麻豆原创

About the course

The climate emergency and global pandemic have highlighted the importance of spending time in natural environments. Our intrinsic link to the world around us is unbreakable. It demands care, respect and creative solutions. To keep ourselves safe, we have seen all aspects of life, from social, recreation, education, transportation and even employment, benefit from taking a nature-centred approach. Educators have moved away from stationary classrooms and utilised outdoor education more and more. There is a growing need to learn in and from our local environment. There is an urgent need to care for it. The environmental education sector is flourishing.

This course will empower you to enrich and radically transform educational practices, across a multitude of sectors. We鈥檒l teach you underlying theories and how to apply them to practice. We鈥檒l analyse sustainable development issues, biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. Together, we鈥檒l examine equality of access to environmental education. You鈥檒l develop a critical awareness of the impact of race, gender, disability, economics and government policy on the lives of learners, educators and organisations. Every step of the way, we鈥檒l guide you to become a reflexive and inclusive educator. To foster environments and activities where everyone can join in. To learn, you must experience. To teach, you must first inspire. What greater inspiration is there than the natural world?

What job can I get?

This course gives you the flexibility to apply your passion for the great outdoors to any role. Whether you want to be a forest school leader or lead guided walks for the over 50鈥檚, the possibilities are endless. Perhaps you鈥檝e always dreamed of being a park ranger, a farm educator or running an educational programme for visitors at a nature reserve? Maybe you imagine working with nature to improve mental health. If so, you could work as a lifestyle coach, an outdoor counsellor or a community activator. Perhaps you have an idea for a programme, an activity or an event? Whatever your goal, together we鈥檒l create the right environment for you to thrive. Wherever your dream is to work, we鈥檒l give you the skills to get there.

You may want to apply the knowledge you gain from this course to your current job. For example, if you鈥檙e an early childhood practitioner, primary, secondary or specialist teacher, every subject you teach can benefit from using the natural world to inspire. You may want to run a school-wide citizen science programme. Or you could establish a nature kindergarten or a forest school. Incorporating outdoor activities in the curriculum, whether it be through the Duke of Edinburgh award or the first 10 minutes of a lesson, can help focus, stimulate and encourage new ways of thinking and learning. You鈥檒l help your learners gain a meaningful connection with their mind, nature and physical activity so they can reach their full potential. Whatever you chose to do, we鈥檒l set you on a path to discover a new world of possibility.