The writer's interest in outdoor education is based on a college major in Physical Education, two years as director of a day camp in the Los Angeles area, and ten years of experience as a school administrator. During this time, interest developed in the possibilities of outdoor education as a means of providing many direct learning experiences not possible in the regular classroom. The writer thus becomes especially interested in the possibility of providing a program that would more nearly meet the needs of young people than is possible through traditional classroom procedures. Extending learning to the out-of-doors through a well-planned and directed outdoor education program seemed to offer many opportunities for enriching the school curriculum. The more realistic schools become in their attempt to equip individuals for life, the more they realize the inadequacy of the traditional school environment. Many limitations imposed by tradition are being removed through revised procedures and methods of instruction. There remains certain limitations, however, of the school environment itself, such as lack of direct contact with nature and lack of opportunities for certain types of human relationships which are more nearly possible through group living. Modern educators believe that many of these limitations may be removed by extending education to an out-of-door environment by making camping experiences a part of the regular school curriculum. The conclusion was reached that one of the important reasons for the delay in acceptance of outdoor education as a part of the regular school program was due to the fact that administrators, who sooner or later must assume the responsibility for initiating new programs in education, need more information concerning methods of getting an outdoor education program started. Such administrative factors as financing, selecting a staff, planning a program, providing for health and safety, selecting a, camp site, and others, are real problems that must be faced by those who are contemplating the establishment of an outdoor education program.

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Inclusion presents a task to school education: creating truly inclusive learning setting, the perseverance of segregated educational practices, and the contrary opinions of teachers and parents about the appropriateness of those educational settings. Outdoor education offers an alternative setting for learning. Experiential learning is the focus here. Studies show that outdoor learning can have a positive impact on learning. In addition, individual studies also illustrate positive effects on individual support needs. In contrast, this study explores teachers' experiences in inclusive outdoor education and does not focus on a single support need. Perceived benefits and challenges are analyzed and interpreted to form foundations for theory and practice for future inclusive outdoor education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. 8 interviews with 9 teachers from Denmark, Sweden and Ireland were conducted. A common understanding of the concepts of inclusion and outdoor education and therefore inclusive outdoor education has been found. Even though it is only a small sample of 9 teachers, it can be stated that the benefits mentioned outweigh the challenges: More and varied benefits are mentioned. Benefits could be found in the following areas: well-being, inclusion, learning and calming. Challenges were found in the areas of external circumstances, pedagogical challenges and challenges within the student. The findings of the study are partly in line with previous studies, but also complement them by the specialfocus on general inclusion.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: John Portelli.

This project offers a nature program that can be implemented into youth camp programs. Outdoor Residential Camp programs offered by youth organizations provide an outdoor camp experience for many children in the communty. Many offer participants resident summer camp programs which is a perfect venue for the outdoor experience. Children exposed to outdoor experiences develop a greater sense of responsibility to the natural environment around them. The schools are not doing enough to educate youth about the natural environment. This project was written specifically for the Azalea Trails Girl Scout Camp located in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California however, it could be adapted to be used at any residental camp setting.

The purpose of my study is to find out whether and how preschool teachers work with biology with the youngest preschool children. I also intend to investigate whether teachers in toodler groups believes that the biology related targets within the curriculum preschool policy document are achievable and how they intend to work with them practically. I have conducted interviews with four preschool teachers who are working with the youngest preschool children. The interviews describe how the preschool teachers work with biology integrated into the everyday practice by taking note of what the children show interest in and then acts together with them. They emphasizes the importance of working close to the child to overcome barriers and demonstrate sustainable approach to nature. The preschool teachers believes that the curriculum documents related to biology are reasonable and achievable, they claims to be working with them on the children's level.

Forskning visar att matematikundervisningen till stor del grundar sig på det teoretiska och enskilda arbetet i matematikboken. Vidare lyfter forskning också fram vikten av att variera dagens matematikundervisning med både teoretiska och praktiska inslag, då dessa kompletterar varandra och bidrar till att eleverna utvecklar djupare kunskaper inom ämnet matematik. Ett arbetssätt som visat sig fungera som ett komplement till den mer traditionella och teoretiska matematikundervisningen är utomhusmatematiken, som grundar sig på det praktiska arbetet. Studiens syfte var därför att undersöka på vilket sätt praktiska och teoretiska inslag skrivs fram i olika typer av läromedel. Studien har ett fokus på utomhusmatematik. Resultatet av analysen har visat att samtliga läromedel som analyserats i denna studie innefattar både praktiska och teoretiska inslag, men i varierande utsträckning. / Research shows that mathematics teaching is largely based on the theoretical and individual work in mathematics book. Further research also highlights the importance of varying the mathematics education with both theoretical and practical elements, as they complement each other and help students develop a deeper knowledge in mathematics. An approach proven to work as a complement to the more traditional and theoretical mathematics teaching is outdoor mathematics, which is based on practical work. The study's purpose was to investigate how the practical and theoretical elements are produced in different types of learning materials. The study has a focus on outdoor mathematics. The result of the analysis shows that all teaching materials analyzed in this study include both theoretical and practical elements, but to varying degrees.

This study investigated the success and failure beliefs, instructional practices, and personal learning preferences of outdoor adventure education (OAE) instructors, and explored factors that influenced these beliefs, practices, and preferences. While statistical analysis did not show significant differences among the various demographic categories on success beliefs, instructional practices, or personal learning preferences, there were significant differences in the magnitude of reported failure beliefs. Results from this study showed that OAE instructors' age, their professional experience, their employer, and the activities they teach affect their failure beliefs. Furthermore, OAE instructors indicated that success instructional techniques, like implementing scaffolding, should be used at the onset of a course or when a new skill is being introduced, while failure techniques should be employed as students gain experience or as a perception check to assess competence. The implications of these findings for OAE instructors is discussed.

Inclusion recognises the diversity of people and aims to use these differences as advantages. Since the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009 there have been changes to the educational system in Germany; children with special needs are now attending general schools. This change has developed complex debate in societies discourse and the media. It has highlighted the need for changes within the education sector that support inclusion and allow all students to participate on their level. Within the field of Outdoor Education, learning contains practical and theoretical approaches, all senses should be used and emphasis is placed on students learning from experiences. Those learning methods are particularly well adapting for children with special needs as special education works with direct learning approaches. The place of learning is a key element within Outdoor Education and learning can take place outside the classroom in urban or rural environments. In order to determine if Outdoor Education has the potential to increase inclusion of children with special needs, a study in a German primary school was conducted. The study focused on a single class whilst they participated in mathematics lessons. Interactions were observed between students and teachers during indoor and outdoor lessons; follow-up interviews with students and teachers were made. The findings presented participation of all children while learning outside the classroom. In particular children with special needs showed an increased sense of achievement and a higher level of motivation and concentration in the outdoor lessons due to the fact that they were able to contribute to the exercises. The presented findings show that Outdoor Education has a meaningful potential in order to increase inclusion in German schools.