Nia's Blog: Learning Outside Of The Classroom

Cardiff Museum

Learning outside of a classroom environment can be very beneficial for children. The change of scenery can ignite a fresh excitement for learning and can be more fun. Learning outside of a classroom environment can also mean children can become more involved, more hands on and can learn through their own experiences from their surroundings. Outdoor learning also helps with children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development.

Recently I visited Cardiff Museum to research as a ‘context’ of learning. Here there are tours, talks and workshops available for classes of children who visit from school, ranging from foundation phase, key stage 2 and older. Going out of the classroom into a new environment like a museum, helps children to experience things for themselves through their senses and explore. Usually when classes go out on ‘a school trip’ they will be doing and seeing something related to the work they are learning in a classroom. Seeing things and being able to feel, use and further their knowledge more on them helps children to understand the topic better and allows them to experiment with the things that interest them.

For example, a workshop they hold at Cardiff Museum for children in the foundation phase is ‘Hip Hip I’m a Hippo’. This is a workshop led by the staff at the museum and is about African wildlife. During the workshop children explore the African wildlife and handle real animal bones for themselves. After being taught about the wildlife they then take part in a storyline to sum up what they learnt during the session. This workshop allows children to become more involved in their learning and more hands on. It also allows them to be creative with their new found knowledge with the storyline at the end of the session.

Learning in an environment different to that structure of a classroom also encourages children to work with their peers and get along socially. Children become more aware of one another when working in a different learning environment because they have to work together and share ideas. A new environment to children can also challenge them; environments can change from season to season so children will become aware to these changes.

In my own opinion, I believe that learning outside of a classroom is very important for children’s development and learning. Being in a change of scenery encourages children to be physically more active and involved, it allows them to have the freedom whilst learning more creatively. It also makes children aware of their surroundings and motivated to learn, even when they do not realise they are.