New Perspectives in Science Education

Outdoor education has been seen as a powerful teaching strategy in recent years. Numerous variations of methods and forms of teaching can be used, and a number of authors [e.g. 1] have reviewed its description. Hence, the authors of this article decided to analyse the situation with outdoor education in Czech schools, where it is not yet mapped in detail. Data collection was done using social networking sites by questionnaire. Two hundred and sixty-one responses were obtained (177 from teachers working in town schools, and 84 from village schools). Differences in the frequency of outdoor learning realization by school location (urban versus rural) were statistically confirmed (chi-square test). The regular frequency of outdoor education at the shortest evaluated intervals (once a week) was up to 10 times higher in village schools. In our pilot study, the limiting factors and positives of outdoor education were summarized. For the first time, the Likert scale was used to discuss limiting factors of teaching outside. Weather is most often cited as the very inhibiting element (169 respondents). On the other hand, the risk of accident or injury during lessons was cited as the least limiting (16 respondents). Teachers also cited other examples of barriers to realizing outdoor learning, such as outdoor school facilities or lack of time. The respondents mentioned twenty-eight positive effects of outdoor education. The authors classified these 28 points into three areas: improved pupils' education, health benefits, and improved learning methods. Especially health benefits were mentioned as one of the key positives in other countries [e.g. 2]. Our results also showed that the biggest benefit of outdoor education is being in the fresh air (147 respondents). The next classification was inspired based on selected points mentioned by teachers, which directly corresponded to specific teaching strategies, for example: exploring the surroundings (place-based education), getting out of the comfort zone (specific characterization of experience-based education), pupils' experiments (inquiry-based education) and points corresponded with real-world learning (for example outdoor working, learning in nature, multidisciplinary, etc.). From the results, and not only from our research, it is evident that outdoor education is a form of learning that has many positive aspects and, although it has its limits, it should be fully powered in schools for all age pupils' categories.