Outdoor Learning at school: a path to social inclusion

Abstract

Across the globe increasing attention is being paid to curricular learning outside the classroom. In Italy, this shift is taking place at both grassroots and academic levels (e.g. through the Italian network of Scuole all’Aperto and the Centro di Ricerca e Formazione in Outdoor Education of the University of Bologna). Italian Outdoor Learn- ing (OL) is rooted in what could be labelled an “experiential tradition” that is strongly connected to Dewey’s legacy, and the progressive education movement. This approach seems useful in providing a contrast to the general “educational poverty” that exists for many reasons, among them for example the pandemic our societies are experiencing, which takes people far from the “real world”. To this end, this paper will explore two features of OL, following a Case Study carried out in an Italian school for the Erasmus+ project Go Out and Learn: first, the shaping of OL to suit local pedagogical dimensions, allowing plenty of room to adapt the approach to individual pupil populations, school ethos, the national curriculum, local landscapes, ecology, and culture; and second, the strength of the OL approach for inclusion and experiential education.