initiated activity within the outdoor environment. In previous research, Foundation Phase practitioners maintained that children perceived to be "underachieving" within the classroom came…

Outdoor Classrooms--Planning Makes Perfect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Sarah

2006-01-01

Schoolyard wildlife habitats aren't just for beauty and fun--they are outdoor classrooms where real science learning takes place. Schoolyard habitat projects involve conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat; however, the learning doesn't have to stop there--outdoor classrooms can foster many kinds of active learning across the curriculum…

Informal Science Learning in the Formal Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Lori; Straits, William

2014-01-01

In this article the authors share advice from the viewpoints of both a formal and informal educator that will help teachers identify the right Informal Science Institutions (ISIs)--institutions that specialize in learning that occurs outside of the school setting--to maximize their students' learning and use informal education to their…

The Place and Approach of Outdoor Learning within a Holistic Curricular Agenda: Development of Singaporean Outdoor Education Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atencio, Matthew; Tan, Yuen Sze Michelle; Ho, Susanna; Ching, Chew Ting

2015-01-01

This paper details the potential contribution of outdoor education (OE) in Singaporean education given the recent raft of national curricular reforms aimed at fostering holistic and exploratory learning opportunities. In this context, we contend that increasing recognition of the value of OE, both internationally and locally, heralds specific…

Distance Learning and Non-Formal Education: Existing Trends and New Possibilities of Distance Learning Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romi, Shlomo

2000-01-01

Reviews the characteristics of non-formal education as expressed in various academic-theoretical definitions, presents the links in this field to distance learning, and recommends future directions for exploring distance learning in non-formal education. Discusses the use of information and communication technology and considers problems with…

Invited Reaction: Influences of Formal Learning, Personal Learning Orientation, and Supportive Learning Environment on Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cseh, Maria; Manikoth, Nisha N.

2011-01-01

As the authors of the preceding article (Choi and Jacobs, 2011) have noted, the workplace learning literature shows evidence of the complementary and integrated nature of formal and informal learning in the development of employee competencies. The importance of supportive learning environments in the workplace and of employees' personal learning…

Classrooms in the Wild: Learning Language and Life Skills in the KUIS Outdoor Sports Circle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wurr, Adrian

The role of outdoor education activities in the Kanda University English language institute is described. The outdoor program was developed to unite faculty and students interested in recreational activities and provide an opportunity to explore common interests in nature, sports, and language learning. The activities develop self-esteem,…

An exploration of student midwives' language to describe non-formal learning in professional practice.

PubMed

Finnerty, Gina; Pope, Rosemary

2005-05-01

The essence of non-formal learning in midwifery practice has not been previously explored. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the language of a sample of student midwives' descriptions of their practice learning in a range of clinical settings. The students submitted audio-diaries as part of a national study (Pope, R., Graham. L., Finnerty. G., Magnusson, C. 2003. An investigation of the preparation and assessment for midwifery practice within a range of settings. Project Report. University of Surrey). Participants detailed their learning activities and support obtained whilst working with their named mentors for approximately 10 days or shifts. The rich audio-diary data have been analysed using Discourse Analysis. A typology of non-formal learning (Eraut, M. 2000. Non-formal learning and implicit knowledge in professional work. British Journal of Educational Psychology 70, 113-136) has been used to provide a framework for the analysis. Non-formal learning is defined as any learning which does not take place within a formally organised learning programme (Eraut, M. 2000. Non-formal learning and implicit knowledge in professional work. British Journal of Educational Psychology 70, 113-136). Findings indicate that fear and ambiguity hindered students' learning. Recommendations include the protection of time by mentors within the clinical curriculum to guide and supervise students in both formal and non-formal elements of midwifery practice. This paper will explore the implications of the findings for practice-based education.

Moral Deliberation and Environmental Awareness: Reviewing Deweyan-Informed Possibilities for Contemporary Outdoor Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorburn, Malcolm

2018-01-01

The recent surge in interest in progressive education ideas has often been accompanied by an increased advocacy for learning outdoors, with experiential and holistic learning approaches considered the most beneficial method for cultivating personal and social development and raising awareness of contemporary environmental concerns. However,…

Determination of Science Teachers' Opinions about Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubat, Ulas

2017-01-01

The aim of this research is to discover what science teachers' opinions about outdoor education learning environments are. Outdoor education learning environments contribute to problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills of students. For this reason, outdoor education learning environments are very important for students to learn by…

How Teachers Learn: The Roles of Formal, Informal, and Independent Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, W. Monty; Dexter, Sara

2014-01-01

A qualitative study of math and science teachers at two middle schools identifies how their system for learning to integrate technology into their teaching goes beyond what school leaders typically consider when planning for teachers' learning. In addition to (a) the district-initiated, or formal, system of professional development (PD) and…

Inclusion through Access to Outdoor Education: Learning in Motion (LIM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brodin, Jane

2009-01-01

Learning in Motion (LIM) was a European project involving seven partners in five countries: Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Germany and Greece. The project focused on inclusion and access to outdoor education and was financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Socrates-Grundtvig Programme. The aim of the project was to explore if and…

Teaching in the Field: What Teacher Professional Life Histories Tell About How They Learn to Teach in the Outdoor Learning Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feille, Kelly K.

2017-06-01

This research investigates the professional life histories of upper elementary science teachers who were identified as effective both within the classroom and in the outdoor learning environment (OLE). The narratives of five teachers, collected through semistructured and open-ended interviews, provided the data for the study. Professional life histories were constructed for each teacher participant and an analysis of the teacher narratives identified the themes of teacher development across the voices of the participants. Narrative reasoning was used to unify those themes into a hypothetical professional life history as reported in this manuscript. Implications of this research can be realized for stakeholders in the preparation of pre-service teachers as well as the development of in-service teachers. Future research regarding the early induction years of new teachers, impacts of inclusion of the OLE in pre-service teacher instruction, and teacher experiences regarding professional development relating to efforts to include the OLE in formal education should be investigated.

Teaching STEM Outdoors: Activities for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selly, Patty Born

2017-01-01

Nurture young children's innate tendencies toward exploration, sensory stimulation, and STEM learning when you connect outdoor learning with STEM curriculum. Discover the developmental benefits of outdoor learning and how the rich diversity of settings and materials in nature gives rise to questions and inquiry for deeper learning. Full of…

Informal Learning and Non-Formal Education for Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latchem, Colin

2014-01-01

The following article examines the issues of open, distance and technology-based informal learning and non-formal education for individual and community development. It argues that these two modes of education, which are estimated to constitute 70-90% of lifelong learning, are insufficiently represented in the literature of open and distance…

Looking for Learning in All the Wrong Places: Urban Native Youths' Cultured Response to Western-Oriented Place-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedel, Tracy L.

2011-01-01

For Indigenous youth growing up in today's Canadian cities, summer, non-formal learning programs developed around outdoor and/or environmental education themes offer the chance for reconnecting with ancestral territories. While tenable, few interpretive studies focus on youths' engagement with such learning. This paper offers an analysis of the…

Blending Student Technology Experiences in Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, K.-W.; Khaddage, F.; Knezek, Gerald

2013-01-01

In this article, we discuss the importance of recognizing students' technology-enhanced informal learning experiences and develop pedagogies to connect students' formal and informal learning experiences, in order to meet the demands of the knowledge society. The Mobile-Blended Collaborative Learning model is proposed as a framework to…

The Lifelong Learning Iceberg of Information Systems Academics--A Study of On-Going Formal and Informal Learning by Academics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davey, Bill; Tatnall, Arthur

2007-01-01

This article describes a study that examined the lifelong learning of information systems academics in relation to their normal work. It begins by considering the concept of lifelong learning, its relationship to real-life learning and that lifelong learning should encompass the whole spectrum of formal, non-formal and informal learning. Most…

The Place of Experience and the Experience of Place: Intersections between Sustainability Education and Outdoor Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Allen

2013-01-01

As social, economic and environmental issues have become more prominent in the 21st century, there has been increased critical scrutiny into the ways that outdoor learning interacts with sustainability issues and concepts. As a result, a number of discourses have emerged which interrogate human/nature relationships in traditional outdoor education…

Non-formal learning and tacit knowledge in professional work.

PubMed

Eraut, M

2000-03-01

This paper explores the conceptual and methodological problems arising from several empirical investigations of professional education and learning in the workplace. 1. To clarify the multiple meanings accorded to terms such as 'non-formal learning', 'implicit learning' and 'tacit knowledge', their theoretical assumptions and the range of phenomena to which they refer. 2. To discuss their implications for professional practice. A largely theoretical analysis of issues and phenomena arising from empirical investigations. The author's typology of non-formal learning distinguishes between implicit learning, reactive on-the-spot learning and deliberative learning. The significance of the last is commonly overemphasized. The problematic nature of tacit knowledge is discussed with respect to both detecting it and representing it. Three types of tacit knowledge are discussed: tacit understanding of people and situations, routinized actions and the tacit rules that underpin intuitive decision-making. They come together when professional performance involves sequences of routinized action punctuated by rapid intuitive decisions based on tacit understanding of the situation. Four types of process are involved--reading the situation, making decisions, overt activity and metacognition--and three modes of cognition--intuitive, analytic and deliberative. The balance between these modes depends on time, experience and complexity. Where rapid action dominates, periods of deliberation are needed to maintain critical control. Finally the role of both formal and informal social knowledge is discussed; and it is argued that situated learning often leads not to local conformity but to greater individual variation as people's careers take them through a series of different contexts. This abstract necessarily simplifies a more complex analysis in the paper itself.

Outdoor Education in Senior Schooling: Clarifying the Body of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Peter

2008-01-01

Australia has a state-based educational system. In some of these states, outdoor education exists as part of the formal accredited secondary school curriculum. In this paper I analyse the content of these senior secondary school outdoor courses as a means to help delineate and describe the body of knowledge of outdoor education. I suggest outdoor…

Studienlandschaft Schwingbachtal: an out-door full-scale learning tool newly equipped with augmented reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aubert, A. H.; Schnepel, O.; Kraft, P.; Houska, T.; Plesca, I.; Orlowski, N.; Breuer, L.

2015-11-01

This paper addresses education and communication in hydrology and geosciences. Many approaches can be used, such as the well-known seminars, modelling exercises and practical field work but out-door learning in our discipline is a must, and this paper focuses on the recent development of a new out-door learning tool at the landscape scale. To facilitate improved teaching and hands-on experience, we designed the Studienlandschaft Schwingbachtal. Equipped with field instrumentation, education trails, and geocache, we now implemented an augmented reality App, adding virtual teaching objects on the real landscape. The App development is detailed, to serve as methodology for people wishing to implement such a tool. The resulting application, namely the Schwingbachtal App, is described as an example. We conclude that such an App is useful for communication and education purposes, making learning pleasant, and offering personalized options.

Effective Learning in Non-Formal Education. Program of Studies in Non-Formal Education. Team Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Ted W.; Herzog, William A., Jr.

This document is part of a series dealing with nonformal education. Introductory information is included in document SO 008 058. The focus of this report is on the learning effectiveness of nonformal education. Chapter 1 compares effective learning in a formal and nonformal environment. Chapter 2 develops a systems model for designers of learning…

Greening the Net Generation: Outdoor Adult Learning in the Digital Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Pierre

2013-01-01

Adult learning today takes place primarily within walled classrooms or in other indoor settings, and often in front of various types of digital screens. As adults have adopted the digital technologies and indoor lifestyle attributed to the so-called "Net Generation," we have become detached from contact with the natural world outdoors.…

New Technologies and Learning Environments: A Perspective from Formal and Non-Formal Education in Baja California, Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamora, Julieta Lopez; Reynaga, Francisco Javier Arriaga

2010-01-01

This paper presents results of two research works, the first approaches non-formal education and the second addresses formal education. In both studies in-depth interview techniques were used. There were some points of convergence between them on aspects such as the implementation of learning environments and the integration of ICT. The interview…

A Preliminary Investigation of Self-Directed Learning Activities in a Non-Formal Blended Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwier, Richard A.; Morrison, Dirk; Daniel, Ben K.

2009-01-01

This research considers how professional participants in a non-formal self-directed learning environment (NFSDL) made use of self-directed learning activities in a blended face-to-face and on line learning professional development course. The learning environment for the study was a professional development seminar on teaching in higher education…

Professional Development across the Teaching Career: Teachers' Uptake of Formal and Informal Learning Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richter, Dirk; Kunter, Mareike; Klusmann, Uta; Ludtke, Oliver; Baumert, Jurgen

2011-01-01

This study examined teachers' uptake of formal and informal learning opportunities across the career cycle. Analyses were based on data from 1939 German secondary teachers in 198 schools. Results showed that formal learning opportunities (in-service training) were used most frequently by mid-career teachers, whereas informal learning opportunities…

Stop Making Sense: The Outdoors as Art. Part 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Chris

2003-01-01

Applied outdoor experiences may be seen as theater and, as such, can allow a more flexible, integrative approach to outdoor learning. Both the arts (particularly theater) and outdoor experiential learning contain nine common elements, including elements of working with groups, and personal and transpersonal components of experience. Three…

Formal Operations and Learning Style Predict Success in Statistics and Computer Science Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudak, Mary A.; Anderson, David E.

1990-01-01

Studies 94 undergraduate students in introductory statistics and computer science courses. Applies Formal Operations Reasoning Test (FORT) and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (LSI). Finds that substantial numbers of students have not achieved the formal operation level of cognitive maturity. Emphasizes need to examine students learning style and…

Authenticity in Learning for the Twenty-First Century: Bridging the Formal and the Informal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, David; Lee, Shu-Shing; Lim, Kenneth Y. T.

2012-01-01

The paper attempts to bridge informal and formal learning by leveraging on affordance structures associated with informal environments to help learners develop social, cognitive, and metacognitive dispositions that can be applied to learning in classrooms. Most studies focus on either learning in formal or informal contexts, but this study seeks…

Locate, Plan, Develop, Use An Outdoor Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soil Conservation Service (USDA), Upper Darby, PA.

Designed to aid educational institutions and community organizations in selecting, planning, developing and using outdoor learning areas as outdoor classrooms, this guide includes: (1) Learning by Discovery (scientific, cultural, and recreational goals); (2) The Initial Planning Effort (use of: a planning committee including teachers,…

Tenuous Affair: Environmental and Outdoor Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irwin, David; Straker, Jo

2014-01-01

The relationship between outdoor education and environmental education in Aotearoa New Zealand has undergone many changes since formal education began in early colonial times. Discussion draws from qualitative doctoral research undertaken by the authors that investigated education for sustainability in outdoor education and how meaning is ascribed…

Machine Learning-based Intelligent Formal Reasoning and Proving System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shengqing; Huang, Xiaojian; Fang, Jiaze; Liang, Jia

2018-03-01

The reasoning system can be used in many fields. How to improve reasoning efficiency is the core of the design of system. Through the formal description of formal proof and the regular matching algorithm, after introducing the machine learning algorithm, the system of intelligent formal reasoning and verification has high efficiency. The experimental results show that the system can verify the correctness of propositional logic reasoning and reuse the propositional logical reasoning results, so as to obtain the implicit knowledge in the knowledge base and provide the basic reasoning model for the construction of intelligent system.

Exploring a Pluralist Understanding of Learning for Sustainability and Its Implications for Outdoor Education Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulus, Susanne C.

2016-01-01

This article explores a pluralist understanding of learning for sustainability in educational theory and relates it to outdoor education practice. In brief, this kind of learning can be described as a deep engagement with an individual's multiple identities and the personal location in diverse geo-physical and socio-cultural surroundings. I…

Using an Outdoor Learning Space to Teach Sustainability and Material Processes in HE Product Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Firth, Richard; Stoltenberg, Einar; Jennings, Trent

2016-01-01

This "case study" of two jewellery workshops, used outdoor learning spaces to explore both its impact on learning outcomes and to introduce some key principles of sustainable working methodologies and practices. Using the beach as the classroom, academics and students from a Norwegian and Scottish (HE) product design exchange programme…

Enriching Formal Language Learning with an Informal Social Component

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dettori, Giuliana; Torsani, Simone

2013-01-01

This paper describes an informal component that we added to an online formal language learning environment in order to help the learners reach relevant Internet pages they can freely use to complement their learning activity. Thanks to this facility, each lesson is enriched, at run time, with a number of links automatically retrieved from social…

Relationships between middle childhood outdoor experiences and an adult individual's knowledge of the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillette, Brandon A.

During the last several decades, the nature of childhood has changed. There is not much nature in it anymore. Numerous studies in environmental education, environmental psychology, and conservation psychology show that the time children spend outdoors encourages healthy physical development, enriches creativity and imagination, and enhances classroom performance. Additional research shows that people's outdoor experiences as children, and adults can lead to more positive attitudes and behavior towards the environment, along with more environmental knowledge with which to guide public policy decisions. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the effect of middle childhood (age 6-11) outdoor experiences on an individual's current knowledge of the environment. This correlational study evaluated the following potential relationships: 1) The effect of "outdoorsiness" (defined as a fondness or enjoyment of the outdoors and related activities) on an individual's environmental knowledge; 2) The effect of gender on an individual's level of outdoorsiness; 3) The effect of setting (urban, suburban, rural, farm) on an individual's level of outdoorsiness and environmental knowledge; 4) The effect of formal [science] education on an individual's level of outdoorsiness and environmental knowledge; and 5) The effect of informal, free-choice learning on an individual's level of outdoorsiness and environmental knowledge. Outdoorsiness was measured using the Natural Experience Scale (NES), which was developed through a series of pilot surveys and field-tested in this research study. Participants included 382 undergraduate students at the University of Kansas with no preference or bias given to declared or undeclared majors. The information from this survey was used to analyze the question of whether outdoor experiences as children are related in some way to an adult's environmental knowledge after accounting for other factors of knowledge acquisition such as formal education

Community Garden: A Bridging Program between Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Datta, Ranjan

2016-01-01

Community garden activities can play a significant role in bridging formal and informal learning, particularly in urban children's science and environmental education. It promotes relational methods of learning, discussing, and practicing that will integrate food security, social interactions, community development, environmental activism, and…

Systems-based accident analysis in the led outdoor activity domain: application and evaluation of a risk management framework.

PubMed

Salmon, P; Williamson, A; Lenné, M; Mitsopoulos-Rubens, E; Rudin-Brown, C M

2010-08-01

Safety-compromising accidents occur regularly in the led outdoor activity domain. Formal accident analysis is an accepted means of understanding such events and improving safety. Despite this, there remains no universally accepted framework for collecting and analysing accident data in the led outdoor activity domain. This article presents an application of Rasmussen's risk management framework to the analysis of the Lyme Bay sea canoeing incident. This involved the development of an Accimap, the outputs of which were used to evaluate seven predictions made by the framework. The Accimap output was also compared to an analysis using an existing model from the led outdoor activity domain. In conclusion, the Accimap output was found to be more comprehensive and supported all seven of the risk management framework's predictions, suggesting that it shows promise as a theoretically underpinned approach for analysing, and learning from, accidents in the led outdoor activity domain. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Accidents represent a significant problem within the led outdoor activity domain. This article presents an evaluation of a risk management framework that can be used to understand such accidents and to inform the development of accident countermeasures and mitigation strategies for the led outdoor activity domain.

Non-formal Education in the Philippines: A Fundamental Step towards Lifelong Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzales, Ma. Celeste T.; Pijano, Ma. Concepcion V.

In order to significantly contribute to human resource development, the Philippines must develop an integrated educational system of lifelong learning, with a special emphasis on non-formal education. Despite the value that is placed on formal, or sequential academic schooling, it is non-formal schooling that makes accessible the acquisition of…

Broadening the Learning Community Experience: An Outdoor Orientation Program's Impact on Engagement, Persistence, and Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nolan, Christy David

2013-01-01

The Keystone Learning Community was implemented by the Department of Campus Recreation to address retention at the institution. This learning community for incoming freshmen consists of two phases. Phase I is as an outdoor orientation program that includes a three day, two night canoeing and camping experience lead by upperclassmen leaders.…

Outdoor Education Activities for Elementary School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Connie L.

Outdoor education is an informal method of teaching and learning which offers opportunities for elementary school students, regardless of intellectual abilities, to learn about and appreciate their environment and acquire skills with which to enjoy a lifetime of creative, productive, and healthful living. Outdoor education can enrich, vitalize,…

Learning outdoors: male lizards show flexible spatial learning under semi-natural conditions

PubMed Central

Noble, Daniel W. A.; Carazo, Pau; Whiting, Martin J.

2012-01-01

Spatial cognition is predicted to be a fundamental component of fitness in many lizard species, and yet some studies suggest that it is relatively slow and inflexible. However, such claims are based on work conducted using experimental designs or in artificial contexts that may underestimate their cognitive abilities. We used a biologically realistic experimental procedure (using simulated predatory attacks) to study spatial learning and its flexibility in the lizard Eulamprus quoyii in semi-natural outdoor enclosures under similar conditions to those experienced by lizards in the wild. To evaluate the flexibility of spatial learning, we conducted a reversal spatial-learning task in which positive and negative reinforcements of learnt spatial stimuli were switched. Nineteen (32%) male lizards learnt both tasks within 10 days (spatial task mean: 8.16 ± 0.69 (s.e.) and reversal spatial task mean: 10.74 ± 0.98 (s.e.) trials). We demonstrate that E. quoyii are capable of flexible spatial learning and suggest that future studies focus on a range of lizard species which differ in phylogeny and/or ecology, using biologically relevant cognitive tasks, in an effort to bridge the cognitive divide between ecto- and endotherms. PMID:23075525

Personal Learning Environments, Social Media, and Self-Regulated Learning: A Natural Formula for Connecting Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabbagh, Nada; Kitsantas, Anastasia

2012-01-01

A Personal Learning Environment or PLE is a potentially promising pedagogical approach for both integrating formal and informal learning using social media and supporting student self-regulated learning in higher education contexts. The purpose of this paper is to (a) review research that support this claim, (b) conceptualize the connection…

Validity of Assessment and Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning Achievements in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaminskiene, Lina; Stasiunaitiene, Egle

2013-01-01

The article identifies the validity of assessment of non-formal and informal learning achievements (NILA) as one of the key factors for encouraging further development of the process of assessing and recognising non-formal and informal learning achievements in higher education. The authors analyse why the recognition of non-formal and informal…

"Is What You See What You Get?" The Production of Knowledge in-between the Indoors and the Outdoors in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zink, Robyn; Burrows, Lisette

2008-01-01

Background: Many believe the "outdoors" is a key factor influencing student learning in "outdoor education" because it is so different from the "everyday" indoor contexts of students' lives. In much of the outdoor education literature the outdoors is construed as a neutral and simplified space which allows students to…

Quasi-Communities: Rethinking Learning in Formal Adult and Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emad, Gholam Reza; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2016-01-01

Situated learning theories such as communities of practice provide a rich conceptual framework for analyzing the processes by which newcomers become full participants in the communities they enter. However, some research shows that these concepts have shortcomings for theorizing learning in formal educational settings especially when it comes to…

Early Childhood Educators' Use of Natural Outdoor Settings as Learning Environments: An Exploratory Study of Beliefs, Practices, and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst, Julie

2014-01-01

In efforts to encourage use of natural outdoor settings as learning environments within early childhood education, survey research was conducted with 46 early childhood educators from northern Minnesota (United States) to explore their beliefs and practices regarding natural outdoor settings, as well investigate predictors of and barriers to the…

The Perceived Life Impact of a University Outdoor Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigglesworth, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Learning in the outdoors provides lasting educational experiences. Most students retain information best when doing an activity, and the outdoors allows for these opportunities. Outdoor education (OE) is a large, multi-disciplinary field cultivated from many roots. Since OE offers such vivid learning opportunities, it is an important area for…

Socio-Technical Dimensions of an Outdoor Mobile Learning Environment: A Three-Phase Design-Based Research Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Land, Susan M.; Zimmerman, Heather Toomey

2015-01-01

This design-based research project examines three iterations of Tree Investigators, a learning environment designed to support science learning outdoors at an arboretum and nature center using mobile devices (iPads). Researchers coded videorecords and artifacts created by children and parents (n = 53) to understand how both social and…

Doctoral Students as Journal Editors: Non-Formal Learning through Academic Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopwood, Nick

2010-01-01

Much attention has been paid to formal pedagogic elements of the doctorate--supervision and other structured institutional provisions--but we know less about the role played by non-formal practices in doctoral students' learning. This paper explores the experiences of eight doctoral students involved in editing student-run journals. Editorship and…

"I Did Think It Was a Bit Strange Taking Outdoor Education Online": Exploration of Initial Teacher Education Students' Online Learning Experiences in a Tertiary Outdoor Education Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet; Downing, Jillian; Hill, Allen; Smith, Heidi

2018-01-01

With a view to attracting more students and offering flexible learning opportunities, online teaching and learning is becoming increasingly wide-spread across the higher education sector. This research reports on the experiences of eight initial teacher education students who studied an outdoor education unit in the online space. Using a…

Context-Aware Writing Support for SNS: Connecting Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waragai, Ikumi; Kurabayashi, Shuichi; Ohta, Tatsuya; Raindl, Marco; Kiyoki, Yasushi; Tokuda, Hideyuki

2014-01-01

This paper presents another stage in a series of research efforts by the authors to develop an experience-connected mobile language learning environment, bridging formal and informal learning. Building on a study in which the authors tried to connect classroom learning (of German in Japan) with learners' real life experiences abroad by having…

Mentoring as a Formalized Learning Strategy with Community Sports Volunteers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Mark; Armour, Kathleen

2012-01-01

The aim of our study was to examine formalized mentoring as a learning strategy for volunteer sports coaches and to consider implications for other volunteer groups in the community. Despite the increasingly popular use of mentoring as a learning and support strategy across professional domains, and the sheer scale of volunteer sports coach…

Nature and the Outdoor Learning Environment: The Forgotten Resource in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Allen

2015-01-01

Longitudinal studies now confirm the economic, academic, and social importance of high-quality early childhood education. At the same time, a substantial body of research indicates that an outdoor learning and play environment with diverse natural elements advances and enriches all of the domains relevant to the development, health, and well-being…

Is adolescence a critical period for learning formal thinking skills? A case study investigating the development of formal thinking skills in a short-term inquiry-based intervention program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Towne, Forrest S.

Current domestic and international comparative studies of student achievement in science are demonstrating that the U.S. needs to improve science education if it wants to remain competitive in the global economy. One of the causes of the poor performance of U.S. science education is the lack of students who have developed the formal thinking skills that are necessary to obtain scientific literacy. Previous studies have demonstrated that formal thinking skills can be taught to adolescents, however only 25% of incoming college freshman have these necessary skills. There is some evidence that adolescence (girls aged 11-13, boys aged 12-14) is a critical period where students must learn formal thinking skills, similar to the critical period that exists for young children learning languages. It is not known whether it is more difficult for students to learn formal thinking skills either prior to or following adolescence. The purpose of this quantitative case study is to determine whether adolescence is a critical period for students to learn formal thinking skills. The study also investigates whether a formal thinking skills focused program can improve students' intelligence. In this study 32 students who had not developed any formal thinking skills, ranging in age from 10-16, underwent an intensive four-week, inquiry-based, formal thinking skill intervention program that focused on two formal thinking skills: (1) the ability to control and exclude variables; and (2) the ability to manipulate ratios and proportionalities. The students undergoing the training were matched with control students by age, gender, formal thinking skill ability, and intelligence. The control group attended their traditional science course during the intervention periods. The results of the study showed that the intervention program was successful in developing students' formal thinking skills. The pre-adolescents (males, age 10-11, females, age 10) were unable to learn formal thinking skills

Virtual and physical toys: open-ended features for non-formal learning.

