Outdoor learning is recognised internationally as an essential part of a child's holistic education and children's wellbeing can be improved when being outdoors surrounded by nature. However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests children are becoming disconnected from nature. This study investigated the experiences of six classes of children aged 7-11 years from six primary schools making music outdoors in rural locations in Wales over a two-year period. Groups of children from each school undertook semi-structured interviews using video-stimulated reflective dialogue (VSRD). Their teachers also took part in semi-structured interviews, without VSRD. The data suggest children's music making involved interactivity with nature provoking biophilic responses. The analysis revealed they experienced extraordinary, transcen-dent or what might be called spiritual moments. Evidence is analysed with conceptions of spirituality, communitas and philosophy of dialogue. Outdoor learning is recognised around the world as an essential part of a child's holistic education. Research shows that children's wellbeing can be improved when being outdoors surrounded by nature (Chawla et al., 2014; Gill 2014; Swank et al. 2017). Despite this, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests children are increasingly becoming disconnected from nature (for example, Bragg et al. 2013; Charles 2018; Moss 2012). Indeed, Louv (2008) has warned that children are suffering from 'nature deficit disorder' and argues that 'As a society, we need to give nature back to our children and ourselves. To not do so is immoral. It is unethical' (Louv 2011, 268) Besides a moral dimension, Doddington (2014) claims there is also somaesthetic value in taking learning outside, arguing that the physical characteristics of, and engagement with, the outdoor environment allow for an 'embodied aesthetic experience', which attend to the 'mindful body consciousness and the pragmatic aesthetic nature of being' (Doddington, 2014, p.55).
There has been increasing interest in the educational value of outdoor learning around the world and in the United Kingdom. This is reflected in the statutory curricula of each country. At present, however, there has been little research into the potential of music-making in the outdoors. This study investigated how changing the physical location of learners' music-making to outdoor environments impacted on children aged 7-11 years. Seven classes of children and their teachers, from six different primary schools, created music for a ceremonial performance in various outdoor locations in Wales. These activities were video-recorded and after their musical performances, the children were interviewed using video-stimulated reflective dialogue (VSRD) in semi-structured interviews. Their teachers also took part in semi-structured interviews, but without the use of VSRD. The resultant iterative analysis of data revealed four overlapping and interwoven themes: freedom, emotion, senses and agency. In addition, the interviews revealed that the combination of the setting (including the ritual structure of the activity), the move from the school setting and the four themes (emotion, senses, freedom, agency) contribute to create a 'vortex' effect, potentially drawing the children into a state of liminality and peak experience, before achieving a state of calm focus. All of these factors are summed up in a tentative model of the impact of music-making outdoors with children aged 7-11 years.
The benefits of taking pupils’ learning outdoors have been widely reported around the world. However, it is argued the simple act of stepping outside the classroom does not inevitably bring rewards. This study examines teachers’ perceptions of the impact of primary school pupils’ music-making in various outdoor rural locations. It analyses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with seven teachers from six different primary school classes, who observed their classes as they took part in the music-making. The validity of the teachers’ perceptions is triangulated with evidence from semi-structured interviews with six groups of children from the six different classes. The analyses show the teachers perceived that the space, the new soundscape and the close contact with nature afforded by the different locations engendered enhanced experimentation and expressiveness. The teachers suggested that, as a result, the children became immersed in, and focussed on, their music-making. The study suggests teachers identify potential benefits for children aged 7–10 years in making music in outdoor locations. We conclude greater phenomenological, body-focussed understandings in education and an increased awareness of somaesthetic perspectives may be beneficial for teachers to explore in pupils’ music- making and in other creative areas of the curriculum.
An increasing body of evidence highlights that the opportunities for children to play in green spaces have declined. This is despite the chorus of voices lauding the benefits that time spent in green spaces can have on children's health and wellbeing. This paper presents findings of research into the experiences of children when taking part in mindful approaches in nature reserves. The children, aged between 7 and 11 years old, were drawn from four classes in four different primary schools. After they returned to their schools a small group from each class undertook semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data revealed a number of common themes in the children's experiences. The children reported feeling calm and relaxed, experiencing a different sense of time and feeling as though they had transcended their everyday reality. These results are analysed and related to optimal experience theories, contemplative pedagogy and indigenous approaches to education.Evidence suggests that children are having fewer opportunities to visit 'green spaces' because of parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and time spent on electronic devices (Bergen, 2017;Gleave & Cole-Hamilton, 2012;Hougie, 2010;Rivkin, 2015;Waller et al., 2017). Bergen (2017) emphasises how the natural world is being replaced by the virtual world for play purposes, describing the situation as 'technology-play-creep' (p.55). It is argued that play is increasingly tethered to digital spaces and therefore is becoming pervasively home-based and sedentary (Bergen, 2017). Louv (2011) describes this situation as 'protective house arrest' (Louv, 2011, p. 269). The educational landscape in the UK reflects these concerns and England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have a statutory
This research study explored the experiences of children (aged 9–10 years), from four different primary schools, playing a hunting game in a nature reserve. Previous research shows that children’s play in green spaces can provide a number of benefits to children. However, there is a lack of research into children’s experiences of playing in bio-diverse environments. This study sought to find out how children (aged 9–10 years) “playing” the role of animals in a nature reserve could enable them to experience different ways of being and different ways of understanding their relationship with the world around them. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design that aimed to interpret the first-person lived experiences of the children playing in the nature reserve. Four classes from four different primary schools took part in the study. Six children from each class were interviewed and analysis of their responses generated a number of different themes. The results suggest that playing the hunting game in a biodiverse environment does offer states of being and knowings that are not as accessible in schools. Playing the role of an animal had afforded the children with an accentuated, embodied experience, offering insight into the otherness of the more-than-human world.
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