In this assignment I will be discussing the importance of learning environments for pupils and will be planning a school trip to ‘the woods’. Learning environments consist of various places and locations where learning takes place; the pupils may learn from the environment or the environment may be used to promote learning by using suitable resources. It is vital that pupils are given opportunities to learn in a range of environments as this will allow them to pursue new experiences and aid them to gain knowledge and understanding of the world that they live in. ‘An important aspect of the definition of the curriculum adopted by the Review: the climate for learning is part of the learning experience’ (Donaldson, 2015, p.70). 

Outdoor environments are equally as important as indoor environments and can support and enhance children’s learning and development in many ways. ‘Most practitioners report that learning outdoors promotes children’s engagement and enjoyment in learning. This in turn positively impacts on children’s personal and social development, general behaviour and wellbeing.’ (Estyn, 2011, p.6) The outdoor environment enables the pupils to feel that they are a part of the natural environment and gives them a sense of freedom whilst they are actively learning from their surroundings. ‘Woods, beaches and other natural spaces offer great potential in terms of how they can be utilised for play and learning.’ (Robertson, 2014, p.15) Learning in outdoor environments allows the children to take assessed risks and build up their resilience which links to one of the key characteristics within the four purposes of the new curriculum: ‘All our children and young people will be: healthy, confident individuals who: are building their mental and emotional well-being by developing confidence, resilience and empathy.’ (Donaldson, 2015, p.30) 

It is essential that pupils have access to learning environments that are inclusive and accessible to each pupil. Teachers and practitioners must be aware of the individual needs of each pupil and understand that pupils approach their learning in their own way. ‘A one-size-fits-all approach to learning will not meet this wide range of needs.’ (Donaldson, 2015, p.67) There are seven areas of learning in the Foundation Phase Framework: one of which is ‘Personal and Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity Area of Learning’. Within this area of learning, it states ‘children should be given opportunities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding through being involved in a range of experiences including: activities in the indoor and outdoor learning environments.’ (Welsh Government, 2015, p10) It is crucial for children to have ‘rich, stimulating environments where they can explore and experiment with ideas and resources’ (Donaldson, 2015, p.66) It is within these environments that pupils will collaborate with their peers and be able to make connections to make sense of what they are doing.  

Every learning environment should be a place where pupils feel safe and secure regardless of whether it is an indoor or outdoor environment. Pupils need to feel a sense of ownership in relation to their learning; the learning environment impacts on how children learn depending on how engaging and stimulating it is. ‘The Foundation Phase environment should promote discovery and independence and a greater emphasis on using the outdoor environment as a resource for children’s learning.’ (Welsh Government, 2015, p.3) There are many environments that promote learning however, the outdoor environment allows children to explore, discover and actively participate in their learning by gaining first hand experiences of the natural environment. 

Learning environments can include a range places and locations such as: museums, the woods, the beach, and botanical gardens. Pupils constantly learn in a variety of environments however, the depth of what they learn is dependent on what the environment has to offer and what a practitioner can do to enhance these environments. The more engaging the learning environment, the higher the quality of learning will be. The Foundation Phase framework which is for pupils between the ages of three and seven years strongly promotes the use of both indoor and outdoor environment for learning. The framework also promotes children learning through play which supports Friedrich Froebel’s theory. Pound (2014) notes that Froebel had very strong views on play and the place it had within a child’s development. He ‘viewed play as central to the education of children and their future development’, he also ‘believed passionately in the importance of children expressing themselves’ during their time playing alone as well as playing with others. (Gray and Macblain, 2015, p.34). Rudolph Steiner’s theory also supports the importance of play in the early years of a child’s life. Linda Pound also notes that Steiner believed that children should learn through cross curricular activities and not by setting subject boundaries. He also believed that ‘play strengthens the imagination and supports all aspects of development.’ (Pound, 2014, p.36) 

Within the Foundation Phase, pupils are given a sufficient amount of time to learn through play-based activities in various learning environments. Sometimes these activities are adult led and other times the activities are child led, providing a balance between focus activities, enhanced activities and free play. ‘Healthy development of both body and mind depends on activity and experience’ (Palmer, 2007, p.52). Currently, the new curriculum by Donaldson is aiming to close the transition gap between the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 as the two stages are currently different in the way that the curriculum is taught. The pupils will go from learning through play and being actively involved in their learning by having first hand experiences in various learning environments to sitting at desks in a more formal environment. There is a stronger focus also on the outdoor provision in the Foundation Phase than there is in Key Stage 2 which should change when the new curriculum comes into full effect in 2022. 