PubMed

Petersson, Eva; Brooks, Anthony

2006-04-01

This paper examines the integrated toy--both physical and virtual--as an essential resource for collaborative learning. This learning incorporates rehabilitation, training, and education. The data derived from two different cases. Pedagogical issues related to non-formal learning and open-ended features of design are discussed. Findings suggest that social, material, and expressive affordances constitute a base for an alterative interface to encourage children's play and learning.

A Review of Criteria for Outdoor Classroom in Selected Tertiary Educational Institutions in Kuala Lumpur

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheran, Y.; Fadzidah, A.; Nur Fadhilah, R.; Farha, S.

2017-12-01

A proper design outdoor environment in higher institutions contributes to the students’ learning performances and produce better learning outcomes. Campus surrounding has the potential to provide an informal outdoor learning environment, especially when it has the existing physical element, like open spaces and natural features, that may support the learning process. However, scholarly discourses on environmental aspects in tertiary education have minimal environmental inputs to fulfill students’ needs for outdoor exposure. Universities have always emphasized on traditional instructional methods in classroom settings, without concerning the importance of outdoor classroom towards students’ learning needs. Moreover, the inconvenience and discomfort outdoor surrounding in campus environment offers a minimal opportunity for students to study outside the classroom, and students eventually do not favor to utilize the spaces because no learning facility is provided. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify the appropriate criteria of outdoor areas that could be converted to be outdoor classrooms in tertiary institutions. This paper presents a review of scholars’ work in regards to the characteristics of the outdoor classrooms that could be designed as part of contemporary effective learning space, for the development of students’ learning performances. The information gathered from this study will become useful knowledge in promoting effective outdoor classroom and create successful outdoor learning space in landscape campus design. It I hoped that the finding of this study could provide guidelines on how outdoor classrooms should be designed to improve students’ academic achievement.

`Risky fun' or `Authentic science'? How teachers' beliefs influence their practice during a professional development programme on outdoor learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glackin, Melissa

2016-02-01

Teaching outdoors has been established as an important pedagogical strategy; however, science classes rarely take place outside. Previous research has identified characteristics of teachers who have integrated out-of-classroom opportunities into their teaching repertoire; yet little is understood as to why teachers make these different pedagogical decisions. This paper explores the relationship between secondary science teachers' beliefs and their pedagogical practice during a two-year professional development programme associated with the 'Thinking Beyond the Classroom' project. Using data from lesson observations, interviews, session questionnaires and field notes, six teacher case studies were developed from participants completing the programme. Data analysis reveals that teachers who successfully taught outside generally held social constructivist beliefs about learning and valued 'authentic' science opportunities. Conversely, teachers who were less successful in teaching outside generally held traditional learning beliefs and simply valued the outdoors for the novelty and potential for fun. All the case study teachers were concerned about managing student learning outside, and for the majority, their concerns influenced their subsequent pedagogical practice. The findings are discussed in detail, as are the implications for pre-service and in-service professional development programmes related to outdoor science learning.

School in the Park: Bridging Formal and Informal Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathison, Carla; Wachowiak, Susan; Feldman, Linda

2007-01-01

In San Diego, California, 800 public school students from the inner city are attending a program called School in the Park (SITP), for approximately one-fourth of their 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade education. This unique program blends rigorous academic standards (formal learning) with hands-on, experiential curricula (informal learning), using…

Outdoor Play in Preschools in England and South Korea: Learning from Polyvocal Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nah, Kwi-Ok; Waller, Tim

2015-01-01

This paper discusses a cross-cultural and collaborative project, in preschools in England and South Korea. The aim of the project is to investigate the pedagogy of outdoor play and learning in two different cultural contexts, from the perspectives of the practitioners. Although there has been a growing academic interest in the use of outdoor…

Understanding the Construction of Personal Learning Networks to Support Non-Formal Workplace Learning of Training Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manning, Christin

2013-01-01

Workers in the 21st century workplace are faced with rapid and constant developments that place a heavy demand on them to continually learn beyond what the Human Resources and Training groups can meet. As a consequence, professionals must rely on non-formal learning approaches through the development of a personal learning network to keep…

Recognising Women's Skill. EAE647 Non-Formal Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Eva; Leonard, Helen

The material in this monograph is part of the study materials for the one-semester distance education unit, Non-Formal Learning, in the Open Campus Program at Deakin University (Australia). It is designed to raise issues relating to skill definition. "Choosing a Worker or How Good Are Your Job Descriptions?" explores why interpersonal or…

Conceptualizing School-Based Teacher Learning from Teachers' Points of View: Holistically Leveraging Formal, Informal, and Independent Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Monty; Dexter, Sara

2016-01-01

Improving in-service teacher education is paramount to improving student learning outcomes, and while research in this area typically examines formal teacher learning opportunities, emerging research indicates that teachers also engage in informal and independent modes of learning. Our inquiry into how teachers learned about integrating technology…

Informal in Formal: The Relationship of Informal and Formal Learning in Popular and Jazz Music Master Workshops in Conservatoires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virkkula, Esa

2016-01-01

The present article will examine informal learning in popular and jazz music education in Finland and evaluate it as a part of formal upper secondary vocational musicians' training, which is typically teacher directed. It is not necessarily the best model of working in popular and jazz music learning, which has traditionally benefitted from…

Creating a Learning Continuum: A Critical Look at the Intersection of Prior Knowledge, Outdoor Education, and Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlobohm, Trisha Leigh

Outdoor School is a cherished educational tradition in the Portland, OR region. This program's success is attributed to its presumed ability to positively impact affective and cognitive student outcomes. Residential programs such as Outdoor School are considered to be an important supplement to the classroom model of learning because they offer an authentic, contextually rich learning environment. References to relevant literature support the idea that student gains in affective and cognitive domains occur as a result of the multi-sensory, enjoyable, hands-on nature of outdoor learning. The sample population for this study was 115 sixth graders from a demographically diverse Portland, OR school district. This study used an instrument developed by the Common Measures System that was administered to students as part of Outdoor School's professional and program development project. The affective student outcome data measured by the Common Measures instrument was complemented by a formative assessment probe ascertaining prior knowledge of the definition of plants and field notes detailing Field Study instructor lesson content. This first part of this study examined the changes that take place in students' attitudes toward science as a result of attending Outdoor School. The second part took a look at how Outdoor School instruction in the Plants field study aligned with NGSS MS-LS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices. The third section of the study compared how Outdoor School instruction in the Plants Field Study and students' prior knowledge of what defines a plant aligned with NGSS MS-LS DCIs. The intent of the research was to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of how students' attitudes toward science are influenced by participating in an outdoor education program and contribute to the development of a continuum between classroom and outdoor school learning using Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices as a framework. Results of

Recognition, Accreditation and Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning: Prospects for Lifelong Learning in Nepal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regmi, Kapil Dev

2009-01-01

This study was an exploration on the various issues related to recognition, accreditation and validation of non-formal and informal learning to open up avenues for lifelong learning and continuing education in Nepal. The perceptions, experiences, and opinions of Nepalese Development Activists, Educational Administrators, Policy Actors and…

Outdoor Experiences and Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prince, Heather E.

2017-01-01

Positive outdoor teaching and learning experiences and sound pedagogical approaches undoubtedly have contributed towards an understanding of environmental sustainability but it is not always clear how, and to what extent, education can translate into action. This article argues, with reference to social learning theory, that role modelling,…

Learning Outdoors and Living Well? Conceptual Prospects for Enhancing Curriculum Planning and Pedagogical Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thorburn, Malcolm; Allison, Peter

2017-01-01

In aiming to support school-based outdoor learning opportunities, this paper critiques the extent to which Deweyan and neo-Aristotelian theorising is helpful in highlighting how personal growth and practical wisdom gains can be realised. Such critique is necessary, as there are signs of an implementation gap between practice and policy, which is…

Outdoor Living.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotter, Kathy

Course objectives and learning activities are contained in this curriculum guide for a 16-week home economics course which teaches cooking and sewing skills applicable to outdoor living. The course goals include increasing male enrollment in the home economics program, developing students' self-confidence and ability to work in groups, and…

Management Development Experiences and Expectations: Informal vs Formal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Karen; Bish, Adelle

2017-01-01

Purpose: Many organisations are reconsidering their investment in formal education and training, in favour of more informal approaches to learning such as mentoring, temporary assignments, stretch assignments, and job rotation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which managers have developed capabilities for their roles thus far…

Outdoor Education--The Past Is Prologue to the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillo, Thomas J.

Although educators and philosophers such as Johann Amos Comenius, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Pestalozzi, and Froebel stressed the study of nature, outdoor education really began with the first teaching-learning act which occurred outdoors. The human being, physiologically and psychologically adapted for outdoor existence, has only been indoors for…

Education in and for the Outdoors. Report of the National Conference on Outdoor Education (Kellogg Gull Lake Biological Station, Hickory Corners, Michigan, May 2-4, 1962).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Washington, DC.

The two board aspects of outdoor education considered in this document are education in the outdoors, using the natural environment as a laboratory for learning, and education for the outdoors, with a focus on teaching skills and appreciations for outdoor recreation. Conference procedures, keynote addresses, current practices, contributions to…

Leadership in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Perspectives of Academics in Non-Formal Leadership Roles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofmeyer, Anne; Sheingold, Brenda Helen; Klopper, Hester C.; Warland, Jane

2015-01-01

Developing leaders and leadership are key factors to improve learning and teaching in higher education. Despite the abundance of literature concerning developing formal leadership, fewer studies have been conducted with academics in non-formal leadership roles that focus on how they develop their leadership in learning and teaching. Publication…

Outdoor Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatarchuk, Shawna; Eick, Charles

2011-01-01

An outdoor classroom is an exciting way to connect the learning of science to nature and the environment. Many school grounds include gardens, grassy areas, courtyards, and wooded areas. Some even have nearby streams or creeks. These are built-in laboratories for inquiry! In the authors' third-grade classroom, they align and integrate…

Outdoor Education: Opening and Closing Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingie, Walter, Comp.

Opening activites (to create an atmosphere of cooperation and a desire to work, explore, and learn together) and closing activities (to summarize what has happened or been learned) for outdoor education programs are described. All activities are intended to incite enthusiasm to learn and make the learning activity a desired, joyful experience.…

Outdoor play among children in relation to neighborhood characteristics: a cross-sectional neighborhood observation study.

PubMed

Aarts, Marie-Jeanne; de Vries, Sanne I; van Oers, Hans Am; Schuit, Albertine J

2012-08-17

Although environmental characteristics as perceived by parents are known to be related to children's outdoor play behavior, less is known about the relation between independently measured neighborhood characteristics and outdoor play among children. The purpose of this study was to identify quantitative as well as qualitative neighborhood characteristics related to outdoor play by means of neighborhood observations. Questionnaires including questions on outdoor play behavior of the child were distributed among 3,651 parents of primary school children (aged 4-12 years). Furthermore, neighborhood observations were conducted in 33 Dutch neighborhoods to map neighborhood characteristics such as buildings, formal outdoor play facilities, public space, street pattern, traffic safety, social neighborhood characteristics, and general impression. Data of the questionnaires and the neighborhood observations were coupled via postal code of the respondents. Multilevel GEE analyses were performed to quantify the correlation between outdoor play and independently measured neighborhood characteristics. Parental education was negatively associated with outdoor play among children. Neither the presence nor the overall quality of formal outdoor play facilities were (positively) related to outdoor play among children in this study. Rather, informal play areas such as the presence of sidewalks were related to children's outdoor play. Also, traffic safety was an important characteristic associated with outdoor play. This study showed that, apart from individual factors such as parental education level, certain modifiable characteristics in the neighborhood environment (as measured by neighborhood observations) were associated with outdoor play among boys and girls of different age groups in The Netherlands. Local policy makers from different sectors can use these research findings in creating more activity-friendly neighborhoods for children.

Outdoor play among children in relation to neighborhood characteristics: a cross-sectional neighborhood observation study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Although environmental characteristics as perceived by parents are known to be related to children’s outdoor play behavior, less is known about the relation between independently measured neighborhood characteristics and outdoor play among children. The purpose of this study was to identify quantitative as well as qualitative neighborhood characteristics related to outdoor play by means of neighborhood observations. Methods Questionnaires including questions on outdoor play behavior of the child were distributed among 3,651 parents of primary school children (aged 4–12 years). Furthermore, neighborhood observations were conducted in 33 Dutch neighborhoods to map neighborhood characteristics such as buildings, formal outdoor play facilities, public space, street pattern, traffic safety, social neighborhood characteristics, and general impression. Data of the questionnaires and the neighborhood observations were coupled via postal code of the respondents. Multilevel GEE analyses were performed to quantify the correlation between outdoor play and independently measured neighborhood characteristics. Results Parental education was negatively associated with outdoor play among children. Neither the presence nor the overall quality of formal outdoor play facilities were (positively) related to outdoor play among children in this study. Rather, informal play areas such as the presence of sidewalks were related to children’s outdoor play. Also, traffic safety was an important characteristic associated with outdoor play. Conclusions This study showed that, apart from individual factors such as parental education level, certain modifiable characteristics in the neighborhood environment (as measured by neighborhood observations) were associated with outdoor play among boys and girls of different age groups in The Netherlands. Local policy makers from different sectors can use these research findings in creating more activity-friendly neighborhoods for

The Lessons of Non-Formal Learning for Urban Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Carol C.

2012-01-01

Non-formal learning for urban youth has a long history in the United States; it remains a source of innovation. This essay draws on literature about organizations that use community ties to encourage cognitive development and identity formation. It then describes how one youth organization in Camden, New Jersey uses presentations to the community…

The Effects of Formal Learning and Informal Learning on Job Performance: The Mediating Role of the Value of Learning at Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yoonhee; Choi, Woojae

2016-01-01

Although research has widely recognized the relationships between formal and informal learning and job performance, empirical studies have not paid sufficient attention to these relationships. In addition, there is little understanding how individual perceptions toward learning influence the relationships between the aforementioned two types of…

Connecting Informal and Formal Learning Experiences in the Age of Participatory Media: Commentary on Bull et al. (2008)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenhow, Christine

2008-01-01

The recent editorial in this journal by Bull et al. ("Connecting Informal and Formal Learning Experiences in the Age of Participatory Media" Vol 8, Iss 2) discussed the challenges of bridging formal learning practices and informal learning opportunities within the context of today's Web-enhanced world. In this commentary, Christine…

"Let's Go Outside": Icelandic Teachers' Views of Using the Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norðdahl, Kristín; Jóhannesson, Ingólfur Ásgeir

2016-01-01

This article discusses the views of 25 Icelandic preschool and compulsory school teachers who were interviewed on the role of the outdoor environment in children's learning. The teachers reported not being afraid to take children outside. These teachers valued the learning potentials of the outdoors more than they feared the possible risks. They…

The Benefits of Meditation for Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ettenger, Jim

Outdoor education is not merely about learning outdoor skills; it should also involve self-reflective activities. Meditation is a technique used for self-reflection, has many proven psychological and physiological benefits, and would be a good addition to any wilderness program. Research has shown that the psychological benefits of meditation…

Taking the New Curriculum Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forsey, Katherine

2014-01-01

A review of research on outdoor learning by Rickinson "et al." (2004) highlights the demonstrable educational benefits and provides a source of support, justification and an evidence base for educators looking to undertake more learning outside the classroom. Bird (2004) also reviewed the widely reported health benefits of outdoor…

Losing Our Way? The Downward Path for Outdoor Learning for Children Aged 2-11 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Sue

2010-01-01

This paper draws on three related empirical studies in the South West of England: a survey of outdoor experiential learning opportunities, examining attitudes, practice and aspirations of practitioners and children in educational and care settings for children between 2-11 years within a rural county; a follow-up series of five case studies; and…

The Interplay of Space, Place and Identity: Transforming Our Learning Experiences in an Outdoor Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassidy, Alice L. E. V.; Wright, W. Alan; Strean, William B.; Watson, Gavan P. L.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we use a day-long professional development workshop for higher education faculty conducted in an outdoor setting as the starting point for an examination of the value of such activities. We explore the potential benefits, in terms of learning and holistic well-being, of educational activities designed to provide participants with…

Construction and Evaluation of an Integrated Formal/Informal Learning Environment for Foreign Language Learning across Real and Virtual Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waragai, Ikumi; Ohta, Tatsuya; Kurabayashi, Shuichi; Kiyoki, Yasushi; Sato, Yukiko; Brückner, Stefan

2017-01-01

This paper presents the prototype of a foreign language learning space, based on the construction of an integrated formal/informal learning environment. Before the background of the continued innovation of information technology that places conventional learning styles and educational methods into new contexts based on new value-standards,…

Building the Capability of Non-Formal Education Teachers to Develop a Learning Society for Promoting Lifelong Education in Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sungsri, Sumalee

2018-01-01

This study aims to study Thai non-formal education teachers' perceptions of their opportunities to obtain knowledge about the learning society; identify the knowledge of non-formal education teachers need about the learning society which could be obtained through a distance learning package; and to develop and evaluate distance learning package on…

Developing Competence: A Qualitative Inquiry of College Student Leadership in University Outdoor Orientation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starbuck, J. David.

2013-01-01

Forty-nine formal research studies have been conducted on participants of college outdoor orientation programs. Although many variables have been examined for the incoming students, only one study has focused on the impact on the student leaders. The goal of this study was to understand how student leaders in outdoor orientation programs…

Untrodden Paths: A Critical Conversation about Wilder Places in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Straker, Jo; Potter, Tom G.; Irwin, David

2017-01-01

This paper asks, what is the outdoors, and challenges conceptions of the role the outdoors play in education. It critically examines why a better understanding of the outdoors is important to outdoor education, how wilder places are essential to education, and how learning generated from these places can be translated into sustainable thinking and…

Exploring Small Climates--An Outdoor Science Technique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillo, Thomas J.

The study of climates in small areas as an outdoor science teaching technique is described in this paper. It is suggested that, while teachers are presenting a weather unit to their elementary school classes, they should not overlook the opportunity to make learning more meaningful through outdoor teaching techniques. Explorations of temperatures…

Outdoor Education: A Guide for Planning Resident Programs. (Revision September 1977.)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenstein, Irwin; Donaldson, George W.

The culmination of educational experiences in the outdoors is the resident outdoor education program. Involving teachers and pupils living and learning in the natural environment, the program emphasizes the development of human values and provides students with learning opportunities that focus on direct, real, and relevant experiences. Intended…

Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and Institutional Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reushle, Shirley, Ed.; Antonio, Amy, Ed.; Keppell, Mike, Ed.

2016-01-01

The discipline of education is a multi-faceted system that must constantly integrate new strategies and procedures to ensure successful learning experiences. Enhancements in education provide learners with greater opportunities for growth and advancement. "Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and…

Teacher Learning and Instructional Change: How Formal and On-the-Job Learning Opportunities Predict Change in Elementary School Teachers' Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parise, Leigh Mesler; Spillane, James P.

2010-01-01

Recent education reform has emphasized the importance of teacher learning in improving classroom instruction and raising student achievement. This article focuses on teachers' learning opportunities, including formal professional development and on-the-job learning that occurs through interactions with colleagues. Using data from 30 elementary…

How does non-formal marine education affect student attitude and knowledge? A case study using SCDNR's Discovery program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGovern, Mary Francis

Non-formal environmental education provides students the opportunity to learn in ways that would not be possible in a traditional classroom setting. Outdoor learning allows students to make connections to their environment and helps to foster an appreciation for nature. This type of education can be interdisciplinary---students not only develop skills in science, but also in mathematics, social studies, technology, and critical thinking. This case study focuses on a non-formal marine education program, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' (SCDNR) Discovery vessel based program. The Discovery curriculum was evaluated to determine impact on student knowledge about and attitude toward the estuary. Students from two South Carolina coastal counties who attended the boat program during fall 2014 were asked to complete a brief survey before, immediately after, and two weeks following the program. The results of this study indicate that both student knowledge about and attitude significantly improved after completion of the Discovery vessel based program. Knowledge and attitude scores demonstrated a positive correlation.

Job Requirements and Workers' Learning: Formal Gaps, Informal Closure, Systemic Limits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingstone, D. W.

2010-01-01

There is substantial evidence that formal educational attainments increasingly exceed the educational job requirements of the employed labour force in many advanced market economies--a phenomenon variously termed "underemployment", "underutilisation", or "overqualification". Conversely, both experiential learning and workplace case studies suggest…

Learned Compact Local Feature Descriptor for Tls-Based Geodetic Monitoring of Natural Outdoor Scenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gojcic, Z.; Zhou, C.; Wieser, A.

2018-05-01

The advantages of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for geodetic monitoring of man-made and natural objects are not yet fully exploited. Herein we address one of the open challenges by proposing feature-based methods for identification of corresponding points in point clouds of two or more epochs. We propose a learned compact feature descriptor tailored for point clouds of natural outdoor scenes obtained using TLS. We evaluate our method both on a benchmark data set and on a specially acquired outdoor dataset resembling a simplified monitoring scenario where we successfully estimate 3D displacement vectors of a rock that has been displaced between the scans. We show that the proposed descriptor has the capacity to generalize to unseen data and achieves state-of-the-art performance while being time efficient at the matching step due the low dimension.

Use of Online Learning Resources in the Development of Learning Environments at the Intersection of Formal and Informal Learning: The Student as Autonomous Designer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebenicnik, Maja; Pitt, Ian; Istenic Starcic, Andreja

2015-01-01

Learning resources that are used in the education of university students are often available online. The nature of new technologies causes an interweaving of formal and informal learning, with the result that a more active role is expected from students with regard to the use of ICT for their learning. The variety of online learning resources…

Journal Assignments for Student Reflections on Outdoor Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregg, Amy

2009-01-01

Recreation professionals use outdoor programs in rustic settings to promote the intellectual, physical, emotional, and professional development of their students. One important aspect of personal growth is to develop the ability to think critically about one's own learning, and journaling is one approach for achieving this goal. Outdoor programs…

Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies Trial Edition. Set I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fairwell, Kay, Ed.; And Others

The Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) Trial Edition Set I contains 24 varied activities which make use of crafts, simulations, and basic investigative techniques to provide introductory learning experiences in outdoor biology for children aged 10 to 15. The individual water-resistant folio for each activity includes biological…

Teaching Agricultural Outdoor Programs in an Urban Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tillman, Charles J. D.

1975-01-01

Agricultural education can make a substantial contribution to the quality of the facilities and activities available for outdoor recreation. A teacher relates the course content, objectives, and learning activities of the soils portion of the curriculum of an urban nature center utilized as an outdoor laboratory. (Author/AJ)

Outdoor Ecology School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Anna Gahl

2004-01-01

In this article, the author describes how her high school environmental science students led third graders on a dynamic learning adventure as part of their first annual Outdoor Ecology School. At the water-monitoring site in a nearby national forest, the elementary students conducted field research and scavenger hunts, discovered animal habitats,…

A Rationale for Outdoor Activity as Experiential Education: The Reason for Freezin'.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesselheim, A. Donn

John Dewey said, "Learning is thinking about experience". This dictum accurately reflects the rationale for outdoor activity as experiential education. The term "outdoor learning" refers to a set of activities which have the following characteristics in common: environmental contrast (a sharp environmental change for the participant); physical…

Using narrative-based design scaffolds within a mobile learning environment to support learning outdoors with young children

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seely, Brian J.

This study aims to advance learning outdoors with mobile devices. As part of the ongoing Tree Investigators design-based research study, this research investigated a mobile application to support observation, identification, and explanation of the tree life cycle within an authentic, outdoor setting. Recognizing the scientific and conceptual complexity of this topic for young children, the design incorporated technological and design scaffolds within a narrative-based learning environment. In an effort to support learning, 14 participants (aged 5-9) were guided through the mobile app on tree life cycles by a comic-strip pedagogical agent, "Nutty the Squirrel", as they looked to explore and understand through guided observational practices and artifact creation tasks. In comparison to previous iterations of this DBR study, the overall patterns of talk found in this study were similar, with perceptual and conceptual talk being the first and second most frequently coded categories, respectively. However, this study coded considerably more instances of affective talk. This finding of the higher frequency of affective talk could possibly be explained by the relatively younger age of this iteration's participants, in conjunction with the introduced pedagogical agent, who elicited playfulness and delight from the children. The results also indicated a significant improvement when comparing the pretest results (mean score of .86) with the posttest results (mean score of 4.07, out of 5). Learners were not only able to recall the phases of a tree life cycle, but list them in the correct order. The comparison reports a significant increase, showing evidence of increased knowledge and appropriation of scientific vocabulary. The finding suggests the narrative was effective in structuring the complex material into a story for sense making. Future research with narratives should consider a design to promote learner agency through more interactions with the pedagogical agent and a

Perspectives of Elementary School Teachers on Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palavan, Ozcan; Cicek, Volkan; Atabay, Merve

2016-01-01

Outdoor education stands out as one of the methods to deliver the desired educational outcomes taking the needs of the students, teachers and the curricular objectives into consideration. Outdoor education focuses on experimental, hands-on learning in real-life environments through senses, e.g., through visual, auditory, and tactile means,…

Becoming Animate in Education: Immanent Materiality and Outdoor Learning for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, David A. G.; Mcphie, Jamie

2014-01-01

Outdoor environmental education has long postulated a link between experiences outdoors in "natural" environments and environmental concern. This paper suggests a straightforward relationship is problematic due to its implicit assumption of a nature/culture divide. Critical outdoor education has sought to overcome this dualism by…

Selective Hearing: The Unrecognised Contribution of Women to the Outdoor Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Tonia; Allen-Craig, Sandy; Carpenter, Cathryn

2017-01-01

The role, place, and often invisible contributions of women working in the outdoor learning profession have become an area for increased scrutiny. Alarmingly, there is an underrepresentation of women cited in research and practice, yet women make up approximately half those involved in outdoor education and outdoor recreation. A male-dominated…

Use of the Outdoor Classroom and Nature-Study to Support Science and Literacy Learning: A Narrative Case Study of a Third-Grade Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eick, Charles J.

2012-11-01

A case study of an exemplary third grade teacher's use of the outdoor classroom for meeting both state science and language arts standards is described. Data from the researcher's field journal, teacher lesson plans, and teacher interviews document how this teacher used nature-study to bridge outdoor classroom experiences with the state science and language arts curriculum. This teacher's early life experiences supported her strong interest in science and nature in the outdoors and experiencing it with her children. Children interacted with the outdoor classroom throughout the day as a context for science and literacy learning. All but one child successfully met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals in reading at the end of the school year.

Winter Outdoor Trekking: Spiritual Aspects of Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jirásek, Ivo; Veselský, Pavel; Poslt, Jirí

2017-01-01

This text deals with the potential spiritual aspects of being outdoors within the framework of non-formal and informal education. The course being examined was organized by the Vacation School of Lipnice--Outward Bound Czech Republic, and the participants in this course made up the research sample. While the research was not directly focused on…

Outdoor Education Is More than Meets the Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shortill, Rob

2011-01-01

Any activity that involves learning, whether it is for therapeutic purposes, traditional education, or outdoor education, is experiential education. In particular, outdoor educators allow participants to experiment with their behaviour in the form of play, for the most part out-of-doors. Many in the industry refer to play as adventure. Those who…

Developing the Model for Optimal Learning and Transfer (MOLT) Following an Evaluation of Outdoor Groupwork Skills Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam Joseph; Cumming, Jennifer; Holland, Mark J. G.; Burns, Victoria E.

