Janet E. Dyment

Green school grounds as sites for outdoor learning: barriers and opportunities

In their review of evidence-based research entitled A Review of Research on Outdoor Learning, Rickinson et al. (2004) identify five key constraints that limit the amount of outdoor learning. This paper explores whether green school grounds might be a location where these constraints could be minimised. Specifically, it reports on a study that sought to investigate the use of green school grounds as sites for outdoor learning, to identify barriers that impede such use, and to examine how these barriers differ from those cited in Rickinson et al.’s review. A mixed method approach was used: (1) 149 questionnaires were completed by administrators, teachers, and parents associated with 45 school ground greening initiatives in a Canadian school board; (2) 21 follow-up interviews were completed at five of the schools. Study participants reported that green school grounds are used regularly for teaching some subjects, notably science and physical education, but considerably less for teaching language arts, mathematics, and geography. They also identified a series of barriers that limit the amount of outdoor learning and these are compared to those identified by Rickinson et al. (2004). This paper concludes with a discussion of how the opportunities for teaching and learning on green school grounds can be more fully maximised.

Assessing the quality of reflection in student journals: a review of the research

In this paper, we review 11 research articles that examine the level of reflection found in student journals in higher education across a range of disciplines. Our review reveals little to no consistency in the research community around the mechanisms and process of assessing levels of reflection in student journals. Our analysis also reveals that the quality of reflection found in student journals varies considerably across studies. In terms of trends, the five of 11 studies found that students or journals were not overly reflective and contained mostly descriptive accounts of events. Four of the 11 studies found that the majority of students or journals were somewhat reflective. Only two of the 11 studies found a high percentage of students or journals were highly reflective. We conclude with a series of factors to be considered when assessing the quality of reflection in student journals.

Grounds for health: the intersection of green school grounds and health-promoting schools

Despite the growing body of research on green school grounds, relatively little has been written about their relationship with health promotion, particularly from a holistic health perspective. It is this relationship that we explore in this paper – the power and potential of green school grounds to promote health and well‐being and to be an integral element of multifaceted, school‐based health promotion strategies. Specifically, we bring together recent research to examine green school grounds as places where the interests of educators and children’s health advocates can meet, inform and support one another. By grounding our comments in recent thinking about health‐promoting schools, we highlight the growing body of evidence that green school grounds, as a school setting, can contribute to children’s physical, mental, social and spiritual well‐being.

Active by Design: Promoting Physical Activity through School Ground Greening

Abstract Green school grounds exhibit a greater diversity of landscaping and design features than conventional school grounds, thus enhancing the quantity and quality of physical activity among elementary school children. Through greening, school grounds diversify the play repertoire, creating opportunities for boys and girls of all ages, interests and abilities to be more physically active. This paper builds on a 2006 study (Bell and Dyment, 2006, Grounds for Action: Promoting Physical Activity through School Ground Greening in Canada, Toronto, Ontario: Evergreen) and explores factors related to school ground design and culture that both limit and enable opportunities for physical activity. Questionnaires (N = 105) were completed by teachers, parents, and administrators associated with 59 schools across Canada. Results indicate that in order to stimulate active play, school grounds should be designed to provide adequate space, diverse play opportunities and interaction with natural elements. Safety, comfort and maintenance issues also need to be taken into consideration at the design stage. With respect to school ground culture, children are more active when rules, policies and supervision allow for non-competitive, open-ended play, as well as opportunities to care for the garden or green space. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations are offered for policy makers.

The case of reflective journals: is the jury still out?

The use of reflective journals with students is a popular form of pedagogy across a range of academic disciplines. The literature is replete with anecdotal and research‐based evidence of the benefits, issues and challenges associated with this type of teaching and learning. While the benefits of journaling are certainly noteworthy, there are also striking issues and challenges. However, it appears the ‘evidence’ of these issues and challenges, while recognized in principle, is often pushed aside in light of the ‘facts’ related to the positive benefits journals provide. The purpose of this paper is to reopen the case of reflective journals by examining the interdisciplinary literature on the positive and negative aspects of them.

Reflections on using journals in higher education: a focus group discussion with faculty

Reflective journals have become an increasingly popular tool used by numerous faculty across many disciplines in higher education. Previous research and narrative reports of journal writing have explored student perceptions of journal writing, but very little is understood about faculty perceptions. In this paper, we report on a study involving eight university faculty who teach courses with outdoor field components in the areas of outdoor recreation, experiential education, or outdoor education. We present the faculty member’s: (1) current practices of journal writing (types of journals, types of entries, process of journal writing), (2) perceptions of journal writing (rationale, quality, evaluation) and (3) recommendations to maximize the potential of journal writing. A mixed methods approach was used that included a 32‐item quantitative questionnaire and a focus group discussion. By and large, the faculty who participated in this study appreciated the pedagogical potential of journal writing. They were, however, cautious about certain aspects of the journaling process and offered numerous suggestions for improving the ‘journaling experience.’ This paper concludes with several recommendations for consideration by higher education faculty who use journal writing as an instructional technique.

