Welcome back to Beyond’s Geography Blog! This entry focuses on Celebrating Outdoor Classroom Day.
There is no better way to connect with Geography than by stepping out of the classroom and into the great outdoors. Outdoor Classroom Day is a celebration of the invaluable experiences that can be gained from learning outdoors. This year it takes place on 2nd November.
In this Beyond Geography blog post, we’ll explore different ways students can celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day and how it can enhance their understanding of the world around them through field trips, geographical investigations, and fieldwork data collection!
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Why is Outdoor Learning important?
Outdoor Classroom Day, which is celebrated worldwide, not only encourages students to take their education beyond the walls of the classroom but to explore the real-world applications of their studies.
Geography is a subject that is inherently connected to the environment and the physical world, this makes it the perfect subject for outdoor learning.
Learn more about Outdoor Classroom Day here.
How can we celebrate Outdoor Classroom Day?
Field Trips
Field trips are a fundamental part of a Geography student’s education. Not only do they offer the opportunity for them to explore geographical features but it allows them the chance to identify these features themselves.
Whether it’s visiting coastal regions, mountains, or urban areas, field trips can provide a chance for students to witness the concepts learned in the classroom, in the real world. These trips also help students understand the dynamic relationship between humans and their environment.
Check out this KS3 A Field Trip to the Coast Planning Sheet.
Geographical Investigations
Outdoor Classroom Day encourages students to engage in geographical investigations, everything from simple observations to complex research projects. These investigations allow students to delve deep into geographical features such as erosion, climate change, biodiversity, and urban development. It ensures opportunities for students to collect valuable data that they can then analyse.
These investigations will provide students with practical experience in conducting research, making observations, and drawing meaningful conclusions.
You may find this Geographical Investigation Write-Up: Introduction and Location Lesson Pack useful.
In Geography students are required to develop and demonstrate various geographical skills, including cartographic, graphical, numerical and statistical skills. Field Trips will ensure students have experience using these skills in the real world.
Geographical Skills student could develop during and after Field Trips:
Atlas Maps
- Use and understand coordinates – latitude and longitude.
- Recognise and describe distributions and patterns of both human and physical features.
- Identify and describe significant physical and human landscape features using maps on various scales, e.g. population distribution, population movement, transport networks, settlement layout, relief and drainage.
- Analyse the correlation between physical and human factors using map skills and establish associations between observed patterns on thematic maps e.g. comment on the relationship between relief and settlement shapes.
Ordnance Survey Maps
- Accurately locate features on a map using coordinates including four and six-figure grid references.
- Recognise relief patterns and use geographical language to describe different gradients, contour lines and spot heights.
- Identify basic landscape features e.g. river patterns and describe their characteristics using map evidence.
- Accurately interpret maps to describe the physical and human landscape, including relief patterns, settlements, communication systems and land use.
Graphical Skills
- Use and complete various graphs and maps – choropleth, isoline, dot maps, desire lines, proportional symbols and flow lines.
- Suggest an appropriate form of graphical representation for the data provided.
- Plot information on graphs when axes and scales are provided.
- Interpret and extract information from different maps, graphs and charts, including population pyramids, choropleth maps, flow-line maps and dispersion graphs.
Numerical Skills
- Design fieldwork data collection sheets and collect data with an understanding of accuracy, sample size and procedures, control groups and reliability.
- Draw informed conclusions from numerical data.
Click here to explore our Geographical Investigation Write-Up: Analysis, Evaluation and Conclusion Lesson Pack.
Use of Qualitative and Quantitative Data
- Use qualitative and quantitative data from primary and secondary sources to obtain, illustrate, communicate, interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information.
Check out our AQA GCSE Geographical Skills Revision Checklist!
Fieldwork Data Collection
Fieldwork is an essential component of KS3 and KS4 Geography. It allows students to collect data and apply geographical concepts in real-world scenarios. Whether measuring river discharge, conducting surveys of land use, or studying population patterns, fieldwork bridges the gap between theory and practice.
Outdoor Classroom Day can serve as an opportunity to carry out fieldwork in an engaging and memorable way. Students can develop hypotheses, plan data collection methods, and analyse their findings in real-time. This hands-on experience provides a deep understanding of geographical concepts and fosters a lifelong appreciation Geography.
Need a handy Fieldwork Data Collection resource? Download our KS3 The Geography of My School Fieldwork Data Collection Worksheet.
Conclusion
Outdoor Classroom Day is a celebration of all the ways you can instigate learning outside the classroom. Field trips, geographical investigations, and fieldwork data collection are invaluable tools that help students connect with the world around them and apply their knowledge in practical ways.
By participating in this exciting celebration, Geography students can develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. It can make their educational journey a fun adventure and be the start of a lifelong love for Geography. So, put on your walking boots, grab your notebooks, and step outside to explore the fascinating world of Geography.
We hope you found this blog post on Celebrating Outdoor Classroom Day useful. You can find more helpful Geography revision resources here!