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the perceived efficacy of outdoor groupwork skills programmes for the undergraduate and postgraduate students, and the factors that influence its success. It also illustrates the use of Kirkpatrick's (1994) 4-level model of training evaluation as a framework for qualitative investigation of learning and…

Influences of Formal Learning, Personal Characteristics, and Work Environment Characteristics on Informal Learning among Middle Managers in the Korean Banking Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Woojae

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of formal learning, personal characteristics, and work environment characteristics on informal learning among middle managers in the Korean banking sector. The conceptual framework identified three factors influencing informal learning. For this study, data collection was conducted in the…

Informal/Formal Learning and Workload among Ontario Secondary School Teachers. NALL Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smaller, Harry; Hart, Doug; Clark, Rosemary; Livingstone, David

Following up on an earlier national survey study of Canadian teachers' formal and informal learning, this study had 13 Ontario secondary teachers keep detailed logs of their day and evening activities, along with notations about what they may have learned as a result of engaging in each activity, for 7 consecutive days in late 1999, and again in…

Attitudes to Formal Business Training and Learning amongst Entrepreneurs in the Cultural Industries: Situated Business Learning through "Doing with Others."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raffo, Carlo; O'Connor, Justin; Lovatt, Andy; Banks, Mark

2000-01-01

Presents arguments supporting a social model of learning linked to situated learning and cultural capital. Critiques training methods used in cultural industries (arts, publishing, broadcasting, design, fashion, restaurants). Uses case study evidence to demonstrates inadequacies of formal training in this sector. (Contains 49 references.) (SK)

Formal and Informal Learning and First-Year Psychology Students’ Development of Scientific Thinking: A Two-Wave Panel Study

PubMed Central

Soyyılmaz, Demet; Griffin, Laura M.; Martín, Miguel H.; Kucharský, Šimon; Peycheva, Ekaterina D.; Vaupotič, Nina; Edelsbrunner, Peter A.

2017-01-01

Scientific thinking is a predicate for scientific inquiry, and thus important to develop early in psychology students as potential future researchers. The present research is aimed at fathoming the contributions of formal and informal learning experiences to psychology students’ development of scientific thinking during their 1st-year of study. We hypothesize that informal experiences are relevant beyond formal experiences. First-year psychology student cohorts from various European countries will be assessed at the beginning and again at the end of the second semester. Assessments of scientific thinking will include scientific reasoning skills, the understanding of basic statistics concepts, and epistemic cognition. Formal learning experiences will include engagement in academic activities which are guided by university authorities. Informal learning experiences will include non-compulsory, self-guided learning experiences. Formal and informal experiences will be assessed with a newly developed survey. As dispositional predictors, students’ need for cognition and self-efficacy in psychological science will be assessed. In a structural equation model, students’ learning experiences and personal dispositions will be examined as predictors of their development of scientific thinking. Commonalities and differences in predictive weights across universities will be tested. The project is aimed at contributing information for designing university environments to optimize the development of students’ scientific thinking. PMID:28239363

Formal and Informal Learning and First-Year Psychology Students' Development of Scientific Thinking: A Two-Wave Panel Study.

PubMed

Soyyılmaz, Demet; Griffin, Laura M; Martín, Miguel H; Kucharský, Šimon; Peycheva, Ekaterina D; Vaupotič, Nina; Edelsbrunner, Peter A

2017-01-01

Scientific thinking is a predicate for scientific inquiry, and thus important to develop early in psychology students as potential future researchers. The present research is aimed at fathoming the contributions of formal and informal learning experiences to psychology students' development of scientific thinking during their 1st-year of study. We hypothesize that informal experiences are relevant beyond formal experiences. First-year psychology student cohorts from various European countries will be assessed at the beginning and again at the end of the second semester. Assessments of scientific thinking will include scientific reasoning skills, the understanding of basic statistics concepts, and epistemic cognition. Formal learning experiences will include engagement in academic activities which are guided by university authorities. Informal learning experiences will include non-compulsory, self-guided learning experiences. Formal and informal experiences will be assessed with a newly developed survey. As dispositional predictors, students' need for cognition and self-efficacy in psychological science will be assessed. In a structural equation model, students' learning experiences and personal dispositions will be examined as predictors of their development of scientific thinking. Commonalities and differences in predictive weights across universities will be tested. The project is aimed at contributing information for designing university environments to optimize the development of students' scientific thinking.

The Potential of Humor as a Trigger for Emotional Engagement in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoad, Colin; Deed, Craig; Lugg, Alison

2013-01-01

This article examines the relevance of humor to student engagement in outdoor education. A sociocultural framework is applied to this examination, based on a view of learning as constructed, cognitive, embodied, and affective. A set of affordances of outdoor education as a contextually situated learning activity is identified along with related…

Schools Adapting Curriculum to the Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy

2008-01-01

Daily lessons at the Learning Gate Community School often tap the wonders of nature on the 27-acre campus, with its open fields and overgrown orange groves, and a treehouse overlooking an idyllic pond. Educators at Learning Gate say the outdoor classrooms and lessons are a balm for many of the ills that can hinder students' physical and mental…

Using deep learning to quantify the beauty of outdoor places.

PubMed

Seresinhe, Chanuki Illushka; Preis, Tobias; Moat, Helen Susannah

2017-07-01

Beautiful outdoor locations are protected by governments and have recently been shown to be associated with better health. But what makes an outdoor space beautiful? Does a beautiful outdoor location differ from an outdoor location that is simply natural? Here, we explore whether ratings of over 200 000 images of Great Britain from the online game Scenic-Or-Not , combined with hundreds of image features extracted using the Places Convolutional Neural Network, might help us understand what beautiful outdoor spaces are composed of. We discover that, as well as natural features such as 'Coast', 'Mountain' and 'Canal Natural', man-made structures such as 'Tower', 'Castle' and 'Viaduct' lead to places being considered more scenic. Importantly, while scenes containing 'Trees' tend to rate highly, places containing more bland natural green features such as 'Grass' and 'Athletic Fields' are considered less scenic. We also find that a neural network can be trained to automatically identify scenic places, and that this network highlights both natural and built locations. Our findings demonstrate how online data combined with neural networks can provide a deeper understanding of what environments we might find beautiful and offer quantitative insights for policymakers charged with design and protection of our built and natural environments.

Online Social Networks as Formal Learning Environments: Learner Experiences and Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veletsianos, George; Navarrete, Cesar C.

2012-01-01

While the potential of social networking sites to contribute to educational endeavors is highlighted by researchers and practitioners alike, empirical evidence on the use of such sites for formal online learning is scant. To fill this gap in the literature, we present a case study of learners' perspectives and experiences in an online course…

Formal Lifelong E-Learning for Employability and Job Stability during Turbulent Times in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martínez-Cerdá, Juan-Francisco; Torrent-Sellens, Joan

2017-01-01

In recent decades, international organizations have developed initiatives that incorporate lifelong learning as a tool to increase the employability of citizens. In this context, the goal of this research is to test the influence of formal e-learning on estimating employment status. The research made use of a sample of 595 citizens in 2007 and…

Elementary Science Education in Classrooms and Outdoors: Stakeholder views, gender, ethnicity, and testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrier, Sarah J.; Thomson, Margareta M.; Tugurian, Linda P.; Tate Stevenson, Kathryn

2014-09-01

In this article, we present a mixed-methods study of 2 schools' elementary science programs including outdoor instruction specific to each school's culture. We explore fifth-grade students in measures of science knowledge, environmental attitudes, and outdoor comfort levels including gender and ethnic differences. We further examine students' science and outdoor views and activity choices along with those of adults (teachers, parents, and principals). Significant differences were found between pre- and posttest measures along with gender and ethnic differences with respect to students' science knowledge and environmental attitudes. Interview data exposed limitations of outdoor learning at both schools including standardized test pressures, teachers' views of science instruction, and desultory connections of alternative learning settings to 'school' science.

Learning Leadership: Becoming an Outdoor Leader

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enoksen, Elisabeth; Lynch, Pip

2018-01-01

Recent leadership research has demonstrated a need for better understanding the process of becominga leader because it might be qualitatively different to being a leader. If so, there is likely to be a need for pedagogies designed deliberately to support first-time outdoor leadership experiences and any such pedagogies must be informed by the…

Open Ends and Means: Inquiry as a Link between Formal Music Concepts and Informal Music Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt-Jones, Catherine Anne

2017-01-01

There is currently considerable interest in strengthening the connections between formal music education and informal, self-motivated music practices. Participants in this study were adults who were self-motivated to learn formal music concepts, but had encountered barriers to doing so independently. The study offered them individual online…

What Are the Capabilities of Graduates Who Study Outdoor Education in Australian Universities? The Case for a Threshold Concepts Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polley, Scott; Thomas, Glyn J.

2017-01-01

Research has indicated that some stakeholders in the Australian outdoor education profession are uncertain about the capabilities of students graduating from university outdoor education programmes. Unfortunately, there is currently no formal or informal agreement amongst university programmes regarding the knowledge, skills, and experience that…

Qualitative Parameters for Evaluation Procedures of Non-Formal and Informal Learning Achievements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stasiunaitiene, Egle; Kaminskiene, Lina

2009-01-01

The article introduces evaluation principles of non-formal and informal learning that determine the quality of evaluation, describes stages of the evaluation procedure, differentiates their qualitative parameters and defines their criteria and indicators. It also brings in the discussion that consideration of qualitative parameters for the…

Using deep learning to quantify the beauty of outdoor places

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Beautiful outdoor locations are protected by governments and have recently been shown to be associated with better health. But what makes an outdoor space beautiful? Does a beautiful outdoor location differ from an outdoor location that is simply natural? Here, we explore whether ratings of over 200 000 images of Great Britain from the online game Scenic-Or-Not, combined with hundreds of image features extracted using the Places Convolutional Neural Network, might help us understand what beautiful outdoor spaces are composed of. We discover that, as well as natural features such as ‘Coast’, ‘Mountain’ and ‘Canal Natural’, man-made structures such as ‘Tower’, ‘Castle’ and ‘Viaduct’ lead to places being considered more scenic. Importantly, while scenes containing ‘Trees’ tend to rate highly, places containing more bland natural green features such as ‘Grass’ and ‘Athletic Fields’ are considered less scenic. We also find that a neural network can be trained to automatically identify scenic places, and that this network highlights both natural and built locations. Our findings demonstrate how online data combined with neural networks can provide a deeper understanding of what environments we might find beautiful and offer quantitative insights for policymakers charged with design and protection of our built and natural environments. PMID:28791142

Teaching wilderness and outdoor medicine in a city.

PubMed

Lockwood, Penny; Middleton, Paul

2013-12-01

Teaching medical students wilderness medicine helps students learn how to apply skills such as leadership, teamwork and managing medical emergencies. The literature contains papers that describe methods for delivering this type of teaching, but they use specialised centres and a significant number of tutors. This paper describes a course delivered within the university and a nearby outdoor centre. A course that covered outdoor emergency skills, and expedition and leadership skills, was delivered to third-year medical students. The usefulness of the course was assessed using student and tutor evaluations and the end-of-course assessment results. Practical scenarios were used to stimulate learning and the course finished with a camping trip, during which the students had to manage injuries in the field. The course was successfully delivered using only two tutors. The results of the evaluations indicated that the students had gained a good knowledge of the areas covered; they enjoyed the course and were able to apply first-aid skills to the outdoor situation. The students especially liked the approach of using practical scenarios to help them apply the principles that they had learned in the course. The course was successful because of the use of scenarios that encouraged the students to actively manage casualties and work as a team. We were able to deliver the course at a reasonable cost by using the facilities of a local outdoor camping centre. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Peer assisted learning as a formal instructional tool.

PubMed

Naqi, Syed Asghar

2014-03-01

To explore the utility of peer assisted learning (PAL) in medical schools as a formal instructional tool. Grounded theory approach. King Edward Medical University, Lahore, from July 2011 to December 2011. A study was designed using semi-structured in-depth interviews to collect data from final year medical students (n=6), residents (n=4) and faculty members (n=3), selected on the basis of non-probability purposive sampling. The qualitative data thus generated was first translated in English and transcribed and organized into major categories by using a coding framework. Participants were interviewed two more times to further explore their perceptions and experiences related to emergent categories. An iterative process was employed using grounded theory analysis technique to eventually generate theory. PAL was perceived as rewarding in terms of fostering higher order thinking, effective teaching skills and in improving self efficacy among learners. PAL can offer learning opportunity to medical students, residents and faculty members. It can improve depth of their knowledge and skills.

It's Easier than You Think! Exploring an Outdoor Pedagogy for Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hainsworth, Mark

2018-01-01

As well as providing a valuable and enjoyable experience for pupils, outdoor learning also enhances and contextualises learning in science by helping pupils understand science concepts. Teachers' lack of confidence in which aspects of the science curriculum they can actually teach outdoors deters them from venturing outside the classroom for…

Space and Consequences: The Impact of Different Formal Learning Spaces on Instructor and Student Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, D. Christopher

2012-01-01

This article presents the results of a quasi-experimental research project investigating the impact of two different formal learning spaces--a traditional classroom and a technologically enhanced active learning classroom--on instructor behavior, classroom activities, and levels of on-task student behavior at the University of Minnesota. Using…

Reconnecting Children through Outdoor Education. COEO Research Document: Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Andrea; Linney, Grant

2007-01-01

Outdoor and Experiential Education (OEE) is a vital learning methodology for today's children and young people. Its provision of safe, educator-framed and hands-on experiences in outdoor settings provides unique, vital and lasting benefits in terms of education for curriculum and community, education for character, education for wellbeing and…

Formal methods technology transfer: Some lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, David

1992-01-01

IBM has a long history in the application of formal methods to software development and verification. There have been many successes in the development of methods, tools and training to support formal methods. And formal methods have been very successful on several projects. However, the use of formal methods has not been as widespread as hoped. This presentation summarizes several approaches that have been taken to encourage more widespread use of formal methods, and discusses the results so far. The basic problem is one of technology transfer, which is a very difficult problem. It is even more difficult for formal methods. General problems of technology transfer, especially the transfer of formal methods technology, are also discussed. Finally, some prospects for the future are mentioned.

Modeling emission rates and exposures from outdoor cooking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Rufus; Princevac, Marko; Weltman, Robert; Ghasemian, Masoud; Arora, Narendra K.; Bond, Tami

2017-09-01

Approximately 3 billion individuals rely on solid fuels for cooking globally. For a large portion of these - an estimated 533 million - cooking is outdoors, where emissions from cookstoves pose a health risk to both cooks and other household and village members. Models that estimate emissions rates from stoves in indoor environments that would meet WHO air quality guidelines (AQG), explicitly don't account for outdoor cooking. The objectives of this paper are to link health based exposure guidelines with emissions from outdoor cookstoves, using a Monte Carlo simulation of cooking times from Haryana India coupled with inverse Gaussian dispersion models. Mean emission rates for outdoor cooking that would result in incremental increases in personal exposure equivalent to the WHO AQG during a 24-h period were 126 ± 13 mg/min for cooking while squatting and 99 ± 10 mg/min while standing. Emission rates modeled for outdoor cooking are substantially higher than emission rates for indoor cooking to meet AQG, because the models estimate impact of emissions on personal exposure concentrations rather than microenvironment concentrations, and because the smoke disperses more readily outdoors compared to indoor environments. As a result, many more stoves including the best performing solid-fuel biomass stoves would meet AQG when cooking outdoors, but may also result in substantial localized neighborhood pollution depending on housing density. Inclusion of the neighborhood impact of pollution should be addressed more formally both in guidelines on emissions rates from stoves that would be protective of health, and also in wider health impact evaluation efforts and burden of disease estimates. Emissions guidelines should better represent the different contexts in which stoves are being used, especially because in these contexts the best performing solid fuel stoves have the potential to provide significant benefits.

Digital Resource Developments for Mathematics Education Involving Homework across Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radovic, Slaviša; Passey, Don

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to explore further an under-developed area--how drivers of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment conceptions and practices shape the creation and uses of technologically based resources to support mathematics learning across informal, non-formal and formal learning environments. The paper considers: the importance of…

Attitude of Teachers and Students towards Formal Learning through Online Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbari, Elham; Naderi, Ahmad; Yazdi, Mahdi Hosseinzadeh; Simons, Robert Jan; Pilot, Albert

2016-01-01

Despite the potential of social networks in formal learning, there should be more knowledge on the students and teachers attitudes toward such technology and more recent information in the context of the actual educational situation. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used. The instruments included a questionnaire investigate the attitudes…

Formal and Informal Context Factors as Contributors to Student Engagement in a Guided Discovery-Based Program of Game Design Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Rebecca; Chiu, Ming Ming

2013-01-01

This paper explored informal (after-school) and formal (elective course in-school) learning contexts as contributors to middle-school student attitudinal changes in a guided discovery-based and blended e-learning program in which students designed web games and used social media and information resources for a full school year. Formality of the…

Outdoor Wilderness Program: A Campus Makes a Commitment to the Individual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimm, Gary; Neal, Larry

1980-01-01

A resource room containing information about outdoor programs generates individual and cooperative learning activities and outdoor experiences. Although adventure participants are responsible for decisions and risks undertaken, the program should attempt to enhance experiences by reducing difficulties brought on by outsiders, institutions, and red…

Policy Review on Adult Learning: The Adult Non-Formal Education Policy of Mali, West Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadio, Moussa

2011-01-01

This article focuses on the issue of policy development for adult learning in Mali, West Africa. On January 2007, the Malian government adopted the "Adult Non-formal Education Policy Document," which was intended to regulate the adult learning sector and federate the actions of policy makers, adult education providers, and adult…

Developing an Outdoor Education Program for Public Schools. Fact Sheet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euler, James S.

Education in, for, and about the outdoors is an effective way to develop students' knowledge and appreciation of their environment, to stimulate their curiosity, and to motivate them to learn. Steps involved in establishing an outdoor education program for public schools include: (1) gaining support of school teachers and administrators, parents,…

Outdoor Play: Combating Sedentary Lifestyles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thigpen, Betsy

2007-01-01

Increasingly sedentary lifestyles are contributing to overweight and other health concerns as children spend less and less time outside engaged in active play. Outdoor play provides important opportunities to explore the natural world, interact with peers, engage in vigorous physical activity, and learn about our environment. However, outdoor…

A Comparative Study of the Impacts and Students' Perceptions of Indoor and Outdoor Learning in the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dhanapal, Saroja; Lim, Cally Cheng Yee

2013-01-01

The increasing awareness among educators around the world on the specialities of indoor and outdoor learning in enhancing students' academic performance and development of skills and attitudes influenced the purposes and background of this research study (Fagerstam, 2012; Jordet, 2010; Martin, 2010; Rickinson et al., 2004). Two key purposes…

Social Media and Education: Reconceptualizing the Boundaries of Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenhow, Christine; Lewin, Cathy

2016-01-01

It is argued that social media has the potential to bridge formal and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Exemplars of sophisticated use by young people support this claim, although the majority of young people adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants. Scholars have suggested the potential of social media for…

The Contribution of Non-Formal Learning in Higher Education to Student Teachers' Professional Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tang, Sylvia Y. F.; Wong, Angel K. Y.; Li, Dora D. Y.; Cheng, May M. H.

2017-01-01

This article reports a mixed methods study on the contribution of various aspects of pre-service student teachers' learning in initial teacher education (ITE) to their professional competence in a Five-year Bachelor of Education Programme in Hong Kong. Special attention is given to how student teachers' non-formal learning in higher education…

The effect of an outdoor setting on the transfer of earth science concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmons, Jerry Marvin

The ability of students to transfer concepts learned in school to future learning and employment settings is critical to their academic and career success. Concept transfer can best be studied by defining it as a process rather than an isolated event. Preparation for future learning (PFL) is a process definition of transfer which recognizes the student's ability to draw from past experiences, make assumptions, and generate potential questions and strategies for problem resolution. The purpose of this study was to use the PFL definition of concept transfer to examine whether a knowledge-rich outdoor setting better prepares students for future learning of science concepts than the classroom setting alone does. The research hypothesis was that sixth-grade students experiencing a geology-rich outdoor setting would be better prepared to learn advanced earth science concepts than students experiencing classroom learning only. A quasi-experimental research design was used for this study on two non-equivalent, self-contained sixth-grade rural public school classes. After a pretest was given on prior geology knowledge, the outdoor treatment group was taken on a geology-rich field excursion which introduced them to the concepts of mineral formation and mining. The indoor treatment group received exposure to the same concepts in the classroom setting via color slides and identification of mineral specimens. Subsequently, both groups received direct instruction on advanced concepts about mineral formation and mining. They were then given a posttest, which presented the students with a problem-solving scenario and questions related to concepts covered in the direct instruction. A t-test done on pretest data revealed that the indoor treatment group had previously learned classroom geology material significantly better than the outdoor treatment group had. Therefore an analysis of covariance was performed on posttest data which showed that the outdoor treatment group was better

Outdoor Settings for Playing and Learning: Designing School Grounds to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child and Whole Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Robin C.

1996-01-01

Presents a list of imaginative design options for optimal outdoor learning as well as intimate contact with nature. Focuses on entrances, pathways, signage and displays, barriers and enclosures, manufactured equipment and play structures, multipurpose game settings, groundcovers and safety surfaces, landforms and topography, trees and vegetation,…

Outdoor Activities for Environmental Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Clifford E.

This booklet is a compilation of field-tested outdoor activities introducing basic projects for small group or individualized study in monitoring certain aspects of the environment. Its purpose is to provide teachers with new ways to involve children directly in meaningful and developmental learning activities and to help students become more…

The Value of Supplementing Science Education with Outdoor Instruction for Sixth Grade Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Devin Joseph Guilford

Science education is moving away from memorization of facts to inquiry based learning. Adding outdoor instruction can be an effective way to promote this exploratory method of learning. The limited number of empirical studies available have shown significant increase in attitudes and learning with outdoor science instruction. An eight-week quasi-experimental teacher research study was conducted to further this research and assess the value of schoolyard science instruction on student engagement and learning. Participants were 60 students in two sixth grade middle school Earth Science classes. A crossover study design was used with two classes alternating as experimental and control groups. NASA Global Precipitation Measurement mission curriculum was used (NASA/GPM, 2011). While the results did not show a clear increase in student engagement and content knowledge, the study adds to the body of knowledge on outdoor instruction and identifies limitations to consider in future studies.

Practitioner Perspectives on Learning for Social Change through Non-Formal Global Citizenship Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Eleanor J.

2018-01-01

This article engages with debates about transformative learning and social change, exploring practitioner perspectives on non-formal education activities run by non-governmental organisations. The research looked at how global citizenship education practitioners met their organisation's goals of change for social justice through educational…

The Reconceptualisation of Outdoor Education in the Primary School Classroom in Aotearoa New Zealand: How Might "We" Do It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosgriff, Marg

2016-01-01

The powerful learning that occurs outdoors has been well documented in this journal, as has an array of barriers teachers typically face in providing outdoor learning experiences. This paper draws on findings from a collaborative, practice-based research project examining the reconceptualisation of outdoor education in two Year 4 classes in a…

Comparisons between physics-based, engineering, and statistical learning models for outdoor sound propagation.

PubMed

Hart, Carl R; Reznicek, Nathan J; Wilson, D Keith; Pettit, Chris L; Nykaza, Edward T

2016-05-01

Many outdoor sound propagation models exist, ranging from highly complex physics-based simulations to simplified engineering calculations, and more recently, highly flexible statistical learning methods. Several engineering and statistical learning models are evaluated by using a particular physics-based model, namely, a Crank-Nicholson parabolic equation (CNPE), as a benchmark. Narrowband transmission loss values predicted with the CNPE, based upon a simulated data set of meteorological, boundary, and source conditions, act as simulated observations. In the simulated data set sound propagation conditions span from downward refracting to upward refracting, for acoustically hard and soft boundaries, and low frequencies. Engineering models used in the comparisons include the ISO 9613-2 method, Harmonoise, and Nord2000 propagation models. Statistical learning methods used in the comparisons include bagged decision tree regression, random forest regression, boosting regression, and artificial neural network models. Computed skill scores are relative to sound propagation in a homogeneous atmosphere over a rigid ground. Overall skill scores for the engineering noise models are 0.6%, -7.1%, and 83.8% for the ISO 9613-2, Harmonoise, and Nord2000 models, respectively. Overall skill scores for the statistical learning models are 99.5%, 99.5%, 99.6%, and 99.6% for bagged decision tree, random forest, boosting, and artificial neural network regression models, respectively.

A Surprising Discovery: Five Pedagogical Skills Outdoor and Experiential Educators Might Offer More Mainstream Educators in This Time of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blenkinsop, Sean; Telford, John; Morse, Marcus

2016-01-01

This article draws from the experience of outdoor and experiential educators working in the context of a radical, long-term formal public education research project. One of the accidental findings from the research is that experienced outdoor educators may have particular pedagogical skills, likely honed by the contexts in which they work, that…

Mixed messages in learning communication skills? Students comparing role model behaviour in clerkships with formal training.

PubMed

Essers, Geurt; Van Weel-Baumgarten, Evelyn; Bolhuis, Sanneke

2012-01-01

Medical students learn professional communication through formal training and in clinical practice. Physicians working in clinical practice have a powerful influence on student learning. However, they may demonstrate communication behaviours not aligning with recommendations in training programs. This study aims to identify more precisely what differences students perceive between role model communication behaviour during clerkships and formal training. In a cross-sectional study, data were collected about physicians' communication performance as perceived by students. Students filled out a questionnaire in four different clerkships in their fourth and fifth year. Just over half of the students reported communication similar to formal training. This was especially true for students in the later clerkships (paediatrics and primary care). Good examples were seen in providing information corresponding to patients' needs and in shared decision making, although students often noted that in fact the doctor made the decision. Bad examples were observed in exploring cognitions and emotions, and in providing information meeting patient's pace. Further study is needed on actual physician behaviour in clinical practice. From our results, we conclude that students need help in reflecting on and learning from the gap in communication patterns they observe in training versus clinical practice.

Signature Pedagogies in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Glyn

2015-01-01

The new National health and physical education curriculum in Australia includes outdoor education activities as a viable way to achieve intended learning outcomes. However, most health and physical education teacher education courses do not provide a strong focus on the theories, skills and pedagogies that are unique to the effective use of…

Assessing, Recognising and Certifying Informal and Non-Formal Learning (ARCNIL): Evolution and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svetlik, Ivan

2009-01-01

Certifying non-formal and informal knowledge may be a consequence of separating education and training from other social and economic activities. Specialisation and formalisation of education and training both aim to increase learning efficiency. In the emerging knowledge society, this has attracted particular attention among researchers and…

Financial literacy among Turkish college students: the role of formal education, learning approaches, and parental teaching.

PubMed

Akben-Selcuk, Elif; Altiok-Yilmaz, Ayse

2014-10-01

This study assessed financial literacy and its correlates among Turkish college students, with special emphasis on the role of formal education, learning approaches, and parental influences. Financial literacy was measured by the College Student Financial Literacy Survey, which assesses knowledge in four areas: general financial management, saving and borrowing, insurance, and investing. 853 Turkish university students were administered the survey (416 men, 437 women; M age = 20.3 yr., SD = 0.6). The mean percentage of correct responses was 45% (SD = 12.8%). Regression results showed that formal finance education in college, a deep approach to learning, and direct financial teaching by parents were significantly associated with higher financial literacy scores.

Class Outdoors in the District of Columbia

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Specially-designed outdoor education areas surrounded by rain gardens and other green features have been added to the grounds of three District of Columbia schools, providing students with hands-on learning experiences while reducing stormwater pollution.

Hemispherical reflectance model for passive images in an outdoor environment.

PubMed

Kim, Charles C; Thai, Bea; Yamaoka, Neil; Aboutalib, Omar

2015-05-01

We present a hemispherical reflectance model for simulating passive images in an outdoor environment where illumination is provided by natural sources such as the sun and the clouds. While the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) accurately produces radiance from any objects after the illumination, using the BRDF in calculating radiance requires double integration. Replacing the BRDF by hemispherical reflectance under the natural sources transforms the double integration into a multiplication. This reduces both storage space and computation time. We present the formalism for the radiance of the scene using hemispherical reflectance instead of BRDF. This enables us to generate passive images in an outdoor environment taking advantage of the computational and storage efficiencies. We show some examples for illustration.