‘Our garden is colour blind, inclusive and warm’: reflections on green school grounds and social inclusion

In the interest of enhancing childrens environments, communities around the world are ‘greening’ school grounds, replacing asphalt and manicured grass with a diversity of design elements such as trees, shrubs, gardens, water features, artwork and gathering areas. Despite a growing body of research from a number of disciplines exploring the potential of these spaces, very little is known about the ways they can promote social inclusion with respect to gender, class, race and ability. This paper explores the relationship between school ground greening and social inclusion in a Canadian public school board where approximately 20% of more than 500 schools have begun the greening process. A mixed methods approach was used: (1) 149 questionnaires were completed by administrators, teachers and parents associated with 45 school ground greening initiatives; and (2) 21 follow‐up interviews were conducted with administrators, teachers and parents at five schools across a range of socio‐economic statuses. The study revealed that green school grounds are more inclusive of people who may feel isolated on the basis of gender, class, race and ability, suggesting that these spaces promote, in a very broad sense, social inclusion.

Where do children choose to play on the school ground? The influence of green design

The purpose of this study was to examine where children choose to play on a school ground with a diversity of play spaces. We were particularly interested in understanding the influence of the natural/green part of the school ground on childrens choice. Using a momentary time sampling direct observation instrument, a total of 23 scans were taken of six pre-determined Target Areas within an Australian primary school over an 11-day period. Separate scans were taken for girls and boys. Results revealed that the green/natural Target Area (a) attracted the highest number of students in total on average (63.78 students/scan) and (b) was the only area that revealed no statistical difference between the mean number of girls and boys. We discuss a number of design and cultural factors that might explain these findings. The results from this study suggest that when children are given a choice about where to play, they are choosing natural areas. As such, green areas of school grounds stand to make an important contribution in providing equitable, inclusive, healthy and inviting play opportunities for children.

Teacher educators' readiness, preparation, and perceptions of preparing preservice teachers in a fully online environment: an exploratory study

With a view to attracting more students and offering flexible learning opportunities, online teaching and learning is becoming increasingly widespread across the higher education sector. It is now found across a wide range of disciplines (e.g., business, health, psychology, accounting, information technology) and program levels (e.g., from associate degrees to doctorate degrees). Online delivery is also strongly represented in the teacher education sector at many universities. Research of online delivery in higher education generally and teacher education specifically has pointed to a range of benefits and challenges associated with this mode of learning. Within the teacher education literature, many aspects of the online preparation of teachers remain poorly understood. More specifically, there is scant literature on the experiences and beliefs of teacher educators in relation to their readiness and preparation for online teaching as well as their beliefs in relation to the appropriateness of online education for preservice teachers. This article responds to this gap in the literature and reports on an exploratory study that worked with academic staff, teaching in a fully online teacher education course, at a mid-size Australian university. Twenty-seven teacher educators completed a 34-item questionnaire that consisted of closed and open-ended questions. With regards to readiness and preparation for teaching online, the majority of teacher educators reported lacking confidence and competence in the technological and pedagogical skills required to teach online. By and large, the study participants were welcoming of individualized “at-elbow” support that seemed to abate some of their fears of online teaching. The teacher educators were generally divided on whether the online classroom was an appropriate method for preparing preservice teachers. This article concludes with several recommendations for consideration by teacher educators who work in an online environment and sets the stage for a more ambitious study.

A call for sustainability education in post‐secondary outdoor recreation programs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between sustainability education and outdoor education and to encourage outdoor recreation educators to evaluate their programs with regard to sustainability and sustainable living.Design/methodology/approach – This paper starts by presenting several factors that currently hinder the delivery of sustainability education in outdoor recreation training programs. It then turns to a presentation of Lefebvres sustainability education framework, which offers a helpful structure for integrating sustainability education into outdoor recreation academic curricula.Findings – Although there are programs that have successfully implemented sustainability training into their curricula, there are many factors that serve to hinder the education of outdoor recreation students in the philosophy and techniques of sustainability and sustainable living. No doubt these impediments pose critical challenges to those offering academic training programs. These challenges ...