The aim of educational visits is to allow pupils to participate in experiential learning within a range of environments; the educational visits can consist of both indoor and outdoor learning environments. Donaldson (2015, p.67) states that ‘visits and visitors can help to bring abstract learning to life’. Pupils benefit greatly from going on educational visits as it gives them the opportunity to gain real life experiences of what they are taught in their school environment. These experiences are what make their learning real and enables pupils to grasp an understanding of what they are being taught. For example: if the theme for a term is ‘minibeasts’ children would benefit greatly from going to explore a local woodland area to see the habitat that they live in. The outdoor environment enables children to ‘move around, to be noisy and to take risks’, the outdoors also has ‘special stimuli such as weather, sounds, smells and textures which can enrich and enhance a child’s learning environment.’ (Welsh Assembly Government, 2009, p.2). These are experiences that pupils will not forget and will aid them to make specific connections with other areas of their learning. 

It is important that both indoor and outdoor environments are ‘fun, exciting, stimulating and safe’ which enables pupils ‘development and natural curiosity to explore and learn through first-hand experiences.’ (Welsh Government, 2015, p. 3) Whilst children are learning certain curricular skills outdoors, they also learn cooperation skills and start to apply thinking skills to real life problems that they may encounter. Pupils enjoy spending time outdoors and take pleasure in the outcomes of their work. (Estyn, 2011) As there are many positive benefits for pupils to use the outdoor environment as a learning resource, it is vital that practitioners use the outdoor space that they have available to them at their setting and take pupils to various other outdoor settings to enable pupils to make real-life comparisons. By giving pupils these learning experiences, it will aid them to make links and connections across their learning. By learning outdoors, there is a vast opportunity for cross-curricular learning also, which enables the pupils to learn numerous skills across the curriculum. GET A QUOTE FROM OEAP

The pupils in year two are ages six and seven years and have been learning about ‘Minibeasts’ this term. Therefore, a woodland area is the most suitable location to take the pupils to. The location of the trip will be Penllergare Valley Woods (see appendix 1) This trip will enable pupils to make links and connections between what they have already learnt and enable them to have a real-life experience of going to a woodland area and exploring what it has to offer.

Urie Bronfenbrenner developed the Ecological Systems Theory and this is described in The Ecology of Human Development. (See appendix 2 for ecological model of individual’s development). Bronfenbrenner placed a strong emphasis on the wider environment when attempting to explore the development of children. He also ‘proposed that it is important to think of a number of layers that encompass children as they develop.’ (Gray and Macblain, 2015, p.122). Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of individual development is made up of four layers, he later added a fifth layer which was called the ‘chronosystem’. The fifth layer is about time and how children interact different with their environment. In this layer, transition is emphasised as being very important. Each part of Bronfenbrenner’s theory and model have an impact on pupils whether it is direct or indirect. 

Bronfenbrenner’s model has been criticized as it ‘does not pay adequate attention to the individual psychological needs of children.’ (Gray and Macblain, 2015, p.125) as he focuses on influential learning environments and relationships rather than the childs personal needs. In contrast, Albert Bandura’s social learning theory concentrated on a child’s self-efficacy and what the child would learn from modelled behaviour from those around them ‘which would underpin their resilience and coping mechanisms’ towards real life situations. (Gray and Macblain, 2015, p.125) Bronfenbrenner focuses on the fact that many real-life situations affect people in all cultures and societies and that there are therefore systems in place to support the child. Both the environmental and psychological needs of the pupils should be taken into account when taking them on any trip to ensure that all pupils get the most from the learning experience.