What Challenges and Benefits Can Non-Formal Law and Language Integrated Learning Bring to University Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atabekova, Atabekova; Gorbatenko, Rimma; Belousov, Aleksandr; Grebnev, Ruslan; Sheremetieva, Olga

2016-01-01

The paper explores the ways in which non-formal content and language integrated learning within university studies can affect students' academic progress. The research has included theoretical and empirical studies. The article focuses on the observation of students' learning process, draws attention to challenges and benefits students experienced…

Bringing Outdoor Play Indoors in United Arab Emirates: Mud as a Powerful Binding Element

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Fiona S.

2017-01-01

Play and learning in the outdoors have been long-standing features of early years care and education. Unfortunately, children around the world no longer have sufficient opportunities for outdoor play for a variety of reasons. In the United Arab Emirates, climatic constraints limit outdoor play for 6 months of the year. One group of preservice…

Employability Enhancement through Formal and Informal Learning: An Empirical Study among Dutch Non-Academic University Staff Members

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Heijden, Beatrice; Boon, Jo; van der Klink, Marcel; Meijs, Ely

2009-01-01

Although learning is generally perceived as a way to improve employees' current job performance, so far, no research has been conducted to explore the possible relationships between formal and informal learning, on the one hand, and employability, on the other. Though contemporary views stress the importance of the job as a powerful learning site,…

Learning Goal Orientation, Formal Mentoring, and Leadership Competence in HRD: A Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sooyoung

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual model of formal mentoring as a leadership development initiative including "learning goal orientation", "mentoring functions", and "leadership competencies" as key constructs of the model. Design/methodology/approach: Some empirical studies, though there are not many, will provide…

Enough of Ronald and Mickey: Focusing on Learning in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beames, Simon; Brown, Mike

2014-01-01

Fifteen years ago Loynes expressed concern that market-place values were detrimentally impacting on the provision of outdoor education experiences. As tertiary educators with an interest in the impact of globalization on outdoor education, we have sought to extend Loynes' use of McDonaldization by drawing on Bryman's conceptual framework…

Outdoor Leadership Competencies: A Research Study Surveying Outdoor Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swiderski, Michael J.

The study identified land-based outdoor leadership competencies deemed necessary by outdoor leaders in the western United States. Using resources such as outdoor leadership literature, competency-based teacher education manuals, consultation with outdoor leadership specialists in educational, private, and governmental agencies, and personal…

Mechanisms influencing student understanding on an outdoor guided field trip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caskey, Nourah Al-Rashid

Field trips are a basic and important, yet often overlooked part of the student experience. They provide the opportunity to integrate real world knowledge with classroom learning and student previous personal experiences. Outdoor guided field trips leave students with an increased understanding, awareness and interest and in science. However, the benefits of this experience are ambiguous at best (Falk and Balling, 1982; Falk and Dierking, 1992; Kisiel, 2006.) Students on an outdoor guided field trip to a local nature park experienced a significant increase in their understanding of the rock cycle. The changes in the pre-field trip test and the post-field trip test as well as their answers in interviews showed a profound change in the students' understanding and in their interest in the subject matter. The use of the "student's voice" (Bamberger and Tal, 2008) was the motivation for data analysis. By using the students' voice, I was able to determine the mechanisms that might influence their understanding of a subject. The central concepts emerging from the data were: the outdoor setting; the students' interest; the social interaction. From these central concepts, a conceptual model was developed. The outdoor setting allows for the freedom to explore, touch, smell and movement. This, in turn, leads to an increased interest in subject matter. As the students are exploring, they are enjoying themselves and become more open to learning. Interest leads to a desire to learn (Dewey, 1975). In addition to allowing the freedom to explore and move, the outdoor setting creates the condition for social interaction. The students talk to each other as they walk; they have in-depth discourse regarding the subject matter---with the teachers, each other and with the guides. The guides have an extremely important role in the students' learning. The more successful guides not only act as experts, but also adjust to the students' needs and act or speak accordingly. The

Educational Incongruence: An Exploration of the Disconnection between Formal Schooling and the Natural Learning of Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Layman, Sarah E.

2009-01-01

Educational incongruence exists in classrooms today. Formal schooling is often incongruent and disconnected with the natural learning of children. This can result in educational experiences that fail to meet personal and societal needs. I believe we need greater congruence between learning and teaching in order to improve current and future social…

The Potential of Interactive Learning Technologies in Formal and Nonformal Education in Rural and Urban Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bright, Larry K.; Simula, Vernon L.

The College of Education and Human Service Professions of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, has established a Center for the Advancement of Learning Technologies. The Center is committed to the development of interactive learning technologies which can be used effectively in formal and nonformal continuing adult education. Emphasis has been on…

Some Outdoor Educators' Experiences of Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Terry

2006-01-01

The phenomenological study presented in this paper attempts to determine, from outdoor educators, what it meant for them to be teaching outdoor education in Victorian secondary schools during 2004. In 1999, Lugg and Martin surveyed Victorian secondary schools to determine the types of outdoor education programs being run, the objectives of those…

Mobile City and Language Guides--New Links between Formal and Informal Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bo-Kristensen, Mads; Ankerstjerne, Niels Ole; Neutzsky-Wulff, Chresteria; Schelde, Herluf

2009-01-01

One of the major challenges in second and foreign language education, is to create links between formal and informal learning environments. Mobile City and Language Guides present examples of theoretical and practical reflections on such links. This paper presents and discusses the first considerations of Mobile City and Language Guides in…

Learning in the Second Half of the Career: Stimulating and Prohibiting Reasons for Participation in Formal Learning Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyndt, Eva; Michielsen, Maya; Van Nooten, Leen; Nijs, Sanne; Baert, Herman

2011-01-01

Past research has shown that, as workers age, their participation in education and training declines, which is a problem in our fast changing society and economy. This study focuses on the stimulating and prohibiting reasons for participation in formal learning activities. It investigates whether employees in the second half of their career differ…

Reconceptualising Outdoor Adventure Education: Activity in Search of an Appropriate Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Mike

2009-01-01

Experiential approaches to learning underpin teaching and learning strategies in outdoor adventure education (OAE). Recent critiques of experiential learning have problematised the individualistic and overly cognitive focus of this approach which creates binaries between experience-reflection and the learner-situation. This paper summarises these…

Oral Fluency, Accuracy, and Complexity in Formal Instruction and Study Abroad Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mora, Joan C.; Valls-Ferrer, Margalida

2012-01-01

This study investigates the differential effects of two learning contexts, formal instruction (FI) at home and a study abroad period (SA), on the oral production skills of advanced-level Catalan-Spanish undergraduate learners of English. Speech samples elicited through an interview at three data collection times over a 2-year period were…

Making the informal formal: An examination of why and how teachers and students leverage experiences in informal learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Barbara P.

This study was an effort to understand the impact of informal learning environments (museums, aquaria, nature centers, and outdoor education programs) on school groups by developing a picture of why and how teachers and their students leverage experiences in these settings. This work relied on the self-reported visions for science education of formal and informal teachers as a means of creating a portrait or profile of the teacher visitor thus providing a new way to assess the quality of informal visits based on vision elements. Multi-level, year long case studies at six school sites and their partnering informal centers that included multiple interviews, observations (250 hours) of both school based and field trip activities, as well as focus group interviews with students two months past their field trip experience comprised the bulk of data collection activities. In addition to this more intensive work with case study teachers data was gathered from a broader group of participants through surveys (n = 396) and one-time classroom teacher interviews (n = 36) in an effort to validate or confirm case study findings. I discovered that central to informal and formal teachers' visions was a view of education as empowerment. I explored such goals as empowering students to conceive of themselves and their worlds differently, empowering students by sharing responsibility for what and how they learn, and empowering students by creating environments where everyone can contribute meaningfully. Much of what classroom teachers did to leverage the informal experience in supporting their visions of education related to these goals. For example teachers used shared experiences in informal settings as a way for their students to gain better access to and understanding of the classroom curriculum thereby increasing student participation and allowing more students to be successful. They also changed their approach to content by basing the classroom curriculum on students' interests

Formal Reasoning Skills of Secondary School Students as Related to Gender, Age, School Type and Learning Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shemesh, Michal; Lazarowitz, Reuven

This study investigated: (1) whether boys and girls master formal reasoning tasks to the same degree at the same age; (2) if the variance of boys' and girls' performance in formal tasks could be predicted by the same cognitive learning abilities; and (3) what are the main and interactional effects of age, sex, and school type on the variance of…

Outdoor Education in the Sonoran Desert

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buscher, Dick

1976-01-01

An eight-day trip segment of a science curriculum was spent in the outdoors for students who live in a potentially dangerous environment to learn to respect it and how to use it as an area for recreation and education. The design and high points of the curriculum are given. (EB)

Fostering Transformative Learning in Non-Formal Settings: Farmer-Field Schools in East Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Edward W.; Duveskog, Deborah; Friis-Hansen, Esbern

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the practice of Farmer-Field Schools (FFS) theoretically framed from the perspective of transformative learning theory and non-formal education (NFE). Farmer-Field Schools are community-led NFE programs that provide a platform where farmers meet regularly to study the "how and why" of farming and…

The Use of Mobile Games in Formal and Informal Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutromanos, George; Avraamidou, Lucy

2014-01-01

Our purpose in this paper is to review studies that explored the impact of the use of mobile games in both formal and informal learning environments. Through a review of studies on mobile learning that have been published between 2000 and 2013, we aim to identify the ways in which researchers used mobile games in a variety of learning…

Comparing Apples and Pears?: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Forms of Outdoor Learning through Comparison of English Forest Schools and Danish "Udeskole"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Sue; Bølling, Mads; Bentsen, Peter

2016-01-01

Using a conceptual model focused on purposes, aims, content, pedagogy, outcomes, and barriers, we review and interpret literature on two forms of outdoor learning: Forest Schools in England and "udeskole" in Denmark. We examine pedagogical principles within a comparative analytical framework and consider how adopted pedagogies reflect…

Restorative Practices as Formal and Informal Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Candice C.

2013-01-01

This article reviews restorative practices (RP) as education in formal and informal contexts of learning that are fertile sites for cultivating peace. Formal practices involve instruction about response to conflict, while informal learning occurs beyond academic lessons. The research incorporated content analysis and a critical examination of the…

Revealing the Interactional Features of Learning and Teaching Moments in Outdoor Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, Jane; Bateman, Amanda

2015-01-01

The data considered in this article was generated as part of a doctoral research study entitled: "A sociocultural consideration of child-initiated interaction with teachers in indoor and outdoor spaces" (Waters 2011) where child-initiated, teacher-child interaction in indoor and outdoor spaces were investigated. The purpose of the…

Anticipated educational outcomes: a case study of the outdoor recreation consortium experience

Treesearch

Yasong Wang; Alan Graefe

2008-01-01

This paper reports on a case study of an outdoor experiential learning program and examines its meaning for program participants. The research was conducted with 56 university students who participated in the Outdoor Recreation Consortium held at the Great Smoky Mountain Institute in Tremont, TN. A mixed-method comparative research approach, using both quantitative and...

Beyond the Physical--Spriritual Values and Outdoor Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orgill, Roger

2000-01-01

Ongoing discussions about spiritual awareness and values in British outdoor education address their role in helping adolescents develop a strong positive identity; definition of values and spirituality; and assessment of client needs, especially with respect to cultural differences. Collaboration with the fields of transpersonal psychology and…

Integrating outdoor activities into the FOSS curriculum: Effect on teacher practices on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geraghty, E.

2004-12-01

A goal of the Center for Learning and Teaching West based at the University of Montana is to provide in-depth professional development through a combination of on-site and distance education activities to mathematics and science middle and high school teachers at identified high-needs schools. In accordance with the Center's goal, teachers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation have been contacted as they meet the "high-needs" criteria: the schools are in a rural setting and educate mainly Native American students. Since the spring of 2003, contact with the directors of the Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) on the Blackfeet Reservation has uncovered the need for integration of local outdoor earth science activities into the current Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum used in the middle school classrooms. This information combined with the results of a teacher interest survey sent out to the Blackfeet educators in early 2004 indicates an interest in professional development (PD) that covers training in both earth science and field experiences. This research focuses on the earth science teachers and their use of outdoor activities in their science curriculum. Much research has been conducted on the learning styles of Native American students and show that these students have some tendency toward: global/holistic style of organizing information, visual style of mental representation in thinking, reflective style for information processing, and preference of collaborative work on assigned tasks (Hilberg and Tharp, 2002). Though native students generally perform poorly in science, the belief is that their learning styles matched with hands-on, outdoor instruction may improve the students' connection with science and their performance on science assessments. Therefore, the first step in the process is to work with the teachers through professional development in order to incorporate activities that match the learning styles of their students. The workshop designed

Improving the Accuracy of Outdoor Educators' Teaching Self-Efficacy Beliefs through Metacognitive Monitoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumann, Scott; Sibthorp, Jim

2016-01-01

Accuracy in emerging outdoor educators' teaching self-efficacy beliefs is critical to student safety and learning. Overinflated self-efficacy beliefs can result in delayed skilled development or inappropriate acceptance of risk. In an outdoor education context, neglecting the accuracy of teaching self-efficacy beliefs early in an educator's…

Exploring Kindergarten Teachers' Views and Roles Regarding Children's Outdoor Play Environments in Oman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ihmeideh, Fathi M.; Al-Qaryouti, Ibrahim A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore kindergarten teachers' views and roles regarding outdoor play environments in Omani kindergartens. Thirty kindergarten teachers from 15 private kindergartens were observed and interviewed. The results indicated that teachers recognize the importance of outdoor play in children's development and learning.…

Outdoor Education on Your School Grounds: An Action Approach to Better Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Norman F.

The use of school grounds as an outdoor learning area is the main emphasis of this manual for elementary and junior high school teachers. Detailed plannin g steps, site plots, directions for planting, and other related planning information are given, along with guidelines concerning the use of an outdoor classroom by teachers of various subjects.…

Outdoor education in the Mid-Atlantic states: an assessment of market segmentation

Treesearch

Stephanie L. Young; Megan L. Hash; Roy Ramthun

2007-01-01

Programs that emphasize experiential learning in outdoor settings have a long history in the United States and have been offered by a wide range of organizations. This study focused on programming that included environmental education, experiential education, and outdoor education. The purpose of this study was to examine the range of services and programs that offer...

Artificial grammar learning meets formal language theory: an overview

PubMed Central

Fitch, W. Tecumseh; Friederici, Angela D.

2012-01-01

Formal language theory (FLT), part of the broader mathematical theory of computation, provides a systematic terminology and set of conventions for describing rules and the structures they generate, along with a rich body of discoveries and theorems concerning generative rule systems. Despite its name, FLT is not limited to human language, but is equally applicable to computer programs, music, visual patterns, animal vocalizations, RNA structure and even dance. In the last decade, this theory has been profitably used to frame hypotheses and to design brain imaging and animal-learning experiments, mostly using the ‘artificial grammar-learning’ paradigm. We offer a brief, non-technical introduction to FLT and then a more detailed analysis of empirical research based on this theory. We suggest that progress has been hampered by a pervasive conflation of distinct issues, including hierarchy, dependency, complexity and recursion. We offer clarifications of several relevant hypotheses and the experimental designs necessary to test them. We finally review the recent brain imaging literature, using formal languages, identifying areas of convergence and outstanding debates. We conclude that FLT has much to offer scientists who are interested in rigorous empirical investigations of human cognition from a neuroscientific and comparative perspective. PMID:22688631

Investigating the motivational behavior of pupils during outdoor science teaching within self-determination theory.

PubMed

Dettweiler, Ulrich; Ünlü, Ali; Lauterbach, Gabriele; Becker, Christoph; Gschrey, Bernhard

2015-01-01

This paper presents data from a mixed-method pilot study (n = 84) searching into learning psychological aspects of an outdoor science teaching program. We use data from qualitative explorations into the pupils' learning motivation during field observation, a group interview, and open questionnaires, in order to understand quantitative measures from the Self-Determination Index (SDI), and the Practical Orientation (PO) of the program. Our data suggest that lower self-regulated pupils in "normal" science classes show a significantly higher self-regulated learning motivational behavior in the outdoor educational setting (p < 10(-4)), and that the outdoor-teaching has generally been perceived as more practical than teaching at the normal school context (p < 10(-4)), irrespective of gender or school culture. We are going to provide in-depth analyses of all quantitative findings with our qualitative data and thus explain the findings logically, with respect to the direction of the statistical interpretation, and substantially, with respect to the meaning of the discoveries. We conclude that outdoor programming appears to be a suitable tool to trigger interest in science in youngsters, especially for less motivated pupils.

Investigating the motivational behavior of pupils during outdoor science teaching within self-determination theory

PubMed Central

Dettweiler, Ulrich; Ünlü, Ali; Lauterbach, Gabriele; Becker, Christoph; Gschrey, Bernhard

2015-01-01

This paper presents data from a mixed-method pilot study (n = 84) searching into learning psychological aspects of an outdoor science teaching program. We use data from qualitative explorations into the pupils' learning motivation during field observation, a group interview, and open questionnaires, in order to understand quantitative measures from the Self-Determination Index (SDI), and the Practical Orientation (PO) of the program. Our data suggest that lower self-regulated pupils in “normal” science classes show a significantly higher self-regulated learning motivational behavior in the outdoor educational setting (p < 10−4), and that the outdoor-teaching has generally been perceived as more practical than teaching at the normal school context (p < 10−4), irrespective of gender or school culture. We are going to provide in-depth analyses of all quantitative findings with our qualitative data and thus explain the findings logically, with respect to the direction of the statistical interpretation, and substantially, with respect to the meaning of the discoveries. We conclude that outdoor programming appears to be a suitable tool to trigger interest in science in youngsters, especially for less motivated pupils. PMID:25741301

Indoor-Outdoor Detection Using a Smart Phone Sensor.

PubMed

Wang, Weiping; Chang, Qiang; Li, Qun; Shi, Zesen; Chen, Wei

2016-09-22

In the era of mobile internet, Location Based Services (LBS) have developed dramatically. Seamless Indoor and Outdoor Navigation and Localization (SNAL) has attracted a lot of attention. No single positioning technology was capable of meeting the various positioning requirements in different environments. Selecting different positioning techniques for different environments is an alternative method. Detecting the users' current environment is crucial for this technique. In this paper, we proposed to detect the indoor/outdoor environment automatically without high energy consumption. The basic idea was simple: we applied a machine learning algorithm to classify the neighboring Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication cellular base station's signal strength in different environments, and identified the users' current context by signal pattern recognition. We tested the algorithm in four different environments. The results showed that the proposed algorithm was capable of identifying open outdoors, semi-outdoors, light indoors and deep indoors environments with 100% accuracy using the signal strength of four nearby GSM stations. The required hardware and signal are widely available in our daily lives, implying its high compatibility and availability.

The Czech Approach to Outdoor Adventure and Experiential Education: The Influence of Jaroslav Foglar's Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jirásek, Ivo; Turcova, Ivana

2017-01-01

While key personalities often connected with the roots of outdoor education and experiential learning, like Dewey, Seton, Hahn or Naess, are well known internationally, Jaroslav Foglar, a Czech outdoor and experiential educator, is mostly unknown to the international audience. The article adds to the literature related to Czech outdoor experience…

Voices in the Park: Researching the Participation of Young Children in Outdoor Play in Early Years Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, Tim

2014-01-01

This article critically reflects on the participation of young children aged 3-4 years in an ongoing outdoor learning project started in 2004. The aims of the research are to investigate children's dispositions within the outdoor environment, to elicit children's perspectives of their outdoor experiences and to investigate the relationship between…

Education for sustainable development using indoor and outdoor activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žigon, Lenka

2016-04-01

Environmental education became an important part of our development in the last years. We put a lot of effort into a task how to improve students'values, skills, understanding and how to significantly enhance their learning and achievements regarding ecological problems. At the same time we also know that environmental learning is easier when our students have the opportunity to feel, see, touch, taste and smell the nature. Therefore teachers in my school develop regular access to the outdoors as a learning resource. Students understand the impact of their activities on the environment and they also like to participate in the nature protection. My school (Biotechnical Centre)is an example of educational centre where different research and development programes are strongly oriented to the sustainable development. Students are educated to become experts in biotechnology, agronomy, food technology and horticulture. At the same time they are educated how to care for the nature. The institution itself cooperates with different fields of economy (farms, food - baker industry, floristry, country design etc.). For these reasons the environmental education is an essential dimension of basic education focused on a sphere of interaction that lies at the root of personal and social development. We try to develop different outdoor activities through all the school year. These activities are: analyse the water quality; research waste water treatment plants; exploration of new food sources (like aquaponics - where fish and plants grow together); collecting plants with medical activities; care for the plants in the school yard; growing new plants in the poly tunnel; learning about unknown plants - especially when visiting national and regional parks; selling different things in the school shop - also for local citizens; participating in the world wide activity - "Keep the country tidy" etc. Students and teachers enjoy to participate in different outdoor activities; we both

Sensory Perception, Rationalism and Outdoor Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auer, Matthew R.

2008-01-01

There is a strong emphasis on sensory perception and "hands-on" learning in the outdoor environmental education of children. In addition, normative concerns infuse children's environmental curricula, and in particular, the notion that environmental education is not a passive undertaking; when one appreciates the essential value of the…

Student Teachers' Discourse about Digital Technologies and Transitions between Formal and Informal Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pöntinen, Susanna; Dillon, Patrick; Väisänen, Pertti

2017-01-01

This research is a contribution to issues of digital technology use at the interface of formal and informal learning contexts. The research was conducted in the discourse tradition and investigates Finnish teacher training students' 'manners of speaking' as resources for, and obstacles to, making pedagogical changes in response to the potential of…

Outdoor Recreation, Outdoor Education and the Economy of Scotland.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Peter

2000-01-01

Interviews and a literature review found that outdoor recreation contributes significantly to Scotland's tourist income, particularly in rural areas; outdoor education centers are significant employers in certain rural areas; the provision of outdoor education by secondary schools has decreased in the last 20 years; and therapeutic outdoor…

Children's Outdoor Environment in Icelandic Educational Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norðdahl, Kristín; Jóhannesson, Ingólfur Ásgeir

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate what characterizes the discourse on the role of the outdoor environment in young children's learning in educational policy documents in Iceland. Policy documents, laws and regulations, national curriculum guides for pre- and compulsory school levels, and documents from municipalities were analyzed. A…

The School Ground Classroom: A Curriculum to Teach K-6 Subjects Outdoors. First Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Dan; And Others

Suggesting that outdoor activities can be positive learning experiences, lesson plans and activities were designed to demonstrate that the outdoors is an interdisciplinary classroom, to be used on virtually any school site, and to teach subject matter taught as part of the standard curriculum. Seventeen interdisciplinary ideas with correlated…

An examination of the impact of non-formal and informal learning on adult environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Digby, Cynthia Louise Barrett

The purpose of this research is to consider the environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, of adults in Minnesota, and possible factors that influence environmental literacy. Specifically, this study is designed to: (1) measure the environmental literacy of Minnesota adults, (2) explore possible relationships between Minnesota adults, environmental literacy variables and their demographic, non-formal and informal learning, and (3) determine the relative contribution of demographic and learning variables for predicting environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. This research was accomplished by conducting a secondary data analysis of The Third Minnesota Report Card on Environmental Literacy: A Survey of Adult Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior (Murphy & Olson, 2008). Phone interviews were completed between August and November 2007 with one thousand adults throughout Minnesota. Findings indicated that for age, education, and income, there was a weak positive relationship with environmental knowledge, attitude and behavior scores. There was a significant effect for gender and environmental knowledge scores, with males receiving higher environmental knowledge scores than females. There was a significant effect for gender and environmental attitudes, and behavior scores as well, with females receiving slightly higher environmental attitude and behavior scores than males. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, non-formal learning participation appears to be a moderate contributor to both environmental knowledge and environmental behaviors. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, informal learning participation appears to be a slight contributor to environmental attitudes, and a moderate contributor to environmental knowledge and behaviors. Overall, the results of this study suggest that participation

"Touched by the Earth": A Place-Based Outdoor Learning Programme Incorporating the Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Tonia; Birrell, Carol

2015-01-01

With growing disconnection from the natural world, educators who work in the outdoors need to philosophically rethink their "modus operandi". Past efforts by adventure and outdoor educators to promote connection with nature have often centred upon risk-centric approaches incorporating adventure-fuelled and high-adrenalin activities. This…

Problematising "Education" and "Training" in the Scottish Sport and Fitness, Play and Outdoor Sectors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, M.; Frew, M.; McGillivray, D.; McIntosh, A.; McPherson, G.

2004-01-01

Sets out the issues peculiar to the Scottish workforce in sport and fitness, play and the outdoor sectors. Provides an exploration of the development of vocational education in the form of sector skills training for these sectors in opposition to that formal education provided at further and higher education level. Draws on empirical research…

Learning from Leisure: Developing Nature Connectedness in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosgriff, Marg

2011-01-01

The "greening" of outdoor education has received increasing attention from educators in Aotearoa-New Zealand and internationally. Given contemporary global concerns about the scale of environmental issues and the associated recognition that educating for sustainability is a matter of urgency, the continuing exploration of pedagogies…

Prescribing Outdoor Play: Outdoors Rx.

PubMed

James, Aisha K; Hess, Pam; Perkins, Meghan E; Taveras, Elsie M; Scirica, Christina S

2017-06-01

Studies support the use of exercise prescriptions in adults, but few studies have evaluated their use in children. One common barrier to effective physical activity counseling is lack of resources. Outdoors Rx is a collaboration between the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children that pairs exercise prescriptions with guided outdoor programs to increase physical activity among children. This article describes the design and implementation of Outdoors Rx at 2 community health centers serving ethnically diverse, low-income, urban families, as well as evaluates feedback from participating pediatricians regarding the utility of the program, barriers to success, and suggestions for improvement. Our results illustrate the feasibility of implementing a pediatric physical activity prescription program in community health centers serving traditionally underserved populations. Our data suggest that physical activity prescription programs are well received by both pediatricians and families and are a useful tool for facilitating physical activity counseling.

Innovative Outdoor Fieldwork Pedagogies in the Higher Education Sector: Optimising the Use of Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Glyn J.; Munge, Brendon

2017-01-01

Outdoor fieldwork has been a long-standing pedagogy in the higher education sector, across a range of disciplines. Based on a review of the literature, this paper explores the use of outdoor fieldwork in the 21st century university with particular reference to the way technology contributes to student learning. Research has indicated that…

Outdoor Education -- Edinburgh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Terry

1974-01-01

In Scotland, outdoor education is seen as a combination of outdoor pursuits and environmental studies. The article describes various centres in the Edinburgh area, outdoor education expeditions, and programs, such as mountaineering, rock climbing, orienteering, and canoeing. (KM)

Improving the Conceptual Understanding in Kinematics Subject Matter with Hypertext Media Learning and Formal Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manurung, Sondang R.; Mihardi, Satria

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of hypertext media based kinematic learning and formal thinking ability to improve the conceptual understanding of physic prospective students. The research design used is the one-group pretest-posttest experimental design is carried out in the research by taking 36 students on from…

Does Online Game-Based Learning Work in Formal Education at School? A Case Study of VISOLE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jong, Morris S. Y.

