The BERA Guide to Outdoor Learning: Place-Responsive Pedagogy in Educational Research and Practice

Educational research worldwide has shown that outdoor learning is a positive element of educational practices, which benefits children’s mental health and wellbeing, physical wellness, cognitive development.

The BERA Guide to Outdoor Learning offers diverse perspectives on outdoor learning in all educational settings and advocates a teaching philosophy centred on immersive experiences, nature connection, play, dialogue and experiential learning, making use of place-based pedagogical perspectives. This collection shows how outdoor, play-based learning can support the teaching in all educational contexts including Higher Education. The theoretical framework for the future of research and practice in outdoor learning will benefit practitioners in both primary and secondary schools, school leaders, teacher educators and outdoor learning providers. Accompanied by case studies and vignettes, chapters exemplify how research in alternative and under-represented aspects of outdoor learning can support the development of curriculum and pedagogy to develop creative and meaningful learning experiences for all children to deepen their learning across a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum.

Published in partnership between the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and Emerald Publishing, The BERA Guides are short, research-informed yet accessible introductions to key, interdisciplinary topics impacting education research and practice for a broad academic audience.

Lucy Sors is a senior lecturer at York St John University specialising in outdoor learning, inclusion and languages.

Ruth Unsworth is a senior lecturer at University of Glasgow, UK.