Out of school learning

Out of school learning

Out of school learning is a hands on experience where you can learn in a variety of ways. As suggested by (Pritchard, 2014) an individual has a particular way they prefer to learn.

Teachers and pupils will 'find the museum a stimulating out of classroom environment, where thinking, talking and doing through interactive and challenging activities is a memorable experience.' (National Waterfront Museum, 2014)

Out of school learning can be understood in different ways. For example, someone may think of it as: learning outside of the classroom, in the outdoor environment. Another person may think of it as a completely different learning context to a school setting, for example Plantasia or Techniquest. (City&County of Swansea, 2014) 

The Honey-Mumford model of learning states that some people learn by doing, others prefer to observe a situation, whereas problem solving might suit some people better. (Pritchard, 2014)

On my recent visit to Plantasia, with a 4 year old named George, I consciously looked out for the learning contexts which they used. When I first entered the 'jungle' with George we arrived at the animals living behind glass, e.g. snakes, spiders, lizards, cockroaches and fish. Although there were signs with information on, all around the room, George was too young to read and as a result I found that he got bored quickly. However, if you visit at certain times you can take part in organised tours, touch and hold some of the animals or even join a number of activities such as growing your own plants, paper making, or arts and crafts. (Plantasia, 2014)

Walking through the climate zones, we were able to feed the fish, walk through a bird enclosure, and meet a parrot. All of these activities allowed George to understand the climate which these plants need to grow, see the parrot up close and also learn to respect the animals and plants and also the environment. It was evident to see at this point that George became much more engaged with the learning environment, this is because he was able to see and 'touch it'.

When visiting as part of an organised trip you can also visit the working rainforest hut. This enables the children to have greater access to exhibits which they can handle. While there, children can learn about living with the environment.

 

   

Whilst visiting Plantasia we were able to ask a specialist anything about the animals or plants, and they would do their best to provide us with information. George was able to learn about different job roles and felt special because he was being told information by a 'specialist' in his jungle. This is one of the main reasons why out of school learning is so important because children and teachers learn from other specialists together. In this context both teacher and pupil are learners and there is more than one way of receiving information. 

On leaving, George was able to tell me his favourite animal, what conditions the plants needed to grow in, and was able to explain in his own words what a working rainforest looked like. 

Plantasia and out of school learning brings to their local communities the chance for individuals to leave their normal living surroundings, broaden their horizons and to experience what it would be like to step into new environments.
 

Examples of out of school learning:

 

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/learning/stfagans/

http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/education-at-bristol-zoo

http://www.techniquest.org/2012030113/education/education-programmes.html

http://www.folly-farm.co.uk/education.aspx

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/learning/waterfront/