School-Based Experiential Outdoor Education
Description: The course introduces educators to experiential outdoor education as a practical and flexible approach that can be used in different school and community contexts. Outdoor education is not limited to mountains, forests or adventure activities. It can also take place in school grounds, parks, urban spaces, local neighbourhoods, cultural sites, gardens or other accessible outdoor environments.
The main aim of the course is to help participants design meaningful outdoor learning experiences that support students’ engagement, cooperation, wellbeing, environmental awareness and personal development. Participants will explore how outdoor spaces can be used as learning environments and how direct experience, movement, observation, reflection and group work can make learning more active and relevant.
The course combines theory with practical activities. Participants will experience and test different outdoor learning methods, reflect on how they can be adapted to their own teaching context and create their own outdoor learning activity or lesson plan.
FIND US ON
Dates and Locations
- 21.–25.09.2026 CONFIRMED SESSION
- 21.–25.06.2027 CONFIRMED SESSION
- 19.–23.10.2026
- 15.–19.03.2027 CONFIRMED SESSION
- 01.–05.11.2027
Don’t see the dates that suit your group? Send us an e-mail with the proposed dates and location and we will get back to you.*
*- Only in case you are 7 or more persons from the same organisation.
Daily Programme
Monday
- Introduction and course overview
- Getting to know each other & group building
- Individual expectations
- Introduction to Experiential Learning (EL)
- Main components of experiential learning
- Learning by doing, reflection and application
- How experiential learning is implemented in education – case studies and sharing good practise
- Outdoor education: what it is and what it is not
- Mapping possible outdoor learning spaces in different countries and school contexts
Tuesday
- Outdoor education as a flexible learning approach:
- School grounds, parks, urban spaces, natural areas and community spaces
- Benefits and limits of outdoor learning
- Outdoor education, environmental education and personal/social development
- Practical outdoor activities: observation, sensory learning, group tasks and place-based learning
- Digital tools for outdoor learning: apps, digital libraries and archives
- Managing groups outdoors: roles, boundaries, instructions and safety routines
- Reflection and feedback after outdoor activities
Wednesday
- Designing outdoor activities based on learners’ needs
- Connecting outdoor learning with curriculum subjects and key competences
- Inclusion in outdoor education:
- Accessibility, different abilities, confidence levels and participation
- Adapting activities for different learners and environments
- Risk-benefit planning: keeping activities safe without removing meaningful challenge
- Group dynamics and cooperation outdoors
- Reflection and feedback after outdoor activities
Thursday
- Mindfulness, wellbeing and outdoor learning
- Using local places as learning resources
- How can I use the outdoors? – designing an outdoor learning activity
- Presentation of participants’ outdoor learning activities/action plans
- Peer feedback and improvement of activities
- How to transfer outdoor learning to participants’ own schools
Friday
- Follow-up ideas: reflection journals, school projects, local partnerships and community-based activities
- Summary and course evaluation
- Feedback & certificates
- Cultural excursion in the local area
Competences Acquired by Participants
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- understand the main principles of experiential learning and outdoor education;
- use outdoor spaces as flexible learning environments;
- design outdoor activities connected to the curriculum and learner needs;
- plan inclusive outdoor learning activities for different groups of learners;
- manage basic group organisation, safety and risk-benefit considerations outdoors;
- use reflection and feedback to connect outdoor experience with learning outcomes;
- apply outdoor learning methods in school grounds, parks, urban spaces or local community settings;
- create an action plan for using outdoor education in their own teaching context;
- cooperate and communicate effectively;
- practise communication in English in an international learning environment.
Type of Certification of Attendance Awarded
- Certificate of attendance including description of training content and time input
- Certificate of Obtained Competencies
- Europass mobility certificates – to be issued by the applicant’s NA
Course Packages
Please note that ‘All in one – single room’ and ‘All in one – double room’ packages are being offered only in Limassol, Cyprus
1. ‘ALL IN ONE – Single room’ PACKAGE - 1240€
- Tuition fee and training material
- Certificate of Competence
- Accommodation in a Single room in a 3 or 4-star hotel (6 nights)
- Full Board (5 days)
- Administration costs
- Coffee Breaks
- Cultural visit
2. ‘ALL IN ONE – Double Room Sharing’ PACKAGE- 1040€
- Tuition fee and training material
- Certificate of Competence
- Accommodation - double room sharing in a 3 or 4-star hotel (6 nights)
- Full Board (5 days)
- Administration costs
- Coffee Breaks
- Cultural visit
*Choose double room sharing if you are 2 colleagues from the same organisation willing to share a double room/ or if you have any accompanying person travelling to the venue of the course together with you (we can arrange the accommodation for accompanying persons as well).
3. ‘BASIC’ course PACKAGE - 450€
- Tuition fee and training material
- Certificate of Competence
- Administration costs
- Coffee Breaks
- Cultural visit
Note: separate invoices for the training fee only (400 EUR) can be issued upon request from the organisation.
DOREA as well offers group discounts in the case of 7 or more persons from the same organisation.
