EDCamp: Taking Learning Outside

When most people think about outdoor learning in high school, they picture gym class, running laps, playing soccer, and maybe a fitness circuit. But this week our group got talking about something different: what would it actually look like to take other subjects outside? Science, English, math, social studies? It turns out, quite a lot.

The idea is pretty straightforward. Instead of treating the classroom as the only valid learning space, you use the environment around you as part of the lesson. A science class can head outside to observe local ecosystems or collect real data. A math class can measure shadows to calculate angles or estimate the height of a tree using trigonometry. An English class can do some reflective writing sitting on the grass. None of this requires a forest or a nature reserve, even a school parking lot or a city sidewalk has something to offer.

What I found most interesting from our group conversation was how this approach connects to what we know about student engagement. A lot of high schoolers are checked out, and honestly, who can blame them after years of fluorescent lights and the same four walls? Getting outside, even briefly, breaks that routine in a way that feels meaningful rather than gimmicky. There’s something about being in a real space that makes abstract ideas feel more concrete.

That said, I don’t think we can talk about outdoor learning without being honest about the challenges. Not every school has green space. Not every student has the mobility or sensory comfort to thrive in an unstructured outdoor environment. Schools in lower-income areas are often the ones with the least access to parks or outdoor facilities, which means this approach can quietly deepen inequity if we’re not intentional about it. The weather is also an obstacle. Planning an outdoor lesson in November is a different kind of challenge than doing it in May.

There are also real questions around supervision and safety once students leave the building, especially at the high school level, where the dynamics are different from those with younger kids. It takes more planning, more flexibility, and a willingness to let go of some control as a teacher, which isn’t always easy.

Overall though, I left our group discussion feeling genuinely enthusiastic. The research backs it up (check out the Children & Nature Network for a starting point), and more importantly, it just makes intuitive sense. Learning doesn’t have to happen in a box. Sometimes the best thing you can do is open a door and step through it.

Please note that I used Claude (claude.ai) to generate the outdoor learning infographic above. The prompt I used was: “Create an infographic summarizing outdoor learning across the curriculum for a high school context. Include subject areas it applies to, benefits, challenges, and an equity lens.”