School Leaders Discuss Outdoor Learning at Summit

Public school leaders and educators across Texas are working to enhance and advance outdoor learning programs for their students. Some are in the beginning stages of designing an initiative.

"Start small, start simple," advises Carol Harle, a Northside ISD trustee and a TASB Director. Harle is a longtime advocate for outdoor learning and serves as school experience director for CAST Schools Network in San Antonio.

Harle was the keynote speaker at the Outdoor Learning Outperforms Indoor Learning, a leadership summit at Seguin ISD’s Irma Lewis Outdoor Learning Center. Designed for school leaders, the summit was sponsored by regions 1 and 20 ESCs, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Northside ISD in Bexar County, and Seguin ISD. About 50 people attended the Feb. 7 event.

"Years of experience in education, teacher training, and conversations with outdoor advocates have highlighted a persistent challenge: integrating outdoor learning into the school day," said Tessa Baden, an early childhood consultant at Region 20 ESC, who has a passion for the outdoors.

Baden said the summit was designed to help school leaders discuss the various challenges to establishing outdoor education programs and "collaboratively address these barriers and drive meaningful change." Many teachers attended a similar summit in March 2024.

Panels and Presentations

A panel of principals and their outdoor learning teams shared actionable strategies through real-world examples. A Q&A session highlighted the innovative efforts of an elementary school principal and the outdoor task force.

Research was presented from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health underscoring the need for outdoor learning and play. The Texas Education Agency also gave a presentation.

Harle emphasized the power of starting with small, achievable steps in designing outdoor learning efforts. "Start small to go BIG," she said:

• Start with your staff. Move parts of staff meetings outdoors. Host staff activities such as Wednesday walks-n-talks. Move professional development days to outdoor classrooms or parks. Schedule staff retreats to "camp" areas such as the H.E. Butt Foundation Camp. Buy picnic tables and/or build an outdoor classroom deck with shade to encourage teachers to hold a class outside.
• Turn a drab or undeveloped outdoor space into a garden or a place to pause and relax. Encourage grade-level or content-area teams to "adopt a spot" to "revitalize" with mini competitions.
• Small steps also work for students. Give them a chance to be outdoors in playful ways first, followed by ones that align to curriculum and combine it with a learning activity. Host monthly outdoor "fun" learning experiences.
• Find examples of successful outdoor education efforts and share them with your staff to get the creative juices going. ESCs and city departments can help locate places and spaces for staff and students.
• Provide time for teachers to collaborate on how to start small in including outdoor learning activities with existing units and initiatives. This can help teachers see outdoor learning as complementary versus "another new initiative."
• Form a team of teachers who are passionate about the outdoors to help generate ideas for experiences, resources, and community partners.
• Celebrate wins. A hallway wall can be used to post highlights of flora and fauna activities. Host Mother Nature awards or nature nights for the students and their families.
• Schedule a visit with a school that has a successful outdoor learning program.

Summit Success

"The summit was a wonderful event," said Pete Silvius, director of Whole Child Initiatives at Seguin ISD. "More and more school leaders and educators are getting excited about outdoor learning. We’re beginning to understand that every student and campus can benefit from an outdoor learning space."