When taking pupils on an educational visit, it is essential that certain protocols are followed to ensure best practice. The teacher who is in charge of organising the visit must read the schools policy for educational visits to understand what is fully expected of them when organising and taking pupils on an educational visit that is off the school premises. The visit leader (teacher) should work closely with the educational visit coordinator of the school when planning a school trip. QUOTE 

One of the main protocols that has to be done is a risk assessment (see appendix 3), this needs to be done beforehand and each member of staff/parent volunteers going on the trip need to have read the risk assessment to ensure that they can keep the pupils as safe as possible. Many places that cater for educational trips may have their own risk assessments however, their risk assessments may not always cover all potential risks to a class of pupils. Therefore, the risk assessment should be looked at in detail and amended as appropriate to cover the specific needs of the pupils attending the visit. Other protocols to be undertaken include: getting permission from parents for their child to go on the visit by sending out consent forms (see appendix 4), getting up to date contact and medical information, ensuring an appropriate ratio of staff/parent volunteer to pupils and groupings of the pupils.

Pupils develop and learn many skills when being in outdoor environments. Froebel believed that play and the outdoor environment were very important elements in a ‘Froebelian kindergarten. Children between the age of one and seven would be encouraged to garden and to enjoy nature and the outdoors.’ (Pound, 2014, p.19). Outdoor learning environments can support the development of pupils skills as nature provides its own natural resources to enable cross-curricular learning opportunities. (NEED TO FINISH)

Prior to any visit, the visit leader would do a pre-visit to the place, a risk assessment of the place would then be completed. Consent forms would have to be sent out to parents and additional staffing would need to be organised in order to ensure that the ratio is appropriate to the visit and the age of the pupils attending the visit. It is also essential that the visit leader ensures that the place for the educational visit is accessible to all of the pupils attending the visit and if there are toilet facilities at the place. It is important to ensure that there are both female and male member of staff attending the visit if needed for any reason. 

Prior to the visit, the pupils will have learnt about minibeasts and their habitats. The pupils are able to identify mini-beasts and have been learning about the environments their different habitats and about some of their characteristics. The pupils will have undertaken one of the same activities within the school grounds as they will be doing on the trip. This involves pupils working in pairs and using a hoop to cover a patch of ground. The pupils will then have recorded the minibeasts that they identified in the hoop and would have done a tally chart next to each minibeast to account for how many they found using their magnifying glasses. 

Before going on the educational visit, each member of staff or parent volunteer will be briefed on how many pupils they will be responsible for (staff to pupil ratio) and the colour of their group, e.g. Mr Williams would be responsible for grwp coch – (red group).  and will be familiarised with all potential risks and their duty to reduce the risks. Pupils will be put into colour coded groups, for example: one group of six pupils would be grwp oren (orange group), another group of six pupils would be grwp glas (blue group). The pupils will also know what is expected of them in terms of their behaviour, staying in their groups and they will also be informed of potential risks and what they can do to avoid those risks. The pupils will also be looking at the Walker’s Code (see appendix 5) This incorporates aspects of ESDGC themes such as the ‘natural environment’ and ‘waste and consumption’. This ‘can motivate children because it provides interesting real life, topical contexts which learners can relate to, and an exciting opportunity for developing skills.’ (Welsh Assembly Government, 2008, p.6).

During the visit, the pupils will be participating in numerous activities which are mainly based around their theme ‘minibeasts’. The activities will take place in ‘the quarry’ and ‘the upper lodge site’ within Penllergare Valley Woods (see appendix 6 for lesson plan). The pupils will be made aware that they should not to pick any flowers, leaves or branches from any of the trees or flowerbeds as they have to learn to preserve the natural woodland area that they are in. ‘An emotional and spiritual connection with nature is necessary’ in order for children to understand and recognise ‘the action needed to look after and play their part in restoring the health of our planet.’ (Robertson, 2014, p.113) This supports an important part of one of the ESDGC themes the ‘natural environment’. It is vital for pupils to recognise that they have to look after the natural environment for many reasons which support sustainability. 

The pupils will be reflecting on the visit to Penllergare Valley Woods the day after the visit and will be thinking about and discussing what they learnt as a result of the visit. The pupils will also be comparing their findings from their minibeast hunt on school grounds to their findings from the woodland area and will be making a bar chart on their jit accounts.