PDTCA 2023

Alberta has a bounty of natural resources and outdoor learning environments, but nature and being in the outdoors can be defined and understood differently by many people. The same can be said about the terms 'outdoor education', 'risk', and 'risky play'. Risk is a word often thought of as a negative term, instead of a term that in the context of play and learning, can simply mean a challenge or something that is exciting or thrilling. Teachers, administrators, and many parents have taken it upon themselves to create rules that stifle or eliminate outdoor play and hinder memorable learning and positive experiences in the outdoors. This is done in an attempt to protect children, but the question that needs to be asked is, "are we doing more harm than good in the long term by keeping kids inside our school building?".
This session is intended to provide real stats and facts and allow all attendees to consider and contemplate their own levels of risk. The intent of this presentation is to provide an opportunity for all attendees to question and consider how we as teachers and parents, utilize the outdoors and whether we give our students and children enough opportunities to learn and express themselves in the "outdoor classroom". Using literature from Richard Louv and other outdoor education theorists as well as educational philosophers, this session will cause teachers to pause and ponder their teaching practices and consider how their personal pedagogy may be enhanced by utilizing the outdoors more and create learning opportunities for students that are rich and potentially more engaging and relevant than the current practices that they employ.
Giving kids their wildhood back is meant to allow children of all ages to be outdoors, disconnect from technology and simply enjoy and embrace the beauty of mother nature. As teachers, we can teach all curricula outdoors and make valuable connections between curricula if we really want to. Taking our indoor lessons outdoors, even a little bit, may provide students with extra motivation and willingness to engage in their learning more profoundly and meaningfully.