Product Details

• Author: Herbert W. Broda
• Year: 2007
• Grade Range: K-8

• Media: 192 pp/paper
• ISBN: 978-157110-729-9
• Item No.: WEB-0729

Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning shows how the school grounds—regardless of whether your school is in an urban, suburban, or rural setting—can become an enriching extension of the classroom. In this comprehensive handbook, Herb Broda blends theory and practice, providing readers with practical suggestions and teacher-tested activities for using the most powerful audio-visual tool available—the outdoors.

Emphasizing the practical, this innovative book offers teachers step-by-step guidance to help ensure success when they take a class outside. It provides:

Background that helps present the case for outdoor learning: educational theory that supports the concept; overview of the terminology; research on the benefits related to student achievement; alignment of outdoor learning with current teaching practices.
Ideas for making the schoolyard an effective outdoor classroom: the planning process; enhancing and maintaining the site; developing gardens and attracting wildlife; finding community resources and funding.
Advice on working with a class outdoors: garnering administrative and parental support; considerations before going out; making the most of your outdoor time; using GPS as an educational tool; building on the outdoor experience back in the classroom.
An array of proven activities that utilize the schoolyard: activities related to specific subject areas; activities that teach process skills; activities that encourage initiative and build community.

At a time when children's natural curiosity about the outdoors is eclipsed by the demands of busy schedules and the ever-present glow of video screens, schools may be the only place where they are encouraged to interact with nature. Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning can help teachers unlock the powerful learning experiences that exist just beyond the classroom door.

Table of Contents

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Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning: A Change of Pace and Place
Chapter 2: Making the School Grounds an Outdoor Classroom
Chapter 3: Taking Your Class Outside: The Nuts and Bolts
Chapter 4: Developing Process Skills in an Engaging Environment
Chapter 5: Teaching Content-Area Concepts Outdoors
Chapter 6: Beyond the Schoolyard
Postscript
Appendix A: Self-Directed Plant Awareness Study Guide
Appendix B: Resource Auction Bid Sheet
Appendix C: Balloon Launch Data Sheet
Resources
References
Index

Herbert W. Broda
Herb is an associate professor of education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Ashland University. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses with an emphasis on middle school education, instructional methods,
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