7EDU2024Introduction to Outdoor Environmental Education Theories in Practice

About the course

This course is a first step into the world of Outdoor Environmental Education. When you complete this course, you’ll feel confident to visualise, plan and identify where theories emerge for you. You’ll have some quick wins to take into your current practice and an excellent foundation to spring from. Plus, if your initial interest has evolved and you wish to continue your studies, you can use the credits from this module towards a PgCert in Outdoor Environmental Education. You can re-join us in November to continue your learning.

This course will teach you key theories in outdoor environmental education. Whether you work with children, adults or the elderly, we’ll inspire you to design activities that nurture personal growth. Together we’ll explore the value of outdoor environmental education in a range of settings, such as mainstream, special and higher education, alternative provision, home-schooling, youth activities, adult learning centres and education for older adults.

This is a chance to turn your interest in Outdoor Environmental Education into something more. You could be a primary or secondary school teacher who wants to innovate your practice and can’t commit to a longer course. Or you could be a canoe or walking coach looking for new ideas to engage with your clients. Or perhaps you’re thinking of taking your career in a completely new direction and want to test the waters first? Whatever your experience and whatever your goal, this course will give you a strong understanding of outdoor environmental education and ideas for how you can use it.

Teaching methods

We’ll teach you through a variety of workshops, fieldwork and innovative online learning. You could be listening to a podcast one day and on a field trip the next. This could involve a sea walk or canoeing. Every step off the way you’ll be inspired to relate contemporary and well-established theories to your practice. Towards the end of the course you’ll take part in a 3-day residential field trip, designing and running activities for a client group. You’ll be assessed through a piece of new writing, as you reflect on your own journey as a learner-educator.

Whatever your background, wherever you’re from, we want to encourage everyone with an interest in outdoor environmental education to take this opportunity. We understand that you may have work, family and personal commitments and that’s why we’ve designed an inclusive timetable to accommodate real lives. We ask you to commit to one set day’s teaching a week, where you’ll be on campus or participating in fieldwork. Then there’s the equivalent of another full day studying in your own time. Plus, our residential fieldtrip is local, so if you can’t commit to staying over that’s fine too. You can commute each day. We believe in making outdoor environmental education accessible to everyone, for educators and learners.

Course experts

Mr Lewis Stockwell
Programme Leader
Find out more about Mr Lewis Stockwell

Course fees

The fee for this module is £1580