2015-01-01

VISOLE (Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Environment) is a teacher-facilitated pedagogical approach to integrating constructivist online game-based learning into formal curriculum teaching in school education. This paper reports a case study on the implementation of VISOLE in secondary Geography education. We compared the pedagogical…

Research Update: Outdoor Education Fatalities in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brookes, Andrew

2007-01-01

This paper is part of an on-going project to examine outdoor education related deaths in Australia since 1960. It records eleven incidents not included in previous papers in this series. A total of 14 students or staff died in the incidents. The paper reviews the incidents and identifies what further lessons can be learned about fatality…

Outdoor Experiential Learning to Increase Student Interest in Geoscience Careers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazar, K.; Moysey, S. M.

2017-12-01

Outdoor-focused experiential learning opportunities are uncommon for students in large introductory geology courses, despite evidence that field experiences are a significant pathway for students to enter the geoscience pipeline. We address this deficiency by creating an extracurricular program for geology service courses that allows students to engage with classmates to foster a positive affective environment in which they are able to explore their geoscience interests, encouraged to visualize themselves as potential geoscientists, and emboldened to continue on a geoscience/geoscience-adjacent career path. Students in introductory-level geology courses were given pre- and post-semester surveys to assess the impact of these experiential learning experiences on student attitudes towards geoscience careers and willingness to pursue a major/minor in geology. Initial results indicate that high achieving students overall increase their interest in pursuing geology as a major regardless of their participation in extracurricular activities, while low achieving students only demonstrate increased interest in a geology major if they did not participate in extra credit activities. Conversely, high achieving, non-participant students showed no change in interest of pursuing a geology minor, while high achieving participants were much more likely to demonstrate interest in a minor at the end of the course. Similar to the trends of interest in a geology major, low achieving students only show increased interest in a minor if they were non-participants. These initial results indicate that these activities may be more effective in channeling students towards geology minors rather than majors, and could increase the number of students pursuing geoscience-related career paths. There also seem to be several competing factors at play affecting the different student populations, from an increased interest due to experience or a displeasure that geology is not simply `rocks for jocks

Fermilab Outdoor Family Fair

Science.gov Websites

Search Fermilab Outdoor Family Fair Join us for an afternoon of outdoor fun. Families explore the outdoor 60510-0500 (630) 840-5588, edreg@fnal.gov The Outdoor Family Fair is co-supported by Fermilab Friends

A Young Child's Perspectives on Outdoor Play: A Case Study from Vancouver, British Columbia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beattie, A. Elizabeth

2015-01-01

There has been an increasing amount of concern about the lack of direct exposure that young children have to nature and the outdoors in Canada and the United States, leading to an increase in outdoor- and nature-based learning models for young children. However, very little research has been done in the field of early childhood environmental…

School-Based Experiential Outdoor Education: A Neglected Necessity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Joan K.; Williams, Theresa

2017-01-01

In this research study, we hear the voices of middle school students, preservice teachers, and practicing middle school teachers in support of school-based experiential outdoor education. The benefits of engaging youth in memorably relevant learning, immersing them in physically active, field-based education, and providing them with authentic,…

Fostering Experiential Self-Regulation through Outdoor Adventure Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sibthorp, Jim; Collins, Rachel; Rathunde, Kevin; Paisley, Karen; Schumann, Scott; Pohja, Mandy; Gookin, John; Baynes, Sheila

2015-01-01

Learners thrive when they have the capacity to regulate interest and goal direction. Through direct experiences that are interesting and goal-relevant, learners can internalize and better understand their own agency in the learning process. This article further examines this premise in an outdoor adventure education (OAE) context through two…

Long Lake Whale Watch: Outdoor Education Comes Alive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briggs, James N.

1993-01-01

Promotes the experiential learning benefits of outdoor education. Describes the experiences of students in grades 4-6 who planned, raised funds for, and participated in a field trip that included a visit to the New England Aquarium, a whale watch cruise, and camping on Cape Cod during a tropical storm. (LP)

Family learning with mobile devices in the outdoors: Designing an e-Trailguide to facilitate families' joint engagement with the natural world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClain, Lucy R.

This study describes the implementation of a self-guiding mobile learning tool designed to support families' engagements with the natural world as they explored the flora and fauna along one nature trail at an environmental center. Thirty-one family groups (n = 105 individuals) participated in this study during the summer season and used an iPad-based e-Trailguide during their nature walk. Design-based research methods guided this study's design, which focused on the third iteration of the e-Trailguide. Data included evaluation of families' content knowledge gains related to the local biodiversity as revealed through post-hike interviews, while videorecords of each family's nature walk experience were also collected. Qualitative analyses focused on the design features within the e-Trailguide that supported the families' technology-mediated engagements with nature and their interactions with each other at one Discovery Spot along the nature trail. Findings include: (a) open-ended interviews after the e-Trailguide experience provided a descriptive understanding of the families' conceptual knowledge gains; (b) four place-based design features within the e-Trailguide enabled and supported families' observational, pointing, and tactile investigation engagements with the natural world; (c) parents took on teacher-like roles for their children by connecting information from the e-Trailguide to the natural objects nearby as evidenced through their frequency of pointing gestures; and (d) the development of an analytical framework related to joint observation strategies used between family members to support science-related sense making. Design recommendations for the future implementation of e-Trailguides in outdoor settings include the incorporation of place-based observational questions, place-based textual prompts for focusing observations, drawing activities to record observations, and place-based images to support identification of wildlife. Key words: family learning

Youth Clubs as Spaces of Non-Formal Learning: Professional Idealism Meets the Spatiality Experienced by Young People in Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiilakoski, Tomi; Kivijärvi, Antti

2015-01-01

For many young people, youth clubs constitute a key instrument for learning outside the school curriculum. In this article, we scrutinise Finnish youth clubs empirically as spaces of non-formal learning from the perspectives of both professional youth workers and young people themselves. We propose that youth workers tend to present an educational…

"The Trampoline Tree and the Swamp Monster with 18 Heads": Outdoor Play in the Foundation Stage and Foundation Phase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, Tim

2007-01-01

This paper considers pedagogy and outdoor play in the early years. The particular focus is on the specific features and benefits of outdoor play in the Foundation Stage (England) and Foundation Phase (Wales). The paper will draw on current international literature and evidence from outdoor learning constructed in an ongoing research project in two…

Sights and Insights: Vocational Outdoor Students' Learning through and about Reflective Practice in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickman, Mark; Stokes, Peter

2016-01-01

Outdoor leader and adventure sport education in the United Kingdom has been characterized by an over-emphasis on technical skills at the expense of equally important, but often marginalized intra- and inter-personal skills necessary for contemporary outdoor employment. This study examined the lived experience of vocational outdoor students in…

Augmenting Reality and Formality of Informal and Non-Formal Settings to Enhance Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pérez-Sanagustin, Mar; Hernández-Leo, Davinia; Santos, Patricia; Kloos, Carlos Delgado; Blat, Josep

2014-01-01

Visits to museums and city tours have been part of higher and secondary education curriculum activities for many years. However these activities are typically considered "less formal" when compared to those carried out in the classroom, mainly because they take place in informal or non-formal settings. Augmented Reality (AR) technologies…

Assessment and Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning: A Lithuanian Case of Novice Consultants' Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkšaitiene, Nijole

2015-01-01

This article reports the results of the investigation into institutional support provided to adults by 12 novice consultants on assessment and recognition of their non-formal and informal learning in four institutions of higher education (HEIs) in Lithuania. Using the general systems perspective and perception theory, novice consultants'…

Children's Views and Preferences Regarding Their Outdoor Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norðdahl, Kristín; Einarsdóttir, Jóhanna

2015-01-01

This study aims to enhance awareness of what young children want to do outside and their preferences regarding their outdoor environment. Views of children as active participants, the affordance of the environment and the importance of place for children's learning constitute the theoretical background of the study. The study was part of a…

Creating Personal Meaning through Technology-Supported Science Inquiry Learning across Formal and Informal Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastopoulou, Stamatina; Sharples, Mike; Ainsworth, Shaaron; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Wright, Michael

2012-01-01

In this paper, a novel approach to engaging students in personal inquiry learning is described, whereby they carry out scientific investigations that are personally meaningful and relevant to their everyday lives. The learners are supported by software that guides the inquiry process, extending from the classroom into the school grounds, home, or outdoors. We report on a case study of personal inquiry learning with 28 high school students on the topic of healthy eating. An analysis of how the personal inquiry was enacted in the classroom and at home, based on issues identified from a study of interviews with the students and their teacher, is provided. The outcomes showed that students were alerted to challenges associated with fieldwork and how they responded to the uncertainty and challenge of an open investigation. The study, moreover, raised an unexpected difficulty for researchers of finding the 'sweet spot' between scientifically objective but unengaging inquiry topics, and ones that are personally meaningful but potentially embarrassing. Implications for further research are shaped around ways of overcoming this difficulty.

The Outdoor Classroom. Experiencing Nature in the Elementary Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Phyllis, Ed.; And Others

Through direct experience within natural settings, outdoor education allows students to learn about environmental concerns such as migration of birds, weather systems, wildlife habitats, watersheds, soil erosion, geological formations, food chains, and community resources. All subject areas in the present curriculum can be enriched through outdoor…

Supporting Whole-Child Learning in Nature-Filled Outdoor Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wirth, Susan; Rosenow, Nancy

2012-01-01

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." This much-repeated quote speaks eloquently to the kinds of life-enhancing skills children develop when they interact with caring adults in thoughtfully designed nature-filled outdoor classrooms. As a network of these classrooms springs…

Outdoor thermal comfort.

PubMed

Nikolopoulou, Marialena

2011-06-01

A review of the various approaches in understanding outdoor thermal comfort is presented. The emphasis on field surveys from around the world, particularly across Europe, enables us to understand thermal perception and evaluate outdoor thermal comfort conditions. The consistent low correlations between objective microclimatic variables, subjective thermal sensation and comfort outdoors, internationally, suggest that thermophysiology alone does not adequate describe these relationships. Focusing on the concept of adaptation, it tries to explain how this influences outdoor comfort, enabling us to inhabit and get satisfaction from outdoor spaces throughout the year. Beyond acclimatization and behavioral adaptation, through adjustments in clothing and changes to the metabolic heat, psychological adaptation plays a critical role to ensure thermal comfort and satisfaction with the outdoor environment. Such parameters include recent experiences and expectations; personal choice and perceived control, more important than whether that control is actually exercised; and the need for positive environmental stimulation suggesting that thermal neutrality is not a pre-requisite for thermal comfort. Ultimately, enhancing environmental diversity can influence thermal perception and experience of open spaces.

A Week in the Wilderness of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont: An Outdoor Science Education Course for Graduate and Undergraduate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radencic, S.; Walker, R. M.; Anthony, K. V.

2014-12-01

Graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in science education complete an intensive three-week "Maymester" course at Mississippi State University that includes one week of field experience teaching science in outdoor environments. The focus of the course includes the history and rationales for interdisciplinary outdoor education and informal learning environments while promoting successful pedagogical practices to enhance science instruction. Students gain valuable outdoor education field experience through a week of full emersion at a residential environmental learning center at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, TN (www.gsmit.org) that challenges perceptions of what many believe are "good teaching" practices. Tremont offers multiple overnight educational options for K-12 schools, teacher professional development programs, master naturalists trainings, and citizen science opportunities to the public. Being fully immersed in the outdoors teaching and learning about Earth Science interdisciplinary topics creates a paradigm shift in what is considered to be effective teaching by the graduate and undergraduate participants. Prior to the week at Tremont, students select a Tremont created outdoor educational activity to teach their fellow the graduate and undergraduate students while at Tremont. All activities promote inquiry and hands-on exploration utilizing authentic science process skills in outdoor field research settings that can also be adapted for local school environments. At Tremont the students reside in platform tents located at the center to allow complete immersion in the culture of informal learning unique to outdoor education. In addition to gaining personal experiences leading outdoor science activities, the college students get to actively observe experts in the field of outdoor ecological education model exemplary pedagogical practices of guided inquiry and effective questioning strategies. The impact of the full emersion

A Bayesian Mixed-Methods Analysis of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction through Outdoor Learning and Its Influence on Motivational Behavior in Science Class.

PubMed

Dettweiler, Ulrich; Lauterbach, Gabriele; Becker, Christoph; Simon, Perikles

2017-01-01

Research has shown that outdoor educational interventions can lead to students' increased self-regulated motivational behavior. In this study, we searched into the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), i.e., autonomy support, the learners' experience of competence, and relatedness, both within the peer group and with their teachers, through outdoor learning. From 2014 to 2016, n = 281 students attended "research weeks" at a Student Science Lab in the Alpine National Park Berchtesgaden (Germany). The program is a curriculum-based one-week residential course, centered on a 2-day research expedition. Both before and after the course, students completed a composite questionnaire addressing BPN-satisfaction and overall motivational behavior in relation to the Self-Determination Index (SDI). At the latter time-point, students also reported on their experiences during the intervention. Questionnaire data was analyzed using a set of Bayesian General Linear Models with random effects. Those quantitative measures have been complemented by and contextualized with a set of qualitative survey methods. The results showed that the basic psychological needs influence the motivational behavior in both contexts equally, however on different scale levels. The basic needs satisfaction in the outdoor context is decisively higher than indoors. Moreover, the increment of competence-experience from the school context to the hands-on outdoor program appears to have the biggest impact to students' increased intrinsic motivation during the intervention. Increased autonomy support, student-teacher relations, and student-student relations have much less or no influence on the overall difference of motivational behavior. Gender does not influence the results. The contextualization partly supports those results and provide further explanation for the students' increased self-regulation in the outdoors. They add some explanatory thrust to the argument that outdoor teaching, be it

A Bayesian Mixed-Methods Analysis of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction through Outdoor Learning and Its Influence on Motivational Behavior in Science Class

PubMed Central

Dettweiler, Ulrich; Lauterbach, Gabriele; Becker, Christoph; Simon, Perikles

2017-01-01

Research has shown that outdoor educational interventions can lead to students' increased self-regulated motivational behavior. In this study, we searched into the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (BPN), i.e., autonomy support, the learners' experience of competence, and relatedness, both within the peer group and with their teachers, through outdoor learning. From 2014 to 2016, n = 281 students attended “research weeks” at a Student Science Lab in the Alpine National Park Berchtesgaden (Germany). The program is a curriculum-based one-week residential course, centered on a 2-day research expedition. Both before and after the course, students completed a composite questionnaire addressing BPN-satisfaction and overall motivational behavior in relation to the Self-Determination Index (SDI). At the latter time-point, students also reported on their experiences during the intervention. Questionnaire data was analyzed using a set of Bayesian General Linear Models with random effects. Those quantitative measures have been complemented by and contextualized with a set of qualitative survey methods. The results showed that the basic psychological needs influence the motivational behavior in both contexts equally, however on different scale levels. The basic needs satisfaction in the outdoor context is decisively higher than indoors. Moreover, the increment of competence-experience from the school context to the hands-on outdoor program appears to have the biggest impact to students' increased intrinsic motivation during the intervention. Increased autonomy support, student-teacher relations, and student-student relations have much less or no influence on the overall difference of motivational behavior. Gender does not influence the results. The contextualization partly supports those results and provide further explanation for the students' increased self-regulation in the outdoors. They add some explanatory thrust to the argument that outdoor teaching, be it

A case study of urban student and teacher experiences surrounding an outdoor environmental science field trip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preusch, Peggy L.

2009-12-01

Field trips provide opportunities for students to experience many different contexts beyond the classroom, and are a popular choice of K-12 teachers in the US. Recent interest in learning that occurs at informal science education centers such as museums, zoos and aquariums has stimulated studies of the relationship between learning in and outside of schools. Although many studies focus on the teachers, the contexts, and/or the students during the field trip, only a few look at the entire process of learning by including the classroom setting before and after the field trip. This study was designed to develop understandings of the student process of learning during and surrounding an environmental science field trip to an outdoor setting. John Dewey's extensive writings on the relationship between experience and learning informed the analysis, creating a focus on active and passive elements of the experience, continuity within and across contexts, the interactive nature of the experience and the importance of subject matter. An exploration of environmental education (EE), environmental science (ES), and nature study as content revealed the complexities of the subject matter of the field trip that make its presentation problematic. An urban school was chosen to contribute to the research literature about urban student learning in outdoor environments. During the field trip, the students' active engagement with each other and the environment supported meaningful remembrances of the field trip experiences during interviews after the field trip. The students accurately described plants and animals they had observed in different habitats during the field trip. They also made connections with their home life and prior experiences in the outdoors as they discussed the field trip and drew pictures that represented their experiences. One student integrated his outdoor experience with a language arts assignment as he reflected deeply on the field trip. One implication of this

Outdoor Class Project: The Potential Benefits to Foster EFL Students' Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fajaria, Indah

2013-01-01

There are such myriad ideas upon English teaching-learning process. Everybody can share each fabulous idea through various media. One of fun English learnings that can motivate EFL students' eagerness to practice English easily is an outdoor class activity. This project could sometimes deals with an outbound activities which provide the numerous…

Don't abandon hope all ye who enter here: The protective role of formal mentoring and learning processes on burnout in correctional officers.

PubMed

Farnese, M L; Barbieri, B; Bellò, B; Bartone, P T

2017-01-01

Within a Job Demands-Resources Model framework, formal mentoring can be conceived as a job resource expressing the organization's support for new members, which may prevent their being at risk for burnout. This research aims at understanding the protective role of formal mentoring on burnout, through the effect of increasing learning personal resources. Specifically, we hypothesized that formal mentoring enhances newcomers' learning about job and social domains related to the new work context, thus leading to lower burnout. In order to test the hypotheses, a multiple regression analysis using the bootstrapping method was used. Based on a questionnaire administered to 117 correctional officer newcomers who had a formal mentor assigned, our results confirm that formal mentoring exerts a positive influence on newcomers' adjustment, and that this in turn exerts a protective influence against burnout onset by reducing cynicism and interpersonal stress and also enhancing the sense of personal accomplishment. Confirming previous literature's suggestions, supportive mentoring and effective socialization seem to represent job and personal resources that are protective against burnout. This study provides empirical support for this relation in the prison context.

Integrating Formal and Grounded Representations in Combinatorics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braithwaite, David W.; Goldstone, Robert L.

2013-01-01

The terms "concreteness fading" and "progressive formalization" have been used to describe instructional approaches to science and mathematics that use grounded representations to introduce concepts and later transition to more formal representations of the same concepts. There are both theoretical and empirical reasons to…

The Mobile Educational Trailer Unit in Outdoor Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillo, Thomas J.

The concept of achieving mobility for outdoor teaching using a small mobile educational unit and the techniques of facilitating the mobility of equipment and supplies are discussed in this article. A small trailer unit can be used to enrich the learning experiences of students. Since the mobile educational unit is adaptable, it can be used as a…

Toward the Characterization of Non-Formal Pedagogy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silberman-Keller, Diana

This study examined characteristic attributes of non-formal education and the non-formal pedagogy directing its teaching and learning processes. Data were collected on organizational and pedagogical characteristics in several out-of-school organizations (youth movements, youth organizations, community centers, bypass educational systems, local…

Revisiting Your Outdoor Environment: Reasons to Reshape, Enrich, Redevelop the Outdoor Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauffette, Anne Gillain

1998-01-01

Provides suggestions for designing effective outdoor space. Focuses on advocating for space, designing spaces based on children's characteristics and preferences, integrating the outdoors in educational planning, including children in decision making and work, knowing about injury prevention, providing adult models who love the outdoors, and…

Instructor and Adult Learner Perceptions of the Use of Internet-Enabled Devices in Residential Outdoor Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolliger, Doris U.; Shepherd, Craig E.

2018-01-01

As more adults frequent wilderness areas, they bring Internet-enabled devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets) with them. This study focuses on adults' perceptions of these devices in relation to desired outdoor learning experiences. Specifically, researchers examined the perspectives of naturalists who taught outdoor education programs and park…

Old Time Apple Cider Makin': An Outdoor Education Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Bruce E.; Oakes, David B.

An illustrated, self-contained packet, the resource materials contained in this guide are designed for adaptation to K-8. The resources and ideas presented here are designed to encourage utilization of the outdoors as a learning resource. While intrinsically multidisciplinary, the activities are particularly adaptable to social studies, science,…

Perceived Impact on Student Engagement When Learning Middle School Science in an Outdoor Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbatiello, James

2014-01-01

Human beings have an innate need to spend time outside, but in recent years children are spending less time outdoors. It is possible that this decline in time spent outdoors could have a negative impact on child development. Science teachers can combat the decline in the amount of time children spend outside by taking their science classes…

Case-Based Teaching of Fatal Incidents in Outdoor Education Teacher Preparation Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North, Chris; Brookes, Andrew

2017-01-01

This article examines the use of case-based approaches to fatal incidents in outdoor education (OE) with a view to fatality prevention. Fatalities are rare in OE and therefore it is nearly impossible for teachers to learn how to avoid fatalities from their own past experiences. It is, however, possible to learn from the mistakes of others through…

Field Trips to Natural Environments: How Outdoor Educators Use the Physical Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavie Alon, Nirit; Tal, Tali

2017-01-01

The main assumption of this study is that the natural environment is an important part of learning in out-of-school settings. We therefore aimed at understanding how outdoor educators (OEs) refer to, and use, the natural environment while guiding field trips, and how their use of the natural environment affects student learning outcomes. Using a…

COEO's Landmark Research Summary: "Reconnecting Children through Outdoor Education"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linney, Grant

2007-01-01

Over the past year, Andrea Foster reviewed a wide array of current and international research into the multiple, powerful and lasting outcomes produced through utilizing outdoor and experiential education (OEE) as a key learning methodology. As co-authors, Foster and Linney produced an 80-page document that reports the findings according to the…

Bridging Natural and Digital Domains: Attitudes, Confidence, and Interest in Using Technology to Learn Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hougham, R. Justin; Nutter, Marc; Graham, Caitlin

2018-01-01

Background: The current study, Project EARPOD (Engaging At-Risk Populations Outdoors, Digitally), addressed two questions: First, does the use of technology in environmental education detract from students' experiences outdoors? Second, can these technological interventions be expanded to provide access to students and schools across the…

Columbus Outdoor Pursuits: A Model Structure for Volunteer Based Outdoor Pursuits Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerckens, Ann E.

Columbus Outdoor Pursuits (COP) is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization in Ohio that has offered outdoor educational and recreational opportunities to its members for 63 years. COP day and trip programs focus on outdoor activities such as bicycling, kayaking, hiking, and rock climbing. In addition, COP offers classes in the skills required for…

Outdoor Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayes, Valynda

2010-01-01

An outdoor classroom is the ideal vehicle for community involvement: Parents, native plant societies, 4-H, garden clubs, and master naturalists are all resources waiting to be tapped, as are local businesses offering support. If you enlist your community in the development and maintenance of your outdoor classroom, the entire community will…

Is Outdoor Education Environmental Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkin, Danny

1998-01-01

Explores the relationship between outdoor education and environmental education by examining the broad nature of outdoor education and discussing whether outdoor education and environmental education are overlapping philosophies or separate methods of instruction. Includes analysis of a survey of outdoor educators and details a process for…

Immediacy and Distance in Teacher Talk--A Comparative Case Study in German Elementary- and Outdoor School-Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahrakhiz, Sarah

2017-01-01

This case study examines authentic speech acts by a German primary school teacher in the classroom context and the outdoor learning location of a forest. The study will compare the degree of linguistic immediacy or distance in these two contexts, respectively. Once a week, the class is doing "outdoor school" ["Draußenschule"]…

Children's Use of iPads in Outdoor Environmental Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kacoroski, Joy; Liddicoat, Kendra R.; Kerlin, Steve

2016-01-01

This exploratory study aimed to understand how use of digital technology, specifically iPads, impacts the learning experiences of children during outdoor environmental education programs. iPads were integrated into water quality education programs for fifth grade students from an urban area. Qualitative observations were analyzed to document…

The effects of formalized and trained non-reciprocal peer teaching on psychosocial, behavioral, pedagogical, and motor learning outcomes in physical education.

PubMed

Whipp, Peter R; Jackson, Ben; Dimmock, James A; Soh, Jenny

2015-01-01

Peer teaching is recognized as a powerful instructional method; however, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the outcomes experienced by peer-teachers and their student recipients in the context of trained, non-reciprocal, high school physical education (PE). Accordingly, the effectiveness of a formalized and trained non-reciprocal peer teaching (T-PT) program upon psychosocial, behavioral, pedagogical, and student learning outcomes within high school PE classes was investigated. Students from eight intact classes (106 males, 94 females, Mage = 12.46, SD = 0.59) were randomly assigned to either a T-PT intervention group (taught by a volunteer peer-teacher who was trained in line with a tactical games approach) or untrained group (U-PT; where volunteer peer-teachers received no formal training, but did receive guidance on the game concepts to teach). Data were collected over 10 lessons in a 5-week soccer unit. Mixed-model ANOVAs/MANOVAs revealed that, in comparison to U-PT, the T-PT program significantly enhanced in-game performance actions and academic learning time among student recipients. Those in the T-PT also provided greater levels of feedback and structured learning time, as well as reporting more positive feelings about peer teaching and fewer perceived barriers to accessing learning outcomes. These findings show that non-reciprocal peer-teachers who receive formalized support through training and tactical games approach-based teaching resources can enhance behavioral, pedagogical, and motor performance outcomes in PE.

The effects of formalized and trained non-reciprocal peer teaching on psychosocial, behavioral, pedagogical, and motor learning outcomes in physical education

PubMed Central

Whipp, Peter R.; Jackson, Ben; Dimmock, James A.; Soh, Jenny

2015-01-01

Peer teaching is recognized as a powerful instructional method; however, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the outcomes experienced by peer-teachers and their student recipients in the context of trained, non-reciprocal, high school physical education (PE). Accordingly, the effectiveness of a formalized and trained non-reciprocal peer teaching (T-PT) program upon psychosocial, behavioral, pedagogical, and student learning outcomes within high school PE classes was investigated. Students from eight intact classes (106 males, 94 females, Mage = 12.46, SD = 0.59) were randomly assigned to either a T-PT intervention group (taught by a volunteer peer-teacher who was trained in line with a tactical games approach) or untrained group (U-PT; where volunteer peer-teachers received no formal training, but did receive guidance on the game concepts to teach). Data were collected over 10 lessons in a 5-week soccer unit. Mixed-model ANOVAs/MANOVAs revealed that, in comparison to U-PT, the T-PT program significantly enhanced in-game performance actions and academic learning time among student recipients. Those in the T-PT also provided greater levels of feedback and structured learning time, as well as reporting more positive feelings about peer teaching and fewer perceived barriers to accessing learning outcomes. These findings show that non-reciprocal peer-teachers who receive formalized support through training and tactical games approach-based teaching resources can enhance behavioral, pedagogical, and motor performance outcomes in PE. PMID:25741309

The Potential of the Non-Formal Educational Sector for Supporting Chemistry Learning and Sustainability Education for All Students--A Joint Perspective from Two Cases in Finland and Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Affeldt, Fiona; Tolppanen, Sakari; Aksela, Maija; Eilks, Ingo

2017-01-01

Non-formal education has been suggested as becoming more and more important in the last decades. As the aims of non-formal education are broad and diverse, a large variety of non-formal learning activities is available. One of the emerging fields in many countries, among them Finland and Germany, has been the establishment of non-formal laboratory…

Using Exemption Examinations to Assess Finnish Business Students' Non-Formal and Informal Learning of ESP: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuomainen, Satu

2014-01-01

In recent years Finnish university language centres have increasingly developed procedures for assessing and recognising the skills in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) that students acquire in various non-formal and informal learning environments. This article describes the procedures developed by the University of Eastern Finland Language…

Outdoor Education Equipment: Plans for Easy-to-Make Items.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bachert, Russel E., Jr.; Snooks, Emerson L.

