23 Nov 2020
‘Everywhere you look is our classroom’
Ainslie School’s Outdoor Learning Curator is passionate about getting students into the open air.
Faith Bentley is passionate about outdoor education.
In her second year at Ainslie School, Faith is a classroom teacher who also serves as the school’s Outdoor Learning Curator.
“I think that title might be something my boss made up for me,” Faith joked.
But spend a few minutes talking to Faith about outdoor education and you’ll know the title has been well earned. With a strong background in supporting, modelling and building methods and practice of teaching using the outdoors for learning, Faith is leading the school’s approach in this space.
Outdoor education is all about engaging students in practical and active learning experiences in natural environments. But it is also about learning experiences in other settings beyond the traditional school classroom.
“Connection to natural spaces is incredibly important, but when you really unpack that it’s about connections in our community and our spaces,” Faith said.
“It’s not ‘Outdoor Education’ full stop – it’s about using the spaces and the areas both natural and urban.
“The opportunities, the experiences, the links to shared inquiries that happen from there mean that outdoor education isn’t just recreation – it’s about intentional education of things like literacy and numeracy.
“It’s about self-management and social awareness and a range of other important things we all need to learn.”
Faith has led the creation of ‘Wednesday Wonderings’ at Ainslie, leading student cohorts out into the community to explore, learn and experience new things.
“It’s incidental learning, not accidental learning,” Faith said.
“It’s students having wonderful experiences outside, noticing things they’ve never noticed before, and collaborating in different ways.
“It’s working with students to expand their horizons. While we still have that important indoor space as well, if young people see the outdoors as their classroom - whether they are doing maths at their desk or maths outdoors - students quickly get the idea that their learning can happen anywhere.
“Everywhere you look is our classroom.”
Faith has seen the benefits to students throughout the year, with many becoming more confident in different environments and building connections with their fellow students in ways they may not have done in a traditional classroom environment.
For Faith, it’s not about supplanting or replacing traditional classroom learning – rather, it is about enhancing it.
“We’re aiming to support and enable young people to grow up to be successful learners,” Faith said.
“To be confident and creative, active and informed.
“Learning in outdoor spaces creates connections to our community and with each other”.
Ainslie School students learning outdoors. (image: supplied)