Creating a Focus on Nature with Strategies for Outdoor Learning

Editorial| April 01 2024 Creating a Focus on Nature with Strategies for Outdoor Learning Jim Lane Jim Lane Jim Lane teaches field ecology at Mahtomedi High School in Mahtomedi, Minnesota, where he advises the EcoClub, Power Walking, and SMART Teams. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Knowles Teaching Initiative and an HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador. jim.lane@isd832.net Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (2024) 86 (4): 191–192. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.4.191 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Jim Lane; Creating a Focus on Nature with Strategies for Outdoor Learning. The American Biology Teacher 1 April 2024; 86 (4): 191–192. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2024.86.4.191 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search Over the past fifteen years, I have integrated outdoor learning into my high school biology and field ecology courses, a process that has given students opportunities for authentic learning, collaboration, and reflection. More importantly, I've found it has helped rekindle and nurture a sense of wonder and curiosity that will empower students to be lifelong learners. Outdoor learning has fostered my students' science skills, reflection, and improved mental health. Simply being outside engages all the senses—as well as the practices of science! For students to fully engage in these outdoor learning experiences, they must feel safe, so it is important to agree on expectations for behavior and learning while outside, as well as understand safety concerns that may be present. Acknowledging potential dangers such as ticks, insects, road traffic, poisonous plants, venomous snakes, and skunks, as well as providing advice for avoiding them, can help students more fully engage in... You do not currently have access to this content.