Education for Sustainability
In this section we highlight ongoing projects that are enhancing the focus on sustainability of all kinds in education and which are developing innovative practices to teaching about sustainability.
“Engaging forests in Initial Teacher Education: outdoor learning, pedagogy and practice" pilot project.
This pilot research project will explore student teachers’ knowledge, backgrounds, and confidence in outdoor learning, focussing on woodland environments. Such outdoor learning is sometimes referred to under the banner of ‘forest schools’, and includes a range of pedagogical approaches and activities, including art and craft, bushcraft, nature awareness, wild food, ecology, and play. This project will explore student teacher preparedness for including forest-based outdoor learning in their practice. We will focus on the following areas within forest contexts: bushcraft; experimental archaeology; place-responsive pedagogies; citizen science pedagogy. By working with volunteer student teachers, we will be able to identify the opportunities and challenges presented whilst leading and undertaking outdoor learning in woodland contexts. We will present recommendations to enhance student teacher preparedness in forest-based outdoor learning in Scotland. Our project will thus situate forest-based outdoor learning provision in relation to the Scottish teacher education landscape.
Team (click on names to view profiles):
