Sometimes we went outside to learn, later writing about it indoors. This outdoor-indoor approach gave me the flexi- bility to adapt to the weather, and to integrate a variety of writing tasks and subject strands, such as science and social studies. Throughout the process I’ve been encouraged by others’
research on how outdoor experiential learning can con- tribute to literacy development and achievement. The early analysis of the data I’m collecting is that this approach is leading to high motivation and to more writing from my students. Those with attention challenges seem to be more focused during outdoor learning, and they bring back a wealth of observations to inform their writing. The children’s descriptive writing outdoors has greatly improved in terms of length and quality compared to anything they have done solely indoors. Analysis of these data and the collaborative discussions our team has had about literacy and learning outdoors have given me new insights into how my students learn best. I’m excited to explore more questions about how outdoor learning can enrich literacy development in primary classrooms.
Deepening Relationships with Water — Adrienne Rigler Over the last four years, I have worked to develop an aware- ness among our school community about local and global water issues. I have taught at the same inner-city school in Toronto for many years, and I am very aware of my privilege, as my earliest memories and life experiences were founded in ecology. My father was a limnologist and ecologist, and he immersed my family in his world of science and wonder. I wanted to share similar experiences with my students, but I began to understand that without interacting with water first- hand in nature, their understanding of water’s importance in the natural environment would be limited. This began to change in 2013, when I joined a learning
partnership with a school in Shanghai, China. The school is within a few blocks of the Huangpu River. The river was highly polluted, so the school seized the opportunity to use water issues as the focus for their junior classes, and estab- lished a “Water Culture” in the school. Inspired by their school, I started an annual school-wide World Water Day event in 2015. I became interested in the impact of such events and outdoor education experiences on student activ- ism. Joining the Action Research team added a new dimen- sion to this work, as I am investigating how I can support students’ connections to water in ways that deepen student participation in collaborative action projects focused on water issues. While my students are now more aware of water issues, this awareness has not yet manifested in a change in behavior toward a sustainable use of water. Pre- viously, many of my students’ experiences with water were in artificial settings (e.g., water parks or swimming pools) or were indirect (e.g., learning about Niagara Falls without visiting it); this year my students are searching for water in their local community, tracing its path to Lake Ontario, and studying the watersheds that border our school. By providing students with rich learning opportunities to experience water issues firsthand, I’m aiming to develop within them a deep
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