The document is a versatile publication providing an outdoor education aid for teaching elementary (beginning with grade 4), high school, and college students. The process is one of learning by doing; i.e., the students construct their own instruments for field studies. The book presents over 100 ideas in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-use format.…

How to Set Up a Resource Center to be Compatible with an Outdoor Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stilson, Jan

A materials collection can provide indirect experiences that will supplement the direct learning experiences offered by an outdoor education nature center. The Instructional Materials Center at Lorado Taft Field Campus provides such multiple learning experiences as it offers print media as well as slides, films, tapes, and projection and field…

Mechanisms Influencing Student Understanding on an Outdoor Guided Field Trip

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caskey, Nourah Al-Rashid

2009-01-01

Field trips are a basic and important, yet often overlooked part of the student experience. They provide the opportunity to integrate real world knowledge with classroom learning and student previous personal experiences. Outdoor guided field trips leave students with an increased understanding, awareness and interest and in science. However, the…

Proceedings of the Canadian Camping Association Outdoor Education Conference (La Caleche, Ste-Agathe, Que, October 3-6, 1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Camping Association.

The proceedings of the National Outdoor Education Conference include 3 addresses on outdoor education and camping and 3 workshops reports, representing the input of some 60 delegates from every part of Canada. Emphasizing living and learning, quality of life, and utilization of the environment, the speeches are aimed at defining and clarifying the…

Empowering out of School Youth through Non-Formal Education in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mualuko, Ndiku Judah

2008-01-01

Non-formal education, defined as any organized educational activity outside the established formal system whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity that is intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objective is of great importance to society. It emerged out of the feeling that formal…

Gender Differences in Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeren, Ellen

2011-01-01

At first sight, participation rates in adult learning do not differ strongly between men and women. Further exploration, however, makes clear that differences exist at the level of the type of learning. Men participate more in work-related learning and experience more job-related motives to participate. Women take on the main responsibilities in…

Participation in Non-Formal Learning in EU-15 and EU-8 Countries: Demand and Supply Side Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roosmaa, Eve-Liis; Saar, Ellu

2012-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of participation in non-formal learning in different European Union member states. The paper also seeks to extend analysis of the training gap by pursuing the distinction between the supply and the demand for skills. We use aggregate data from the Adult Education Survey (Eurostat)…

Cooperate to Validate: OBSERVAL-NET Experts' Report on Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning (VNIL) 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber Guisan, Saskia; Voit, Janine; Lengauer, Sonja; Proinger, Eva; Duvekot, Ruud; Aagaard, Kirsten

2014-01-01

The present publication is one of the outcomes of the OBSERVAL-NET project (follow-up of the OBSERVAL project). The main aim of OBSERVAL-NET was to set up a stakeholder-centric network of organisations supporting the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe based on the formation of national working groups in the 8 participating…

Cooperate to Validate. Observal-Net Experts' Report on Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning (VNIL) 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber Guisan, Saskia; Voit, Janine; Lengauer, Sonja; Proinger, Eva; Duvekot, Ruud; Aagaard, Kirsten

2014-01-01

The present publication is one of the outcomes of the OBSERVAL-NET project (followup of the OBSERVAL project). The main aim of OBSERVAL-NET was to set up a stakeholder centric network of organisations supporting the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe based on the formation of national working groups in the 8 participating…

Fear of moving outdoors and development of outdoor walking difficulty in older people.

PubMed

Rantakokko, Merja; Mänty, Minna; Iwarsson, Susanne; Törmäkangas, Timo; Leinonen, Raija; Heikkinen, Eino; Rantanen, Taina

2009-04-01

To study which individual characteristics and environmental factors correlate with fear of moving outdoors and whether fear of moving outdoors predicts development of mobility limitation. Observational prospective cohort study and cross-sectional analyses. Community and research center. Seven hundred twenty-seven community-living people aged 75 to 81 were interviewed at baseline, of whom 314 took part in a 3.5-year follow-up. Fear of moving outdoors and its potential individual and environmental correlates were assessed at baseline. Perceived difficulties in walking 0.5 km and 2 km were assessed twice a year over a 3.5-year period. At baseline, 65% of the women and 29% of the men reported fear of moving outdoors. Poor socioeconomic status; musculoskeletal diseases; slow walking speed; and the presence of poor street conditions, hills in the nearby environment, and noisy traffic correlated with fear of moving outdoors. At the first 6-month follow-up, participants with fear of moving outdoors had more than four times the adjusted risk (odds ratio (OR)=4.6, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.92-11.00) of developing difficulties in walking 0.5 km and a three times greater adjusted risk (OR=3.10, 95% CI=1.49-6.46) for developing difficulty in walking 2 km compared with those without fear. The difference in the prevalence of walking difficulties remained statistically significant over the 3.5-year follow-up (P=.02 and P=.009, respectively). Fear of moving outdoors is common in older adults and increases the risk of developing self-reported difficulties in walking 0.5 km and 2 km. Knowledge about individual and environmental factors underlying fear of moving outdoors and finding ways to alleviate fear of moving outdoors are important for community planning and prevention of disability.

Inglemoor High School Curriculum Guide for Outdoor Recreation & Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kline, Jim

Descriptions of 12-week courses in hunting and fishing and in outdoor activities for male and female students at Inglemoor High School in Bothell, Washington, are presented in this curriculum guide for outdoor education and recreation. Offering both classroom and field experience, each of the two courses meets 55 minutes daily; recommended class…

Non-Formal Education in Poland and Canada--Compared: A Brief Commentary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Norman L.; Griffith, Kimberly Grantham; Kritsonis, William Allan

2007-01-01

The purpose of this brief note is to compare non-formal education in Poland and Canada in terms of accessibility, and it is motivated by the fact that learning is a lifelong process because of rapid advances in technology. The theoretical framework for this commentary is supplied by the general idea that non-formal learning provides a social…

Preservice Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of Outdoor Settings as Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst, Julie; Tornabene, Ladona

2012-01-01

In the context of encouraging the use of natural settings for educational experiences with young children, an exploratory study using survey research and photographs of outdoor settings was conducted to understand how preservice early childhood educators perceive these settings and what educational opportunities, motivations, and barriers they…

A Collaborative Diagonal Learning Network: The role of formal and informal professional development in elementary science reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooke-Nieves, Natasha Anika

Science education research has consistently shown that elementary teachers have a low self-efficacy and background knowledge to teach science. When they teach science, there is a lack of field experiences and inquiry-based instruction at the elementary level due to limited resources, both material and pedagogical. This study focused on an analysis of a professional development (PD) model designed by the author known as the Collaborative Diagonal Learning Network (CDLN). The purpose of this study was to examine elementary school teacher participants pedagogical content knowledge related to their experiences in a CDLN model. The CDLN model taught formal and informal instruction using a science coach and an informal educational institution. Another purpose for this research included a theoretical analysis of the CDLN model to see if its design enabled teachers to expand their resource knowledge of available science education materials. The four-month-long study used qualitative data obtained during an in-service professional development program facilitated by a science coach and educators from a large natural history museum. Using case study as the research design, four elementary school teachers were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their science coach and museum educator workshop sessions. During the duration of this study, semi-structured individual/group interviews and open-ended pre/post PD questionnaires were used. Other data sources included researcher field notes from lesson observations, museum field trips, audio-recorded workshop sessions, email correspondence, and teacher-created artifacts. The data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Themes that emerged included increased self-efficacy; increased pedagogical content knowledge; increased knowledge of museum education resources and access; creation of a professional learning community; and increased knowledge of science notebooking. Implications for formal and informal

Implementation of formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation.

PubMed

Smith, Jay; Laskowski, Edward R; Newcomer-Aney, Karen L; Thompson, Jeffrey M; Schaefer, Michael P; Morfe, Erasmus G

2005-04-01

To develop and implement formal learning objectives during a physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine rotation and characterize resident experiences with the objectives over a 16-mo period. Prospective, including learning objective development, implementation, and postrotation survey. A total of 69 learning objectives were developed by physical medicine and rehabilitation staff physician consensus, including 39 core objectives. Eighteen residents completed 4-wk sports medicine rotations from January 2003 through April 2004. Residents completed an average of 31 total objectives (45%; range, 3-52), of which 24 (62%; range, 3-35) were core. Residents completed the highest percentage of knee (60%), shoulder (57%), and ankle-foot (57%) objectives and reported that objectives related to these areas were most effective to facilitate learning. In general, residents reported that objective content was good and that the objectives delineated important concepts to learn during the rotation. Seventeen of 18 residents indicated that the objectives should be permanently implemented into the sports rotation and that similar objectives should be developed for other rotations. Based on our experience and the recommendations of residents, the average resident should be able to complete approximately 30 objectives during a typical 4-wk rotation. Successful implementation of specific, consensus-derived learning objectives is possible within the context of a busy clinical practice. Our initial physician staff and resident experience with the objectives suggests that this model may be useful as a supplementary educational tool in physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs.

Active Families in the Great Outdoors: A Program to Promote Family Outdoor Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Jennifer I.; Bassett, David R.; Fouts, Hillary N.; Thompson, Dixie L.; Coe, Dawn P.

2017-01-01

This study evaluated a 4-week program to increase the time families spent engaging in outdoor activity. Parents were provided strategies to increase family outdoor activity and locations to be active. Sixteen families completed the program. Duration and number of family outdoor activity bouts per week, type of activities, locations, and family…

Experimental forests, ranges, and watersheds in the Northern Rocky Mountains: A compendium of outdoor laboratories in Utah, Idaho, and Montana

Treesearch

Wyman C. Schmidt; Judy L. Friede

1996-01-01

This is a compendium of experimental forests, ranges, watersheds, and other outdoor laboratories, formally established by the Forest Service and Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the universities in Utah, Idaho, and Montana. The purposes, histories, natural resource bases, data bases, past and current studies, locations, and who...

Negotiating the Boundaries between the Formal and the Informal: An Experienced Teacher's Refective Adaptations of Informal Learning in a Keyboard Class for At-Risk Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costes-Onishi, Pamela

2016-01-01

The objective of this study is to address the important questions raised in literature on the intersections between formal and informal learning. Specifically, this will be discussed within the concept of "productive dissonance" and the pedagogical tensions that arise in the effort of experienced teachers to transition from the formal to…

Planning Intentionally for Children's Outdoor Environments: The Gift of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenow, Nancy

2011-01-01

When the author was a child 50 years ago, nobody planned her outdoor environment. Her home was close to flower-filled meadows that she could explore freely, and her preschool and elementary school classrooms opened onto beautiful woodlands that children used as an important part of their day-to-day learning. The last time she visited her old…

Outdoor experiential-based training: motivational and environmental influences affecting outcomes

Treesearch

Teresa (Birdie) High; Alan R. Graefe

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to go beyond the examination of the single construct of team building by measuring the impact of motivational and environmental factors on the effectiveness of an outdoor-based training (OBT) intervention. The study assessed the self-perceptions of trainee attitudes and attributes that influenced the constructs of motivation to learn,...

Queering Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Connie; Sarick, Tema; Kennelly, Jackie

2003-01-01

Queer pedagogy is rife with possibilities for outdoor educators to challenge the status quo of heterosexism and sexism. From recognizing and addressing the heteronormative assumptions that influence the outdoor classroom, to subverting oppressive gender norms, to noticing the cultural constructs through which we view nature, queer pedagogy can…

Effective Thinking Outdoors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyde, Rod

1997-01-01

Effective Thinking Outdoors (ETO) is an organization that teaches thinking skills and strategies via significant outdoor experiences. Identifies the three elements of thinking as creativity, play, and persistence; presents a graphic depiction of the problem-solving process and aims; and describes an ETO exercise, determining old routes of travel…

Wilderness U.: Opportunities for Outdoor Education in the U.S. & Abroad.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillon, Bill

The 1980s saw a dramatic change in the use of leisure as millions of Americans turned to vacations that emphasized exploration, learning, and renewed awareness of the natural world. The first part of this three-part sourcebook lists approximately 270 institutions, organizations, and businesses offering programs in outdoor education, environmental…

The Conscious Use (or Avoidance) of Metaphor in Outdoor Adventure Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beames, Simon

2012-01-01

Facilitated discussion before, during and after experiences is widely accepted practice in the field of outdoor adventure education. Much of the literature appears to house the assumption that individual learning may be considerably restricted if participants' experiences are not processed with the help of an external facilitator, as they may not…

Assisting Women in Developing a Sense of Competence in Outdoor Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeffler, T. A.

1997-01-01

Development of competence for women in outdoor programs is a complex process shaped by gender-role socialization, learning environments, and individual differences. Sense of competence is a fundamental component of self-esteem and may not be congruent with actual competence. Personal narrative of a solo experience illustrates its impact on sense…

Models of Transformative Learning for Social Justice: Comparative Case Studies of Non-Formal Development Education in Britain and Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Eleanor J.

2015-01-01

This paper presents comparative case studies of non-formal development education by non-profit organisations in two European countries. The study aimed to explore the extent to which such activities provide opportunities for transformative learning. The research was qualitative and began with interviews with educators across 14 organisations in…

Outdoor Education Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooyers, Cobina; And Others

Designed for teachers to provide students with an awareness of the world of nature which surrounds them, the manual presents the philosophy of outdoor education, goals and objectives of the school program, planning for outdoor education, the Wildwood Programs, sequential program planning for students, program booking and resource list. Content…

Outdoor Learning: Curriculum Imperatives and Community Relevance in a Rural Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maposah-Kandemiri, Myra; Higgins, Peter; McLaughlin, Pat

2009-01-01

This paper presents a review of practice in the use of the outdoors, and its potential in the teaching of environmental education at Muenzaniso, a Zimbabwean primary school. The school uses permaculture and Integrated Land Use Design as tools for sustainable environmental management. Evidence suggests that pressing community and curriculum…

Outdoor Learning in Aotearoa New Zealand: Voices Past, Present, and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosgriff, Marg; Legge, Maureen; Brown, Mike; Boyes, Mike; Zink, Robyn; Irwin, Dave

2012-01-01

Many of the principles and practices that have influenced outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand find their genesis in the United Kingdom and North America. In recent times, many of these foundational assumptions have been called into question. This paper highlights how emerging "local" voices are questioning and reframing how outdoor…

Developing Non-Formal Education Competences as a Complement of Formal Education for STEM Lecturers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terrazas-Marín, Roy Alonso

2018-01-01

This paper focuses on a current practice piece on professional development for university lecturers, transformative learning, dialogism and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Its main goals are to identify the key characteristics that allow STEM educators to experiment with the usage of non-formal education…

Learning and teaching for an ecological sense of place: Toward environmental/science education praxis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hug, J. William

1998-09-01

This research presents a teaching model designed to enable learners to construct a highly developed ecological perspective and sense of place. The contextually-based research process draws upon scientific and indigenous knowledge from multiple data sources including: autobiographical experiences, environmental literature, science and environmental education research, historical approaches to environmental education, and phenomenological accounts from research participants. Data were analyzed using the theoretical frameworks of qualitative research, hermeneutic phenomenology, heuristics, and constructivism. The resulting model synthesizes and incorporates key educational philosophies and practices from: nature study, resident outdoor education, organized camping, conservation education, environmental education, earth education, outdoor recreation, sustainability, bio-regionalism, deep ecology, ecological and environmental literacy, science and technology in society, and adventure/challenge/experiential education. The model's four components--environmental knowledge, practicing responsible environmental behaviors, community-focused involvement, and direct experience in outdoor settings--contribute in a synergistic way to the development of ecological perspective and a sense of place. The model was honed through experiential use in an environmental science methods course for elementary and secondary prospective science teachers. The instructor/researcher employed individualized instruction, community-based learning, service learning, and the modeling of reflective teaching principles in pursuit of the model's goals. The resulting pedagogical knowledge extends the model's usefulness to such formal and non-formal educational contexts as: elementary/secondary classrooms, nature centers, museums, youth groups, and community organizations. This research has implications for the fields of education, geography, recreation/leisure studies, science teaching, and environmental

9 CFR 3.103 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... requirements shall be applicable to all outdoor pools. (1) The water surface of pools in outdoor primary... free of solid ice to allow for entry and exit of the animals. (2) The water surface of pools in outdoor... water dwelling species of pinnipeds or cetaceans shall be housed in outdoor pools where water...

9 CFR 3.103 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... requirements shall be applicable to all outdoor pools. (1) The water surface of pools in outdoor primary... free of solid ice to allow for entry and exit of the animals. (2) The water surface of pools in outdoor... water dwelling species of pinnipeds or cetaceans shall be housed in outdoor pools where water...

Case studies of individualized professional development at an outdoor education center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearsall, Marjorie

Since the publishing of A Nation at Risk in 1983, educators across the country have directed attention and formal research studies towards discovering why American schools are not producing graduates who measure up to students in other countries. Research has been done which deals with children's responses to learning science while utilizing a variety of educational strategies. Factors such as gender, ethnicity, class size, length of the school day or school year, equipment availability and usage, have been studied and their impact analyzed. New assessment devices and testing instruments have been used to measure the amount and quality of their learning. Significant in its absence from most studies is the recognition of what classroom teachers believe about science, what they feel to be the best way(s) to teach science, and how they actually teach science. Related research on these factors laid the ground work for this study. Teaching is a profession characterized by a need for life-long learning. Some teachers study for advanced degrees. "Workshops" and "teacher institutes", either on-site at their own schools or through other enrichment situations provide learning opportunities for others. Informal educational institutions which have provided science enrichment field trip opportunities have recently begun to look at the curriculum goals and expectations of the state boards of education and regional school districts. As they become informed about these goals, their enrichment opportunities are found to serve the schools more fully. This study focuses on the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, where the staff does not merely plan, prepare for, and present lessons on various age-appropriate science topics to schoolchildren which come to them. Instead, it is the policy of this center to prepare the individual classroom teachers so that the teacher assumes the responsibility to provide the preparation of the children for the experience, the facilitation of the

Contemporary Perspectives in Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Charles A., Jr., Ed.; Carlson, Marcia K., Ed.

Designed to provide the student of outdoor education with a synthesis of current literature in the field, this collection presents 26 articles which range from administrative to practical applications of outdoor education theory and philosophy. Articles include discussions of: (1) the philosophy of outdoor education; (2) a London school and its…

The Role of Outdoor Art in Urban Environmental Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippelli, G. M.; Kesling, M.; Ryan, T.; Fraser, J.; McDonald, F.; Rollings, A.; Miss, M.; Kanpetch, B.; Trueblood, M.

2015-12-01

Finding ways to engage youth in inadvertent learning about nature and the environment is challenging, particularly in urban areas where environmental literacy is profoundly limited by access to safe and representative spaces. Termed the Nature Deficit Disorder, the lack of contact and connection between people and their environment leads to a less than holistic approach to environmental management at the personal and governmental levels. One of the challenges is developing ways to engage youth in science learning not by bringing them indoors to a science museum but rather by taking the science museum outdoors. Funded by the NSF Informal Science Learning program, we launched a collaborative between scientists and artists to understand the nature and impact of environmental learning through outdoor art and science programming, called StreamLines. Launched in 2014 and now near full deployment, the program is part of a bigger initiative in Indianapolis (Reconnecting to Our Waterways) to embrace the multiple waterways that traverse the city as a valuable community and health resource. This collaborative is designed to function on multiple levels. An Artist and Scientists Roundtable engages practitioners in regular conversations supplemented by external readings to share how practitioners use concepts and tools from the "opposite" side to inform their work and scholarship. Physical installations of iconic art at individual sites reflect the environmental conditions at individual sites are designed as tools for explicit and implicit learning and exploration about the environment. Music, poetry, and dance programming developed for individual sites portray cogent characteristics of place and are meant to allow visitors to see how artists engage with and draw from the environment for inspiration. A research approach unpins all of these efforts, utilizing a set of different sample populations to explore environmental education and potential advocacy after interactions with

The Outdoor Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Dorothy E.

An Outdoor Classroom to prepare pre-service and in-service teachers to utilize vital natural resources as an outdoor laboratory was established in 1974 by Elizabeth City State University. Because of its proximity to the Great Dismal Swamp and the Atlantic, the university's geographical location made it especially suitable for such a course of…

Outdoor Recreation Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jubenville, Alan

The complex problems facing the manager of an outdoor recreation area are outlined and discussed. Eighteen chapters cover the following primary concerns of the manager of such a facility: (1) an overview of the management process; (2) the basic outdoor recreation management model; (3) the problem-solving process; (4) involvement of the public in…

Outdoorsman: Outdoor Cooking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Agriculture, Edmonton.

This Outdoor Cookery manual provides information and instruction on the basic outdoor skills of building suitable cooking fires, handling fires safely, and storing food. The necessity of having the right kind of fire is stressed (high flames for boiling, low for stewing, and coals for frying and broiling). Tips on gauging temperature, what types…

Outdoor Recreation Benchmark 1988: Proceedings of the National Outdoor Recreation Forum

Treesearch

Alan H. Watson

1989-01-01

BENCHMARK 1988: A National Outdoor Recreation and Wilderness Forum was the first national recreation assessment meeting. The need for this meeting grew out of the desire to incorporate scientific, planning, and administrative peer review into the 1989 RPA Assessment of Outdoor Recreation and Wilderness. This meeting brought together many university and government...

Outdoor smoking behaviour and support for outdoor smoking restrictions before and after France's national smoking ban.

PubMed

Kennedy, Ryan David; Behm, Ilan; Craig, Lorraine; Thompson, Mary E; Fong, Geoffrey T; Guignard, Romain; Beck, Francois

2012-02-01

On January 1, 2008, the French government implemented a national ban on indoor smoking in hospitality venues. Survey results indicate the indoor ban has been successful at dramatically reducing indoor smoking; however, there are reports of an increased number of outdoor hospitality spaces (patios) where smoking can take place. This study sought to understand if the indoor ban simply moved smoking to the outdoors, and to assess levels of support for smoking restrictions in outdoor hospitality settings after the smoke-free law. Telephone interviews were conducted among 1067 adult smokers before and after the 2008 indoor ban as part of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) France Survey. Among other topics, this survey measures how the smoking ban has influenced smoking behaviour relevant to outdoor sections of hospitality venues. In addition, 414 non-smoking adults and 164 respondents who had quit smoking between waves were also asked about support for outdoor smoking restrictions. Reported smoking outdoors at cafés/pubs/bars increased from 33.6% of smokers at Wave 1 to 75.9% at Wave 2. At restaurants, smoking outdoors increased from 28.9% to 59.0%. There was also an increase in reported non-smoking for both visits to cafés/pubs/bars, and restaurants from 13.4% to 24.7%, and 30.4% to 40.8% respectively. The majority of smokers (74.5%), non-smokers (89.4%) and quitters (74.0%) support a partial or complete ban on smoking in outdoor areas of restaurants. The indoor smoking ban moved smoking to outdoor spaces; however, the ban is also associated with increased non-smoking behaviour. The majority of respondents support outdoor smoking restrictions in patio environments.

Outdoor Adventure in Australian Outdoor Education: Is It a Case of Roast for Christmas Dinner?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugg, Alison

2004-01-01

Outdoor adventure activities, typically originating from other countries, form the basis of most Australian outdoor education programs. Research on adventure-based outdoor education in Australia and elsewhere has tended to focus on determining the benefits of participating in such programs. Less attention has been paid to a critical examination of…

"Friluftsliv": Traditional Norwegian Outdoor Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tellnes, Atle

1992-01-01

Nature and outdoor life are part of Norway's national identity, as exemplified by a long history of nature-inspired art and literature, the formation of outdoor organizations since the turn of the century, and the development of skiing. Norwegian traditional outdoor life is characterized as travelling with respectful use of nature, to achieve a…

Formal Schema Theory and Teaching EFL Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Barbara N; Man, Zhou

2005-01-01

Inquirers designed and conducted a study investigating whether or not results derived from previous research focusing on teaching and learning English as a native or foreign language would be replicated in a learning environment in which English is taught as a foreign language as in China. Because activation of formal schemata plays an important…

Policies of Adult Education in Portugal and France: The European Agenda of Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavaco, C.; Lafont, P.; Pariat, M.

2014-01-01

This article analyses the influence of the European Union's educational policies on the implementation of devices for the recognition and the validation of informal and non-formal learning within public policies on education and training for adults in European Union Member States. Portugal and France are taken as examples. The European Union's…

The Role of Outdoor Adventure Education in Facilitating Groupwork in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Sam J.; Burns, Victoria E.; Cumming, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Groupwork is an increasingly popular method of learning in higher education and the ability to work effectively with others is important for academic success and employability. This systematic review investigated the use of outdoor adventure education (OAE) in facilitating the development of transferable groupwork skills in higher education. The…

The Contribution of Outdoor Recreation and Outdoor Education to the Economy of Scotland: Case Studies and Preliminary Findings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Peter

2000-01-01

Outdoor recreation and education contribute substantially to the Scottish economy. Outdoor recreation generates considerable tourism income, much of it in rural areas, and also extends the traditional tourist season. Outdoor education centers are significant employers in certain rural areas. In addition, "therapeutic" outdoor programs…

9 CFR 3.27 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Pigs and Hamsters Facilities and Operating Standards § 3.27 Facilities, outdoor. (a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities. (b) Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless...

9 CFR 3.27 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Pigs and Hamsters Facilities and Operating Standards § 3.27 Facilities, outdoor. (a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities. (b) Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless...

9 CFR 3.27 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Pigs and Hamsters Facilities and Operating Standards § 3.27 Facilities, outdoor. (a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities. (b) Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless...

9 CFR 3.27 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Pigs and Hamsters Facilities and Operating Standards § 3.27 Facilities, outdoor. (a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities. (b) Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless...

Mobile learning in medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serkan Güllüoüǧlu, Sabri

2013-03-01

This paper outlines the main infrastructure for implicating mobile learning in medicine and present a sample mobile learning application for medical learning within the framework of mobile learning systems. Mobile technology is developing nowadays. In this case it will be useful to develop different learning environments using these innovations in internet based distance education. M-learning makes the most of being on location, providing immediate access, being connected, and acknowledges learning that occurs beyond formal learning settings, in places such as the workplace, home, and outdoors. Central to m-learning is the principle that it is the learner who is mobile rather than the device used to deliver m learning. The integration of mobile technologies into training has made learning more accessible and portable. Mobile technologies make it possible for a learner to have access to a computer and subsequently learning material and activities; at any time and in any place. Mobile devices can include: mobile phone, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal digital media players (eg iPods, MP3 players), portable digital media players, portable digital multimedia players. Mobile learning (m-learning) is particularly important in medical education, and the major users of mobile devices are in the field of medicine. The contexts and environment in which learning occurs necessitates m-learning. Medical students are placed in hospital/clinical settings very early in training and require access to course information and to record and reflect on their experiences while on the move. As a result of this paper, this paper strives to compare and contrast mobile learning with normal learning in medicine from various perspectives and give insights and advises into the essential characteristics of both for sustaining medical education.

A Mobile Outdoor Augmented Reality Method Combining Deep Learning Object Detection and Spatial Relationships for Geovisualization

PubMed Central

Rao, Jinmeng; Qiao, Yanjun; Ren, Fu; Wang, Junxing; Du, Qingyun

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a robust, fast and markerless mobile augmented reality method for registration, geovisualization and interaction in uncontrolled outdoor environments. We propose a lightweight deep-learning-based object detection approach for mobile or embedded devices; the vision-based detection results of this approach are combined with spatial relationships by means of the host device’s built-in Global Positioning System receiver, Inertial Measurement Unit and magnetometer. Virtual objects generated based on geospatial information are precisely registered in the real world, and an interaction method based on touch gestures is implemented. The entire method is independent of the network to ensure robustness to poor signal conditions. A prototype system was developed and tested on the Wuhan University campus to evaluate the method and validate its results. The findings demonstrate that our method achieves a high detection accuracy, stable geovisualization results and interaction. PMID:28837096

A Mobile Outdoor Augmented Reality Method Combining Deep Learning Object Detection and Spatial Relationships for Geovisualization.

