Dr Alan Price, Dan Whittaker
Learning beyond the classroom – two different approaches towards the amelioration of social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
Symposium
Learning beyond the classroom – Outcomes from a social and emotional learning skills program.
Part 1 aims to present the outcomes of an action research project concerned with the augmentation of social and emotional learning skills (SEL) through participation in outdoor learning. The SEL program ran for a year and consisted of weekly whole day sessions, a weekly reflective session and three progressive residentials. The program used a range of activities to develop SEL skills; forest school, water sports, mountain biking, hill walking, climbing, caving, problem solving and camping trips.
The presentation would open with a brief discussion of the program and the importance of social and emotional learning skills in everyday situations and the relevance of SEL to young people with SEMH. This would be followed by a brief outline of the research methodology, including participant recruitment, data collection and ethical concerns.
The main part of the presentation would focus on the research findings: Improved attendance, evidence of SEL skills and the production of a positive group structure.
The final part would focus on the influences that the research found were important to bring about change in small groups of learners.
Learning beyond the classroom – Developing character through the teaching of virtues.
The second case study explores the development of character within the SEMH learner, the benefits of this and how a program known as ‘Out and About’ is delivered within the constraints of a school curriculum. The program was recently judged by Ofsted as ‘high quality outdoor learning’.
The Out and About program is built upon a theory of change and centres around Plato’s (394 BC) belief in learning the virtues practically. Through the program learners are exposed to wide range of outdoor experiences ranging from canoeing, mountain biking, archery, climbing, but also more traditional skills such as bushcraft, whittling, fire, pole lathing.
Through the challenges of practical experience and reflection learners are guided to recognise their own virtues. The aim is that over time, these virtues might inform their social and academic practices.
Learning beyond the classroom – two different approaches towards the amelioration of social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
Symposium
Learning beyond the classroom – Outcomes from a social and emotional learning skills program.
Part 1 aims to present the outcomes of an action research project concerned with the augmentation of social and emotional learning skills (SEL) through participation in outdoor learning. The SEL program ran for a year and consisted of weekly whole day sessions, a weekly reflective session and three progressive residentials. The program used a range of activities to develop SEL skills; forest school, water sports, mountain biking, hill walking, climbing, caving, problem solving and camping trips.
The presentation would open with a brief discussion of the program and the importance of social and emotional learning skills in everyday situations and the relevance of SEL to young people with SEMH. This would be followed by a brief outline of the research methodology, including participant recruitment, data collection and ethical concerns.
The main part of the presentation would focus on the research findings: Improved attendance, evidence of SEL skills and the production of a positive group structure.
The final part would focus on the influences that the research found were important to bring about change in small groups of learners.
Learning beyond the classroom – Developing character through the teaching of virtues.
The second case study explores the development of character within the SEMH learner, the benefits of this and how a program known as ‘Out and About’ is delivered within the constraints of a school curriculum. The program was recently judged by Ofsted as ‘high quality outdoor learning’.
The Out and About program is built upon a theory of change and centres around Plato’s (394 BC) belief in learning the virtues practically. Through the program learners are exposed to wide range of outdoor experiences ranging from canoeing, mountain biking, archery, climbing, but also more traditional skills such as bushcraft, whittling, fire, pole lathing.
Through the challenges of practical experience and reflection learners are guided to recognise their own virtues. The aim is that over time, these virtues might inform their social and academic practices.
