ERIC Number: EJ1232551
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0300-4430
EISSN: N/A
Pedagogies of Outdoor Spaces: An Early Childhood Educator Professional Learning Journey
Early Child Development and Care, v189 n14 p2284-2298 2019
This manuscript presents the findings of a study that explored how teachers' perceptions of natural play learning environments were transformed through targeted professional learning (PL). Australia's early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy outlines a responsibility for educators to ensure that outdoor learning spaces provide experiences in both built and natural environments. In response, many ECEC settings are redesigning outdoor spaces to provide for natural and open-ended affordances. Drawing from interview data collected over an 18-month period, this manuscript shares the story of three educators as they participate in targeted PL while engaging with the outdoor space. Findings show that prior to the PL, the educators focused on what they saw as limitations to the space. Engaging in the PL led to changed perceptions for the educators who felt more confident in their understandings of the value and benefits of nature-rich outdoor environments to support young children's active play.
Descriptors: Outdoor Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Faculty Development, Play, Teacher Attitudes, Transformative Learning, Child Caregivers, Foreign Countries, Physical Environment, Attitude Change, Affordances, Suburbs, Child Care Centers, Educational Facilities Improvement, Movement Education, Physical Activities, Preschools, Young Children
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A