PubMed

Rao, Jinmeng; Qiao, Yanjun; Ren, Fu; Wang, Junxing; Du, Qingyun

2017-08-24

The purpose of this study was to develop a robust, fast and markerless mobile augmented reality method for registration, geovisualization and interaction in uncontrolled outdoor environments. We propose a lightweight deep-learning-based object detection approach for mobile or embedded devices; the vision-based detection results of this approach are combined with spatial relationships by means of the host device's built-in Global Positioning System receiver, Inertial Measurement Unit and magnetometer. Virtual objects generated based on geospatial information are precisely registered in the real world, and an interaction method based on touch gestures is implemented. The entire method is independent of the network to ensure robustness to poor signal conditions. A prototype system was developed and tested on the Wuhan University campus to evaluate the method and validate its results. The findings demonstrate that our method achieves a high detection accuracy, stable geovisualization results and interaction.

Outdoor smoking behaviour and support for outdoor smoking restrictions before and after France's national smoking ban

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Ryan David; Behm, Ilan; Craig, Lorraine; Thompson, Mary E.; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Guignard, Romain; Beck, Francois

2012-01-01

Background: On January 1, 2008, the French government implemented a national ban on indoor smoking in hospitality venues. Survey results indicate the indoor ban has been successful at dramatically reducing indoor smoking; however, there are reports of an increased number of outdoor hospitality spaces (patios) where smoking can take place. This study sought to understand if the indoor ban simply moved smoking to the outdoors, and to assess levels of support for smoking restrictions in outdoor hospitality settings after the smoke-free law. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted among 1067 adult smokers before and after the 2008 indoor ban as part of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) France Survey. Among other topics, this survey measures how the smoking ban has influenced smoking behaviour relevant to outdoor sections of hospitality venues. In addition, 414 non-smoking adults and 164 respondents who had quit smoking between waves were also asked about support for outdoor smoking restrictions. Results: Reported smoking outdoors at cafés/pubs/bars increased from 33.6% of smokers at Wave 1 to 75.9% at Wave 2. At restaurants, smoking outdoors increased from 28.9% to 59.0%. There was also an increase in reported non-smoking for both visits to cafés/pubs/bars, and restaurants from 13.4% to 24.7%, and 30.4% to 40.8% respectively. The majority of smokers (74.5%), non-smokers (89.4%) and quitters (74.0%) support a partial or complete ban on smoking in outdoor areas of restaurants. Conclusion: The indoor smoking ban moved smoking to outdoor spaces; however, the ban is also associated with increased non-smoking behaviour. The majority of respondents support outdoor smoking restrictions in patio environments. PMID:22294782

Reasoning about variables in 11 to 18 year olds: informal, schooled and formal expression in learning about functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayalon, Michal; Watson, Anne; Lerman, Steve

2016-09-01

This study examines expressions of reasoning by some higher achieving 11 to 18 year-old English students responding to a survey consisting of function tasks developed in collaboration with their teachers. We report on 70 students, 10 from each of English years 7-13. Iterative and comparative analysis identified capabilities and difficulties of students and suggested conjectures concerning links between the affordances of the tasks, the curriculum, and students' responses. The paper focuses on five of the survey tasks and highlights connections between informal and formal expressions of reasoning about variables in learning. We introduce the notion of `schooled' expressions of reasoning, neither formal nor informal, to emphasise the role of the formatting tools introduced in school that shape future understanding and reasoning.

Outdoor Education Support System with Location Awareness Using RFID and Symbology Tags

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osawa, Noritaka; Noda, Katsuji; Tsukagoshi, Satoru; Noma, Yutaka; Ando, Akikazu; Shibuya, Tomoharu; Kondo, Kimio

2007-01-01

A support system for outdoor learning using exploratory observation was developed. The system uses radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and two-dimensional (2D) symbology tags to locate positions on a horticultural farm and its surrounding forests. Students were able to get a location-dependent description and an educational hint for…

The Return Home: Transitioning from a 28-Day Remote Outdoor Education Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNatty, Shannon

2016-01-01

This article addresses the challenges for students transitioning from the remote Te Kahu (pseudonym) outdoor education programme back into their home and school city environments. Students must develop methods of coping and readjust to society to continue the personal growth and process the learning affected through the 28-day programme. The…

Does a Formal Wiki Event Contribute to the Formation of a Network of Practice? A Social Capital Perspective on the Potential for Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehm, Martin; Littlejohn, Allison; Rienties, Bart

2018-01-01

Informal learning in blended and online settings plays an increasingly important role in the continuous professional development of individuals. Yet, how do individuals engage into these types of activities? We argue that social capital theory can provide valuable insights into how people behave and decide to take part in (in)formal learning.…

Diversity in the Outdoors: National Outdoor Leadership School Students' Attitudes about Wilderness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gress, Sara; Hall, Troy

2017-01-01

Outdoor experiential education (OEE) programs often cater to white, upper-class individuals. With major demographic shifts occurring in the United States, OEE organizations are confronting this imbalance. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is addressing this issue with its Gateway Scholarship Program. The purpose of this mixed-methods…

Does formal complexity reflect cognitive complexity? Investigating aspects of the Chomsky Hierarchy in an artificial language learning study.

PubMed

Öttl, Birgit; Jäger, Gerhard; Kaup, Barbara

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether formal complexity, as described by the Chomsky Hierarchy, corresponds to cognitive complexity during language learning. According to the Chomsky Hierarchy, nested dependencies (context-free) are less complex than cross-serial dependencies (mildly context-sensitive). In two artificial grammar learning (AGL) experiments participants were presented with a language containing either nested or cross-serial dependencies. A learning effect for both types of dependencies could be observed, but no difference between dependency types emerged. These behavioral findings do not seem to reflect complexity differences as described in the Chomsky Hierarchy. This study extends previous findings in demonstrating learning effects for nested and cross-serial dependencies with more natural stimulus materials in a classical AGL paradigm after only one hour of exposure. The current findings can be taken as a starting point for further exploring the degree to which the Chomsky Hierarchy reflects cognitive processes.

Does Formal Complexity Reflect Cognitive Complexity? Investigating Aspects of the Chomsky Hierarchy in an Artificial Language Learning Study

PubMed Central

Öttl, Birgit; Jäger, Gerhard; Kaup, Barbara

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether formal complexity, as described by the Chomsky Hierarchy, corresponds to cognitive complexity during language learning. According to the Chomsky Hierarchy, nested dependencies (context-free) are less complex than cross-serial dependencies (mildly context-sensitive). In two artificial grammar learning (AGL) experiments participants were presented with a language containing either nested or cross-serial dependencies. A learning effect for both types of dependencies could be observed, but no difference between dependency types emerged. These behavioral findings do not seem to reflect complexity differences as described in the Chomsky Hierarchy. This study extends previous findings in demonstrating learning effects for nested and cross-serial dependencies with more natural stimulus materials in a classical AGL paradigm after only one hour of exposure. The current findings can be taken as a starting point for further exploring the degree to which the Chomsky Hierarchy reflects cognitive processes. PMID:25885790

The Bradford Papers. Volume II, Proceedings from the 1981 Institute on Innovations in Camping and Outdoor Education With Persons Who Are Disabled.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robb, Gary M., Ed.

"Learning by doing" was the theme at the 1981 Institute on Innovations in Camping and Outdoor Education with Persons Who Are Disabled and was represented in the eleven papers presented. The papers describe the use of various outdoor-oriented media for involving persons with disabilities in participatory activities. Topics consisted of…

The Cost of Becoming an Outdoor Instructor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cashel, Chris

This article describes instructor criteria in three outdoor organizations: Outward Bound (OB), the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and the Wilderness Education Association (WEA). Common requirements for outdoor leadership programs are outdoor experience and skills, advanced first aid, CPR, and a minimum age requirement. Traditionally…

Outdoor Education and Troubled Youth. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Dene S.; Davis-Berman, Jennifer

This digest briefly summarizes the parallel development of outdoor education and outdoor therapeutic programs for troubled and adjudicated youth, describes the rationale supporting outdoor approaches, and reports related research and evaluation findings. First attempts to use the outdoors as a healing environment were "tent therapy"…

Curriculum Development in Outdoor Education: Tasmanian Teachers' Perspectives on the New Pre-Tertiary Outdoor Leadership Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet; Morse, Marcus; Shaw, Simon; Smith, Heidi

2014-01-01

The paper examines how outdoor education teachers in Tasmania, Australia have implemented and perceive a new pre-tertiary Outdoor Leadership curriculum document. It draws on an analysis of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 outdoor education teachers. The results revealed that teachers were generally welcoming of the new higher-order…

"Let's Throw That Big Stick in the River": An Exploration of Gender in the Construction of Shared Narratives around Outdoor Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, Tim

2010-01-01

This paper will explore the role of gender in the construction of shared narratives around outdoor spaces. The paper draws on findings from a long-term project investigating young children's learning and the outdoor curriculum. The project is ongoing and involves children aged 3- to 4-years in a nursery school in England. The children are given…

9 CFR 3.27 - Facilities, outdoor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... WELFARE STANDARDS Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Guinea Pigs and Hamsters Facilities and Operating Standards § 3.27 Facilities, outdoor. (a) Hamsters shall not be housed in outdoor facilities. (b) Guinea pigs shall not be housed in outdoor facilities unless...

Definition: Conservation Education, Environmental Education, Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1970

Conservation education, outdoor education, and environmental education all have as a common goal the understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Outdoor education is a method of teaching wherein established disciplines, topics, and concepts which can best be taught outdoors are taught outdoors. Conservation education is the study of man's…

Outdoor Experiences for Young Children. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivkin, Mary S.

This digest examines the value of outdoor experience for young children, reasons for its decline, ways to enhance school play spaces, and aspects of developmentally appropriate outdoor environments. Young children appear to benefit from being outdoors and especially need the broad experiential base provided by being outdoors. The richness and…

Outdoor Learning Can Help Children Flourish in Science and across the Curriculum--The FSC Takes a Lead

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Hannah; Kempton, Anneke

2014-01-01

The recent explosive growth of the Wild Network, which exists to champion and support connection with nature and wildness in children and young people, suggests that there is a groundswell of support for getting young people outdoors. Hannah Rose and Anneke Kempton of the Field Studies Council (FSC) explain why the outdoors is such an important…

Outdoor Adventure Education: Applying Transformative Learning Theory to Understanding Instrumental Learning and Personal Growth in Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Amato, Laura Galen; Krasny, Marianne E.

2011-01-01

We conducted a qualitative study of the experiences of 23 Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) participants to determine what participants found significant about their course and to what course elements they attributed this significance. Participants experienced personal transformations, which they attributed to spending extended time in pristine…

Developing an eLearning tool formalizing in YAWL the guidelines used in a transfusion medicine service.

PubMed

Russo, Paola; Piazza, Miriam; Leonardi, Giorgio; Roncoroni, Layla; Russo, Carlo; Spadaro, Salvatore; Quaglini, Silvana

2012-01-01

The blood transfusion is a complex activity subject to a high risk of eventually fatal errors. The development and application of computer-based systems could help reducing the error rate, playing a fundamental role in the improvement of the quality of care. This poster presents an under development eLearning tool formalizing the guidelines of the transfusion process. This system, implemented in YAWL (Yet Another Workflow Language), will be used to train the personnel in order to improve the efficiency of care and to reduce errors.

Towards the Construction of a Personal Professional Pathway: An Experimental Project for the Recognition of Non-Formal and Informal Learning in the University of Catania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piazza, Roberta

2013-01-01

In Italy, accreditation of prior learning is a sensitive issue. Despite the lack of laws or qualification frameworks regulating the recognition of non-formal and informal learning, most Italian universities proceed with caution, allowing only a restricted number of credits in the university curriculum related to practical activities or to external…

Exploring Bi-Cultural Awareness through Outdoor Education in Preservice Physical Education Teacher Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brawdy, Paul J.

2004-01-01

This paper focuses on the use of outdoor-based experiential learning in an undergraduate physical education teacher preparation program to develop a culturally-sensitive pedagogy for work with children from different cultures. Applying the six-stage process for becoming a bi-cultural teacher (Klug & Whitfield, 2003), teacher preparation…

Instructional Program Planning for Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garbutt, Barbara; And Others

A guide on instructional program planning for outdoor education, prepared for Oakland County (Michigan) teachers, contains suggestions for program planning and lists information sources on suitable outdoor activities. The purpose of outdoor education is defined as being: "to enrich, vitalize and complement content areas of the school…

Definitions of Outdoor Recreation and Other Associated Terminology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phipps, Maurice L.

This document defines terms related to outdoor recreation: (1) outdoor recreation includes activities that occur outdoors in an urban and man-made environment as well as those activities traditionally associated with the natural environment; (2) outdoor education is education in, about, and for the outdoors; (3) environmental education is an…

Outdoor Leadership Skills: A Program Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shooter, Wynn; Sibthorp, Jim; Paisley, Karen

2009-01-01

Successful hiring, training, and pairing or grouping of staff requires administrators to consider the relationship between their programs' goals and the specific outdoor leadership skills of individual leaders. Authors have divided outdoor leadership skills into a three-category structure, and models of outdoor leadership have focused on skills…

Outdoor Education in an Urban Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beedie, Paul

In 1995 the streamlined British national curriculum defined outdoor education as "outdoor and adventurous activities" (OAA) and placed it within the physical education (PE) curriculum. However, many PE teachers lack a knowledge of outdoor education and, when faced with limitations in time, resources, facilities, and expertise, may choose…

Participatory Learning in Formal Adult Education Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kucukaydin, Ilhan; Cranton, Patricia

2012-01-01

Formal courses in adult education are most often housed within schools or faculties that include other disciplines such as teacher education, psychology, or training and development. Adult educators teaching these courses may feel obligated to follow the procedures and practices of the institution as well as of the programs with which they are…

A Walk down Memory Lane: On the Relationship between Autobiographical Memories and Outdoor Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Joe; Nicholas, Jude

2018-01-01

This article highlights a theoretical and practical framework for integrating the neuropsychological concept of autobiographical memory with the experiential learning that takes place in the outdoors. Autobiographical memories, our recollections of specific, personal events, are constructed through a personal narrative process; the way we choose…

The Dirt on Outdoor Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rich, Steve

2000-01-01

Explains the planning procedure for outdoor classrooms and introduces an integrated unit on monarch butterflies called the Monarch Watch program. Makes recommendations to solve financial problems of outdoor classrooms. (YDS)

Confronting passive behavior through outdoor experience: a TA approach to experiential learning

Treesearch

Frederick W. Medrick

1977-01-01

The concepts and techniques of transactional analysis (TA) can usefully be applied to outdoor challenge programs aimed at facilitating personal growth, developing responsibility, and teaching cooperative behavior. Passive behavior results from discounting of the self and others; four levels of it have been identified, and TA offers various means of preventing or...

Combining Formal and Informal Learning: The Use of an Application to Enhance Information Gathering and Sharing Competence in a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Yukiko; Rachmawan, Irene Erlyn Wina; Brückner, Stefan; Waragai, Ikumi; Kiyoki, Yasushi

2017-01-01

This study aims to enhance foreign language learners' language competence by integrating formal and informal learning environments and considers how they can improve their grammatical and lexical skills through the gathering (comprehension) and sharing (writing) of information in the foreign language. Experiments with German learners at a Japanese…

Canoe Pedagogy and Colonial History: Exploring Contested Spaces of Outdoor Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newbery, Liz

2012-01-01

In this paper, I explore how histories of colonialism are integral to the Euro-Western idea of wilderness at the heart of much outdoor environmental education. In the context of canoe tripping, I speculate about why the politics of land rarely enters into teaching on the land. Finally, because learning from difficult knowledge often troubles the…

Hunting and Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Bruce E.

1991-01-01

This article addresses the controversy over including hunting as a part of outdoor education. Historically, figures such as Julian Smith, of the Outdoor Education Project of the 1950's, advocated hunting as a critical element of educating children and youth about care and protection of natural resources. Henry David Thoreau saw hunting experiences…

Formal logic rewrite system bachelor in teaching mathematical informatics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habiballa, Hashim; Jendryscik, Radek

2017-07-01

The article presents capabilities of the formal rewrite logic system - Bachelor - for teaching theoretical computer science (mathematical informatics). The system Bachelor enables constructivist approach to teaching and therefore it may enhance the learning process in hard informatics essential disciplines. It brings not only detailed description of formal rewrite process but also it can demonstrate algorithmical principles for logic formulae manipulations.

Approaches to Foster Transfer of Formal Principles: Which Route to Take?

PubMed

Schalk, Lennart; Saalbach, Henrik; Stern, Elsbeth

2016-01-01

Enabling learners to transfer knowledge about formal principles to new problems is a major aim of science and mathematics education, which, however, is notoriously difficult to reach. Previous research advocates different approaches of how to introduce principles to foster the transfer of knowledge about formal principles. One approach suggests teaching a generic formalism of the principles. Another approach suggests presenting (at least) two concrete cases instantiating the principle. A third approach suggests presenting a generic formalism accompanied by a case. As yet, though, empirical results regarding the transfer potential of these approaches are mixed and difficult to integrate as the three approaches have rarely been tested competitively. Furthermore, the approaches have been evaluated in relation to different control conditions, and they have been assessed using varying transfer measures. In the present experiment, we introduced undergraduates to the formal principles of propositional logic with the aim to systematically compare the transfer potential of the different approaches in relation to each other and to a common control condition by using various learning and transfer tasks. Results indicate that all approaches supported successful learning and transfer of the principles, but also caused systematic differences in the magnitude of transfer. Results indicate that the combination of a generic formalism with a case was surprisingly unsuccessful while learners who compared two cases outperformed the control condition. We discuss how the simultaneous assessment of the different approaches allows to more precisely capture the underlying learning mechanisms and to advance theory on how these mechanisms contribute to transfer performance.

Approaches to Foster Transfer of Formal Principles: Which Route to Take?

PubMed Central

Schalk, Lennart; Saalbach, Henrik; Stern, Elsbeth

2016-01-01

Enabling learners to transfer knowledge about formal principles to new problems is a major aim of science and mathematics education, which, however, is notoriously difficult to reach. Previous research advocates different approaches of how to introduce principles to foster the transfer of knowledge about formal principles. One approach suggests teaching a generic formalism of the principles. Another approach suggests presenting (at least) two concrete cases instantiating the principle. A third approach suggests presenting a generic formalism accompanied by a case. As yet, though, empirical results regarding the transfer potential of these approaches are mixed and difficult to integrate as the three approaches have rarely been tested competitively. Furthermore, the approaches have been evaluated in relation to different control conditions, and they have been assessed using varying transfer measures. In the present experiment, we introduced undergraduates to the formal principles of propositional logic with the aim to systematically compare the transfer potential of the different approaches in relation to each other and to a common control condition by using various learning and transfer tasks. Results indicate that all approaches supported successful learning and transfer of the principles, but also caused systematic differences in the magnitude of transfer. Results indicate that the combination of a generic formalism with a case was surprisingly unsuccessful while learners who compared two cases outperformed the control condition. We discuss how the simultaneous assessment of the different approaches allows to more precisely capture the underlying learning mechanisms and to advance theory on how these mechanisms contribute to transfer performance. PMID:26871902

Lights, Camera: Learning! Findings from studies of video in formal and informal science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borland, J.

2013-12-01

As part of the panel, media researcher, Jennifer Borland, will highlight findings from a variety of studies of videos across the spectrum of formal to informal learning, including schools, museums, and in viewers homes. In her presentation, Borland will assert that the viewing context matters a great deal, but there are some general take-aways that can be extrapolated to the use of educational video in a variety of settings. Borland has served as an evaluator on several video-related projects funded by NASA and the the National Science Foundation including: Data Visualization videos and Space Shows developed by the American Museum of Natural History, DragonflyTV, Earth the Operators Manual, The Music Instinct and Time Team America.

Fundamentals of Outdoor Enjoyment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Jim; Fear, Gene

The purpose of this preventive search and rescue teachers guide is to help high school aged youth understand the complexities and priorities necessary to manage a human body in outdoor environments and the value of planning ahead to have on hand the skills and equipment needed for outdoor survival, comfort, and enjoyment. Separate sections present…

Migration and Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning in Europe: Inclusion, Exclusion or Polarisation in the Recognition of Skills?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Souto-Otero, Manuel; Villalba-Garcia, Ernesto

2015-01-01

This article explores (1) the degree to which immigrants can be considered dominant groups in the area of validation of non-formal and informal learning and are subject to specific validation measures in 33 European countries; (2) whether country clusters can be identified within Europe with regard to the dominance of immigrants in the area of…

Let's Walk Outdoors! Self-Paced Walking Outdoors Improves Future Intention to Exercise in Women With Obesity.

PubMed

Krinski, Kleverton; Machado, Daniel G S; Lirani, Luciana S; DaSilva, Sergio G; Costa, Eduardo C; Hardcastle, Sarah J; Elsangedy, Hassan M

2017-04-01

In order to examine whether environmental settings influence psychological and physiological responses of women with obesity during self-paced walking, 38 women performed two exercise sessions (treadmill and outdoors) for 30 min, where oxygen uptake, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion, affect, attentional focus, enjoyment, and future intentions to walk were analyzed. Physiological responses were similar during both sessions. However, during outdoor exercise, participants displayed higher externally focused attention, positive affect, and lower ratings of perceived exertion, followed by greater enjoyment and future intention to participate in outdoor walking. The more externally focused attention predicted greater future intentions to participate in walking. Therefore, women with obesity self-selected an appropriate exercise intensity to improve fitness and health in both environmental settings. Also, self-paced outdoor walking presented improved psychological responses. Health care professionals should consider promoting outdoor forms of exercise to maximize psychological benefits and promote long-term adherence to a physically active lifestyle.

Formal and Integrated Strategies for Competence Development in SMEs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kock, Henrik; Ellstrom, Per-Erik

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the relationships among the workplace as a learning environment, strategies for competence development used by SMEs and learning outcomes. Specifically, there is a focus on a distinction between formal and integrated strategies for competence development, the conditions under which…

Knowledge Contribution in a Non-Formal Virtual Setting through a Social Constructionist Approach: A Case Study of an Online Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moses, Myra Gail

2012-01-01

This study explored an online learning community in a non-formal educational setting and the process participants used in order to share, create, and construct knowledge through their interactions in the online community. Participants in the study were college interns who were part of a grant that focused on providing professional development for…

An Ethnography of the Outdoor Classroom--How Teachers Manage Risk in the Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stan, Ina; Humberstone, Barbara

2011-01-01

This article explores the approaches to risk that some teachers adopt when they are involved in facilitating outdoor activities. The research was carried out at a residential outdoor centre as part of a PhD study and a follow-up pilot project. The participants were primary school pupils, their teachers and the centre staff. For the purpose of this…

Strategies to Affect Student Awareness of Natural and Social Environments in Outdoor Education: A Resource Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Richard O.

Several instructional strategies have been developed and employed to affect student awareness of natural and social environmental settings. Three instructional strategy orientations have been structured for affecting student conceptual learning and values acquisition-clarification: affective, cognitive, and affective-cognitive. Outdoor education…

Environmental Respect: A New Approach to Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huck, Albert R.; Decker, Eugene

Most outdoor education programs do not include the teaching of correct outdoor behavior. The purpose of this manual is to assist educators and concerned lay persons in establishing an outdoor education program with an instructional strategy that will manipulate students into becoming responsible, ethical, respectful outdoor citizens. Both lay…

Freedom, Flow and Fairness: Exploring How Children Develop Socially at School through Outdoor Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite, Sue; Rogers, Sue; Evans, Julie

2013-01-01

In this article, we report on a study that sought to discover micro-level social interactions in fluid outdoor learning spaces. Our methodology was centred around the children; our methods moved with them and captured their social interactions through mobile audio-recording. We argue that our methodological approach supported access to…

Cultivating Collaborations: Site Specific Design for Embodied Science Learning.

PubMed

Gill, Katherine; Glazier, Jocelyn; Towns, Betsy

2018-05-21

Immersion in well-designed outdoor environments can foster the habits of mind that enable critical and authentic scientific questions to take root in students' minds. Here we share two design cases in which careful, collaborative, and intentional design of outdoor learning environments for informal inquiry provide people of all ages with embodied opportunities to learn about the natural world, developing the capacity for understanding ecology and the ability to empathize, problem-solve and reflect. Embodied learning, as facilitated by and in well-designed outdoor learning environments, leads students to develop new ways of seeing, new scientific questions, new ways to connect with ideas, with others and new ways of thinking about the natural world. Using examples from our collaborative practices as experiential learning designers, we illustrate how creating the habits of mind critical to creating scientists, science-interested, and science-aware individuals benefits from providing students spaces to engage in embodied learning in nature. We show how public landscapes designed in creative partnerships between educators, scientists, designers and the public have potential to amplify science learning for all.

Outdoor Leaders' Emotional Intelligence and Transformational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayashi, Aya; Ewert, Alan

2006-01-01

This study explored the concept of outdoor leadership from the perspectives of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Levels of emotional intelligence, multifactor leadership, outdoor experience, and social desirability were examined using 46 individuals designated as outdoor leaders. The results revealed a number of unique…

Beyond Learning by Doing: An Exploration of Critical Incidents in Outdoor Leadership Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickman, Mark; Stokes, Peter

2016-01-01

This paper argues that outdoor leader education and training is characterized by the development of procedural skills at the expense of crucial but usually ignored non-technical skills (e.g. contextualized decision-making and reflection). This risks producing practitioners with a potentially unsophisticated awareness of the holistic outdoor…

Testing tools for outdoor recreation, environmental education, and stewardship: Allowing children to choose the rules

Treesearch

Laura E. Baird; Logan O. Park

2014-01-01

Engaging children in natural settings enhances learning, promotes early childhood development, and makes use of protected natural areas. Unfortunately, many schoolchildren, especially from economically disadvantaged areas, lack support for environmental education (EE) to develop skills and attitudes that increase rates of appropriate outdoor behaviors. Improved access...

Young Children's Preferences: What Stimulates Children's Cognitive Play in Outdoor Preschools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamani, Zahra

2017-01-01

A number of studies have identified childcare environments as significant resources for children's development, learning through play, and contact with nature. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how, from a child's perspective, specific outdoor physical environments in preschools stimulate children's cognitive play. Emphasizing on the…

Trouble in Paradise - Accident Trends in the Outdoors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huffman, Michael G.

In the U.S. there has been an increase in the number of outdoor recreationists requiring rescue. While it might seem logical that this trend results from the increasing numbers of outdoor enthusiasts, other factors contribute. Mass media give wide exposure to outdoor activities and use outdoor recreation to market many products and services. Such…

Junior High Environmental and Outdoor Education: Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

This manual for Junior High Environmental and Outdoor Education courses specifically addresses the special needs of adolescent students. A program development model is organized around six elements: (1) outdoor core; (2) personal and group development; (3) environmental core; (4) outdoor expeditions; (5) environmental investigations; and (6)…

76 FR 32857 - Great Outdoors Month, 2011

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-07

... Outdoors Month, 2011 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For generations... through stone-faced cliffs. During Great Outdoors Month, we rededicate ourselves to experiencing and... natural heritage. This month, let each of us resolve to protect our great outdoors; discover their wonders...

Reducing indoor residential exposures to outdoor pollutants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sherman, Max H.; Matson, Nance E.

2003-07-01

The basic strategy for providing indoor air quality in residences is to dilute indoor sources with outdoor air. This strategy assumes that the outdoor air does not have pollutants at harmful levels or that the outdoor air is, at least, less polluted than the indoor air. When this is not the case, different strategies need to be employed to ensure adequate air quality in the indoor environment. These strategies include ventilation systems, filtration and other measures. These strategies can be used for several types of outdoor pollution, including smog, particulates and toxic air pollutants. This report reviews the impacts thatmore » typical outdoor air pollutants can have on the indoor environment and provides design and operational guidance for mitigating them. Poor quality air cannot be used for diluting indoor contaminants, but more generally it can become an indoor contaminant itself. This paper discusses strategies that use the building as protection against potentially hazardous outdoor pollutants, including widespread pollutants, accidental events, and potential attacks.« less

Information and communication technology solutions for outdoor navigation in dementia.

PubMed

Teipel, Stefan; Babiloni, Claudio; Hoey, Jesse; Kaye, Jeffrey; Kirste, Thomas; Burmeister, Oliver K

2016-06-01

Information and communication technology (ICT) is potentially mature enough to empower outdoor and social activities in dementia. However, actual ICT-based devices have limited functionality and impact, mainly limited to safety. What is an ideal operational framework to enhance this field to support outdoor and social activities? Review of literature and cross-disciplinary expert discussion. A situation-aware ICT requires a flexible fine-tuning by stakeholders of system usability and complexity of function, and of user safety and autonomy. It should operate by artificial intelligence/machine learning and should reflect harmonized stakeholder values, social context, and user residual cognitive functions. ICT services should be proposed at the prodromal stage of dementia and should be carefully validated within the life space of users in terms of quality of life, social activities, and costs. The operational framework has the potential to produce ICT and services with high clinical impact but requires substantial investment. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Formal Verification of the AAMP-FV Microcode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Steven P.; Greve, David A.; Wilding, Matthew M.; Srivas, Mandayam

1999-01-01

This report describes the experiences of Collins Avionics & Communications and SRI International in formally specifying and verifying the microcode in a Rockwell proprietary microprocessor, the AAMP-FV, using the PVS verification system. This project built extensively on earlier experiences using PVS to verify the microcode in the AAMP5, a complex, pipelined microprocessor designed for use in avionics displays and global positioning systems. While the AAMP5 experiment demonstrated the technical feasibility of formal verification of microcode, the steep learning curve encountered left unanswered the question of whether it could be performed at reasonable cost. The AAMP-FV project was conducted to determine whether the experience gained on the AAMP5 project could be used to make formal verification of microcode cost effective for safety-critical and high volume devices.

Hinterbrand Lodge Outdoor Education Center. Program Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dependents Schools (DOD), Washington, DC. European Area.

Describing Department of Defense Dependents Schools Europe (DODDSEUR) use of Hinterbrand Lodge Outdoor Education Center, this document is directed to sponsors wishing to take groups to Hinterbrand for one or more of the five program options (outdoor education week, teacher weekend, school-designed outdoor education program, administrative faculty…

Resident Program Guide: Hillside Outdoor Education Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sommer, Bonnie

Founded in 1972 as part of the private, non-profit Edwin Gould Outdoor Education Centers, the Hillside Outdoor Education Center offers services to various educational groups by providing residential experiences for students and faculty, day-visit programs, school-site outdoor education programs, teacher workshops, college courses in outdoor…

Benchmarking Outdoor Expeditionary Program Risk Management Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meerts-Brandsma, Lisa; Furman, Nate; Sibthorp, Jim

2017-01-01

In 2003, the University of Utah and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) completed a study that developed a risk management taxonomy in the outdoor adventure industry and assessed how different outdoor expeditionary programs (OEPs) managed risk (Szolosi, Sibthorp, Paisley, & Gookin, 2003). By unifying the language around risk, the…

Cultural Adaptation in Outdoor Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabrizio, Sheila M.; Neill, James

2005-01-01

Outdoor programs often intentionally provide a different culture and the challenge of working out how to adapt. Failure to adapt, however, can cause symptoms of culture shock, including homesickness, negative personal behavior, and interpersonal conflict. This article links cross-cultural and outdoor programming literature and provides case…

E-assessment of prior learning: a pilot study of interactive assessment of staff with no formal education who are working in Swedish elderly care

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The current paper presents a pilot study of interactive assessment using information and communication technology (ICT) to evaluate the knowledge, skills and abilities of staff with no formal education who are working in Swedish elderly care. Methods Theoretical and practical assessment methods were developed and used with simulated patients and computer-based tests to identify strengths and areas for personal development among staff with no formal education. Results Of the 157 staff with no formal education, 87 began the practical and/or theoretical assessments, and 63 completed both assessments. Several of the staff passed the practical assessments, except the morning hygiene assessment, where several failed. Other areas for staff development, i.e. where several failed (>50%), were the theoretical assessment of the learning objectives: Health, Oral care, Ergonomics, hygiene, esthetic, environmental, Rehabilitation, Assistive technology, Basic healthcare and Laws and organization. None of the staff passed all assessments. Number of years working in elderly care and staff age were not statistically significantly related to the total score of grades on the various learning objectives. Conclusion The interactive assessments were useful in assessing staff members’ practical and theoretical knowledge, skills, and abilities and in identifying areas in need of development. It is important that personnel who lack formal qualifications be clearly identified and given a chance to develop their competence through training, both theoretical and practical. The interactive e-assessment approach analyzed in the present pilot study could serve as a starting point. PMID:24742168

Outdoor Lighting Ordinances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, S.

2004-05-01

A principal means to prevent poor exterior lighting practices is a lighting control ordinance. It is an enforceable legal restriction on specific lighting practices that are deemed unacceptable by the government body having jurisdiction. Outdoor lighting codes have proven to be effective at reducing polluting and trespassing light. A well written exterior lighting code will permit all forms of necessary illumination at reasonable intensities, but will demand shielding and other measures to prevent trespass and light pollution. A good code will also apply to all forms of outdoor lighting, including streets, highways, and exterior signs, as well as the lighting on dwellings, commercial and industrial buildings and building sites. A good code can make exceptions for special uses, provided it complies with an effective standard. The IDA Model Lighting Ordinance is a response to these requests. It is intended as an aid to communities that are seeking to take control of their outdoor lighting, to "take back the night" that is being lost to careless and excessive use of night lighting.

E-Learning Sudan, Formal Learning for Out-of-School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stubbé, Hester; Badri, Aiman; Telford, Rebecca; van der Hulst, Anja; van Joolingen, Wouter

2016-01-01

E-Learning Sudan (ELS) is a custom-built computer/tablet game that provides alternative learning opportunities to Sudanese children who are excluded from education. Unique in ELS is that children can learn mathematics, in their own remote village, without a teacher. This research study assessed the effectiveness of ELS in two pilots through a…

A Phenomenology of Outdoor Education Leader Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, Stephanie C.; Lauzon, Lara L.; Meldrum, John T.

2016-01-01

Limited qualitative research exists on the experiences of outdoor education leaders. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the job-related experiences of outdoor education leaders within and outside the workplace. Five participants who had experience as outdoor education leaders completed in-depth, one-on-one interviews about…

A Teachers' Guide for the Outdoor School Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battle Creek Public Schools, MI.

The general aim of this guide is to aid the teachers of the fifth and sixth grade boys and girls who participate in the Outdoor School program at the Battle Creek Outdoor Center. Another major aim of this guide is to aid the outdoor school teachers who bear the major responsibility in implementing the outdoor school program. An historical overview…

OBIS: Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Edward P.; Richmond, Robert F.

The Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) project began in 1972 to enable non-school youth groups (aged 10-15) to gain firsthand experiences in outdoor environments. This descriptive paper explains the program including its purpose and historical background. Specific objectives are to: (1) stimulate curiosity about local environments;…

Training College Outdoor Program Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtis, Rick

This paper describes a training program for college outdoor program leaders developed by the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University (New Jersey). The training program includes a leader training course, a safety management seminar, a wilderness first aid course, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and group skills workshop. This paper describes…

Outdoor Education: Definition and Philosophy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Phyllis

Because outdoor education programs occur in every geographic location, are sponsored by all levels of educational institutions, state and local government agencies, and private entrepreneurs, and have no nationally standardized curriculum or measures of competency or knowledge, outdoor education may best be defines as "education in, about, and for…

Migration and validation of non-formal and informal learning in Europe: Inclusion, exclusion or polarisation in the recognition of skills?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souto-Otero, Manuel; Villalba-Garcia, Ernesto

2015-10-01

This article explores (1) the degree to which immigrants can be considered dominant groups in the area of validation of non-formal and informal learning and are subject to specific validation measures in 33 European countries; (2) whether country clusters can be identified within Europe with regard to the dominance of immigrants in the area of validation; and (3) whether validation systems are likely to lead to the inclusion of immigrants or foster a process of "devaluation" of their skills and competences in their host countries. Based on the European Inventory on validation of non- formal and informal learning project (chiefly its 2014 update) as well as a review of 124 EU-funded (Lifelong Learning Programme and European Social Fund) validation projects, the authors present the following findings: (1) in the majority of European countries, immigrants are not a dominant group in the area of validation. (2) In terms of country clusters, Central European and Nordic countries tend to consider immigrants a dominant target group for validation to a greater extent than Southern and Eastern European countries. (3) Finally, few initiatives aim to ensure that immigrants' skills and competences are not devalued in their host country, and those initiatives which are in place benefit particularly those defined as "highly skilled" individuals, on the basis of their productive potential. There is, thus, a "low road" and a "high road" to validation, leading to a process of polarisation in the recognition of the skills and competences of immigrants.

The Student's Handbook for the Outdoor School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilfillan, Warren C.; Burgess, Robert A.

Directed to the Multnomah County (Oregon) sixth grade students participating in the Outdoor School program, the handbook serves as an introduction to the week-long, resident outdoor education experience which focuses on four natural resources: soil, water, plants, and animal life. Information is provided on the Outdoor School site and staff;…

Meanings teachers make of teaching science outdoors as they explore citizen science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benavides, Aerin Benavides

This descriptive case study examined the meanings public elementary school teachers (N = 13) made of learning to enact citizen science projects in their schoolyards in partnership with a local Arboretum. Utilizing Engestrom's (2001) framework of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), the Arboretum's outreach program for area Title 1 schools was viewed as an activity system composed of and acting in partnership with the teachers. The major finding was that teachers designed and mastered new ways of teaching (expansive learning) and transformed their citizen science activity to facilitate student engagement and learning. I highlight four important themes in teachers' expansive learning: (a) discussion, (b) inclusion, (c) integration, and (d) collaboration. Teacher learning communities formed when colleagues shared responsibilities, formed mentor/mentee relationships, and included student teachers and interns in the activity. This program could serve as a model for elementary school citizen science education, as well as a model for professional development for teachers to learn to teach science and Environmental Education outdoors.

Including "Everyone" in Outdoor Play.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Lynda L.; Kieff, Judith

2002-01-01

Presents guidelines for outdoor play that are important when young children have special needs. Details a decision-making process for planning adaptations and practical strategies for making adaptations and interventions to enhance outdoor play for children with special needs. Lists adaptations for a child who is blind, is deaf, has physical…

LED Outdoor Area Lighting Fact Sheet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

This fact sheet reviews the major design and specification concerns for outdoor area lighting, and discusses the potential for LED luminaires to save energy while providing high quality lighting for outdoor areas.

Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play.

PubMed

Tremblay, Mark S; Gray, Casey; Babcock, Shawna; Barnes, Joel; Bradstreet, Christa Costas; Carr, Dawn; Chabot, Guylaine; Choquette, Louise; Chorney, David; Collyer, Cam; Herrington, Susan; Janson, Katherine; Janssen, Ian; Larouche, Richard; Pickett, William; Power, Marlene; Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen; Simon, Brenda; Brussoni, Mariana

2015-06-08

A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3-12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N=9) and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N=17), and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N=1908). More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: "Access to active play in nature and outdoors--with its risks--is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children's opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings--at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature." The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.

An Ill-Structured PBL-Based Microprocessor Course without Formal Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jungkuk

2012-01-01

This paper introduces a problem-based learning (PBL) microprocessor application course designed according to the following strategies: 1) hands-on training without having a formal laboratory, and 2) intense student-centered cooperative learning through an ill-structured problem. PBL was adopted as the core educational technique of the course to…

Exploring salutogenic mechanisms of an outdoor experiential learning programme on youth care farms in the Netherlands: untapped potential?

PubMed Central

Schreuder, Ester; Rijnders, Mandy; Vaandrager, Lenneke; Hassink, Jan; Enders-Slegers, Marie-José; Kennedy, Lynne

2014-01-01

This study explored how (learning) experiences offered through outdoor experiential programmes, particularly the youth care farm approach, may (or may not) enhance young peoples’ ability to recognise and then utilise available resources for personal growth, protection and health promotion. A total of 11 youngsters were asked to look back on their half-year stay on a care farm in the Netherlands, by using semi-structured interviews to elicit their experiences from a salutogenic perspective. Analysis revealed that several resources (and the interaction of these resources) on the youth care farm worked well for the youngsters; contributed to their personal development and to their sense of coherence: the feeling that the world is or can be meaningful, comprehensible and manageable, associated with positive outcome in endeavours linked to improving health and well-being. In general, the attitude of the farmer, working with animals, the informal atmosphere and being temporarily cut-off from the former environment were elements most positively highlighted by the youngsters. The farm environment was mentioned as calming, however, as structuring as well. The strength of the programme as an experiential learning opportunity appears to be the diversity and richness of resources (and stressors!) available to the participants. This creates various opportunities for learning: making sense, interpreting and giving meaning to resources and stressors. Further research into the impact of this kind of programmes, compared to more ‘traditional’ programmes, especially on the ability of youngsters to use resources to finish school, find employment and develop better relationships with their parents is recommended. PMID:24910490

Exploring salutogenic mechanisms of an outdoor experiential learning programme on youth care farms in the Netherlands: untapped potential?

PubMed

Schreuder, Ester; Rijnders, Mandy; Vaandrager, Lenneke; Hassink, Jan; Enders-Slegers, Marie-José; Kennedy, Lynne

2014-06-01

This study explored how (learning) experiences offered through outdoor experiential programmes, particularly the youth care farm approach, may (or may not) enhance young peoples' ability to recognise and then utilise available resources for personal growth, protection and health promotion. A total of 11 youngsters were asked to look back on their half-year stay on a care farm in the Netherlands, by using semi-structured interviews to elicit their experiences from a salutogenic perspective. Analysis revealed that several resources (and the interaction of these resources) on the youth care farm worked well for the youngsters; contributed to their personal development and to their sense of coherence: the feeling that the world is or can be meaningful, comprehensible and manageable, associated with positive outcome in endeavours linked to improving health and well-being. In general, the attitude of the farmer, working with animals, the informal atmosphere and being temporarily cut-off from the former environment were elements most positively highlighted by the youngsters. The farm environment was mentioned as calming, however, as structuring as well. The strength of the programme as an experiential learning opportunity appears to be the diversity and richness of resources (and stressors!) available to the participants. This creates various opportunities for learning: making sense, interpreting and giving meaning to resources and stressors. Further research into the impact of this kind of programmes, compared to more 'traditional' programmes, especially on the ability of youngsters to use resources to finish school, find employment and develop better relationships with their parents is recommended.

Music Therapy Engages Children with Autism in Outdoor Play. FPG Snapshot. Number 39, February 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FPG Child Development Institute, 2007

2007-01-01

The unstructured space, running, climbing, sliding, and loud nature of playground time can be overwhelming for children with autism who thrive on predictable and structured routines. As a result, these preschoolers often do not experience the learning and social development benefits from outdoor play seen in their typically developing classmates.…

California Outdoor School Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoner, Darleen K.; And Others

This curriculum guide seeks to contribute vision to the values and goals of outdoor education and to show their relevance to all curricular areas. Direction is provided for developing and implementing a dynamic curriculum in outdoor education. The guide is divided into three sections. Section I addresses the informational needs of administrators…

Cultural Diversity in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Graham; Horvath, Erin

2007-01-01

At first glance Sioux Lookout is a typical northern Ontario town, situated within an intricate lake and river system, socially focused on year-round outdoor activities, and enveloped by kilometres and more kilometres of undomesticated Canadian Shield landscape. One might think this would be an ideal spot for outdoor education, just as these…

Group Cooperation in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Bruce E.

1978-01-01

Utilizing the Beatles' Yellow Submarine fantasy (e.g., the Blue Meanies), this outdoor education program is designed for sixth graders and special education students. Activities developed at the Cortland Resident Outdoor Education Camp include a series of group stress/challenge activities to be accomplished by everyone in the group, as a group.…

"I Feel like I'm Being Hit from All Directions": Enduring the Bombardment as a Mature-Age Learner Returning to Formal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willans, Julie; Seary, Karen

2011-01-01

The mature-age learner's re-engagement with a formal learning environment may be somewhat akin to the novice Paintball player who, unless well positioned and attuned to the rules of the combative game, is bombarded and worn down by constant "hits". For the mature-age learner, such "hits" may come in the form of tensions…

Outdoor Education Student Log Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garbutt, Barbara; And Others.

A student log book for outdoor education was developed to aid Oakland County (Michigan) teachers and supervisors of outdoor education in preparing student campers for their role and responsibilities in the total program. A sample letter to sixth graders explains the purpose of the booklet. General camp rules (10) are presented, followed by 6 woods…

Trends in outdoor recreation legislation

Treesearch

George H. Siehl

1980-01-01

The two decades which have passed since the era of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC) have been active and fruitful in terms of Federal recreation legislation. The Commission and its final report "Outdoor Recreation for America" strongly influenced the burst of recreation legislation in the 1960's. Even today, the studies prepared...

The Organization of Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogoff, Barbara; Callanan, Maureen; Gutiérrez, Kris D.; Erickson, Frederick

2016-01-01

Informal learning is often treated as simply an alternative to formal, didactic instruction. This chapter discusses how the organization of informal learning differs across distinct settings but with important commonalities distinguishing informal learning from formal learning: Informal learning is nondidactic, is embedded in meaningful activity,…

Actividades al Aire Libre (Outdoor Activities). OBIS/Mini-Corps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ., Berkeley. Lawrence Hall of Science.

The all-Spanish version of the Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS)/Mini-Corps Outdoor Activities set contains twenty education and recreational activities which provide a variety of outdoor biological experiences and incorporate language skills into outdoor education. Prepared especially for use by migrant children aged 10-15 in a…

Towards Consensus on the Nature of Outdoor Education. Editorial.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Peter; Loynes, Chris

1997-01-01

At a European conference in Finland, various outdoor education organizations drafted a statement of intent for the newly created European Institute for Outdoor Adventure Education. Their common view of outdoor education is that it strives to stimulate personal and social development experientially through some experience of the outdoors. Discusses…

Wilderness Survival and Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Matt

Outdoor education is often delivered through games and activities such as nature hikes or observing an ecosystem within a 1-foot circle on the ground. Often, participants look closely at the earth only for that brief moment. Wilderness survival is another way to teach about the outdoors. It offers skills that encourage participants to become more…

Technology Works in the Outdoors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zita, Adam

2008-01-01

Technology is all around us and no matter how hard educators promote the value of outdoor and experiential education (OEE) to adults and children alike, they are pulled away by a different reality--one might say, a virtual reality. Even when one is engaged in the outdoors either through a night hike or a stream study, technology is lingering…

The Relevance of Campus Outdoor Recreation Programs to Higher Education: A University of Utah Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dustin, Daniel; Furman, Nate; Bricker, Nate; Cederquist, John; Schumann, Scott

2017-01-01

This paper illustrates the relevance of campus recreation to higher education through a University of Utah case study. Offering Utah's Experiential Learning and Outdoor Recreation Education (U-EXPLORE) program as our exemplar, we advance four lines of thought. First, we establish the relationship between an active body and an active mind. Second,…

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES SUPPLEMENTAL TO AND RELATED TO THE ART PROGRAM AT DEEP RIVER OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gary City Public School System, IN.

A CURRICULUM GUIDE DEALING WITH VARIOUS SUBJECT AREAS WAS PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE STUDY ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD USE THE LEARNING RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE DEEP RIVER OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER IN GARY, INDIANA. ACTIVITIES GUIDES ARE PRESENTED FOR (1) ART ACTITIVIES RELATED TO DESIGN, COLOR, LANDSCAPE REPRESENTATION, PAPER CONSTRUCTION, DRAWING, PRINT…

Outdoor Education and Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Alistair

1993-01-01

Discusses the importance of increasing effective communication in outdoor education programs. Examines sensory preferences and how they affect vocabulary, voice tone, and body language. Describes ways that outdoor educators can use this information to improve their communication skills. (LP)

The Current Status of Women's Employment in Outdoor Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loeffler, T. A.

A common assumption in the outdoor field has been that women's development as outdoor leaders has not kept pace with their participation in outdoor adventure activities. A survey about women's employment was mailed to 103 outdoor education programs with an adventure component; 62 responded. The programs served 160,585 participants in 1994, of…

Promoting Democratic Citizenship through Non-Formal Adult Education: The Case of Denmark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milana, Marcella; Sorensen, Tore Bernt

2009-01-01

The article presents selected findings from in-depth case studies of two non-formal learning activities organized by the Danish Folk High Schools and Day High Schools, respectively. The purpose of the empirical study was to investigate how longstanding, non-formal, adult education institutions have worked to foster the acquisition of civic…

OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION AND DNA DAMAGE

EPA Science Inventory

Although working outdoors has frequently been considered more healthful than working indoors, a growing literature suggests that outdoor air exposures increase the risk for a variety of diseases, such as asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer). Consistent with these epidemiologic...

An Exploration of Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences in Outdoor `Places' and Intentions for Teaching in the Outdoors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blatt, Erica; Patrick, Patricia

2014-09-01

This study explores pre-service teachers' past interactions with 'place' in outdoor settings and how these experiences contribute to their current perceptions of the importance of taking their own students into the outdoors. Specifically, the researchers were interested in investigating if current pre-service teachers are part of the 'nature-deficit disorder' generation described by Louv in his book, Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder (2005), as a generation of children growing up without direct experiences in nature. Study participants included 148 undergraduate pre-service elementary teachers enrolled in science teaching methods instructional courses at an urban college in the Northeastern United States and two suburban universities in the Southeastern United States. Participants wrote essay responses after reading Louv's Last Child in the Woods in which they were asked to relate the reading to their own past experiences and their ideas about elementary science education. Results indicate that a large majority of participants (97%) describe significant youth experiences in the outdoors, view nature as important in varying ways (89.9%), and express a desire to expose their own students to the outdoors (65.5%). Key findings are illustrated with direct quotations from the pre-service teachers' essay responses, as they write vividly of their interactions in outdoor places, referred to as 'place meanings'. Implications are presented for teacher educators working with pre-service teachers to build upon their outdoor experiences and prepare them for implementing nature-based instruction.

A Manual of Outdoor Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Rex A.

Within the realm of outdoor education, there are as many definitions of what it is or what it isn't as there are books. One definition is that outdoor education is teaching outside the classroom. It combines with and blends as part of the total curriculum. This handbook is designed as a manual to help train and support staff related to outdoor…

Seeing What Children See: Enhancing Understanding of Outdoor Learning Experiences through Body-Worn Cameras

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Amanda; Gray, Tonia; Truong, Son

2018-01-01

This study investigates innovative ways that outdoor educators can actively promote young participants' authentic voice in educational research and, in turn, increase our understanding of their worldview through accurately recording what children are seeing, hearing, doing, and touching when they are beyond our researcher's gaze. The study was…

Outdoor Education and the Peel Board of Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Katherine

1994-01-01

Describes efforts of an advocacy group of parents, outdoor educators, and classroom teachers to preserve outdoor education in Peel in the face of budget cuts. Despite efforts, a task force recommended the elimination of numerous teaching positions, resulting in reduced programming at outdoor education centers. (LP)

The Influence of Music Learning Cultures on the Construction of Teaching-Learning Conceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casas-Mas, Amalia; Pozo, Juan Ignacio; Montero, Ignacio

2014-01-01

Current research in music education tends to put the emphasis on learning processes outside formal academic contexts, both to rethink and to renew academic educational formats. Our aim is to observe and describe three music learning cultures simultaneously, including formal, non-formal and informal settings: Classical, Jazz and Flamenco,…

Ecological Settings and State Economies as Factor Inputs in the Provision of Outdoor Recreation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siderelis, Christos; Smith, Jordan W.

2013-09-01

State parks play a substantial role in the provision of outdoor recreation opportunities within the United States. Park operators must make crucial decisions in how they allocate capital expenditures, labor, and parkland to maintain recreation opportunities. Their decisions are influenced, in part, by the ecological characteristics of their state's park system as well as the vitality of their state's economy. In this research, we incorporate the characteristics of states' ecosystems and their local economies into a formal production analysis of the states' park systems from the years 1986 to 2011. Our analysis revealed all three factors of production were positive and inelastic. Expenditures on labor had the largest effect on both park utilization and operational expenditures. Our analysis also found a large degree of variability in the effects of ecological characteristics on both utilization and operating expenditures. Parkland utilization and operational expenditures were more elastic in areas such as Oceania and Mediterranean California relative to other ecological regions. These findings lead us to conclude that state park operators will experience variable levels of difficulty in both accommodating increasing demands for recreation from state parks and maintaining the existing quality of outdoor recreation provided within their system.

America's Outdoor Recreation Areas--Playgrounds for the Affluent.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, John D.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the societal benefits of outdoor recreation and to determine the relationship of social stratification to utilization of outdoor recreation facilities. Conclusions are that many of America's outdoor recreation sites are located at considerable distances from population concentrations and require substantial…

Leadership and Administration of Outdoor Pursuits. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Phyllis; Blanchard, Jim

Outdoor leadership aims to assist outdoor participants in making logical and safe transitions from the routine of everyday life to a positive interaction with the natural world. Designed for outdoor leaders and administrators of recreational, educational, and adventure programs, this book provides an overview of current professional practices in…

Parents' Perceptions of Preschool Activities: Exploring Outdoor Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayasuriya, Avanthi; Williams, Marcia; Edwards, Todd; Tandon, Pooja

2016-01-01

Research Findings: Outdoor play is important for children's health and development, yet many preschool-age children in child care settings do not receive the recommended 60 min/day of outdoor play. Child care providers have previously described parent-related barriers to increasing outdoor playtime, including parents not providing appropriate…

Training Outdoor Educators: Integrating Academic and Professional Demands.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Peter; Morgan, Alastair

In the United Kingdom, outdoor educators have varied backgrounds in terms of academic versus professional outdoor training, and the profession has not agreed upon required qualifications. Multiple influences in the historical development of outdoor education have contributed to this situation. Since the 1970s, several U.K. colleges and…

Seeking Resilience and Sustainability: Outdoor Education in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Peter; Ho, Susanna

2009-01-01

Outdoor education is not a universal value. Rather, outdoor education's contributions need to be grounded in time, place and culture. In this paper we describe the historical and cultural milieu that has enabled the emergence of outdoor education in Singapore and report on exploratory survey research into Singaporean teachers' conceptions of…

Federal outdoor recreation trends: effects on economic opportunities

Treesearch

Eric White; J.M. Bowker; Ashley E. Askew; Linda L. Langner; J. Ross Arnold; Donald B.K. English

2016-01-01

Outdoor recreation is a central way that people interact with the natural environment. Federal land agencies are key providers of settings, facilities, and landscapes for recreation. Outdoor recreation is also an important driver of economic activity in rural communities near recreation destinations and across the United States. Future participation in outdoor...

Physical Education & Outdoor Education: Complementary but Discrete Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Peter; McCullagh, John

2011-01-01