Outdoor Learning for Students: Using Educational Tours to Inspire STEM Learning

By Oluwatosin Mayor-Olabiyitan, Gladys Ehindola and Oluwafemi Awopegba

Picture from Tournet’s visit to the Tech4Dev Office

In the article “Educational Tours or Field Trips as a Benefit to Students,” Razdan revealed numerous teaching methods trainers use to train. The most popular method is the ‘Lecture Method’. Another is the ‘Educational Tour or a Field Trip method’. An Educational Tour or Field Trip is a visit to a location other than the formal education setting. The goal is to give students an experience different from the usual formal education in classrooms or laboratories.

The educational tour concept equips students with firsthand information in positive and meaningful ways, which aids in lasting retention of knowledge. This article explores the manifestation of the outdoor learning concept in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education.

Offering outdoor opportunities to students in STEM can assist in closing knowledge gaps. Since outdoor STEM spaces are built to encourage learning through modeling and interactive visuals organically, studies have shown that such environments improve students’ understanding and retentiveness (Allsopp et al., 2007; Popovic & Lederman, 2015).

Furthermore, outdoor participation in learning STEM has been shown to trigger students’ knowledge absorption (After-School Alliance, 2011; Baran et al., 2016; Barker et al., 2014). Educational tours can, therefore, open doors for knowledge transfer and the enhancement of technical competency outside of the classroom environment (McGladdery, 2017).

Students in STEM tend to acquire more experience in exploring practical resources by studying outside of the classroom. Practical teaching can equip a child with authentic learning experiences, enough to land him/her a job faster than formal STEM education. With exposure to hands-on STEM lessons, students can enjoy a competitive edge in their future workplaces. Thus, outdoor STEM education can have a far-reaching impact on a student’s career development.

Furthermore, the interest and motivation levels of many students in STEM peak with the integration of outdoor learning experiences. Demonstrations outside the classroom play a crucial role in propagating students’ attachment to STEM fields. Practical science and engineering options spark more profound interest among students, quizzing them with STEM-related challenges. This means that students can get a completely different aspect of what STEM is about by understanding its link to the real world. Getting school kids interested can inspire their commitment to STEM disciplines in the long term.

Educational institutions have made efforts to increase young people’s participation in STEM. Before the introduction of educational tours, the assumption was that schoolchildren would major in STEM disciplines and eventually pursue related careers if subjected to formal classroom education in elementary school. However, research has revealed that it is essential for young people to lead a career in STEM to make courses and other STEM experiences accessible to them. A combination of engagement, capacity building, and continuous exposure could inspire more students to take STEM courses and careers (Jolly et al., 2004).

Picture from Tournet’s visit to Tech4Dev

How Tech4Dev is promoting STEM learning educational tours

Through thoughtfully planned educational tours and excursions to tech institutions in Nigeria, the outdoor STEM learning program encourages young people to consider expanding their career choices in technology. Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4Dev), a leading socially driven organization contributing to digital skills in Nigeria, partnered with Prunedge, a technology partner of Tech4Dev, and TourNet Africa, a leading outdoor learning and educational travel company in Nigeria to organize an outdoor Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics learning program during the Children’s Day celebration which held on 27th of May 2022. The educational tour aimed to inspire young people to explore careers of their interests in tech.

During the educational tour, 65 young boys and girls were in attendance and were educated on the various career options in technology. According to the survey results, the educational tour benefitted most students. This was evident from the students’ responses regarding the class they aspire to belong to. 79% were enthusiastic about going to the sciences to take STEM courses, 87% of the children believed that a career in technology is the right choice for them, and all of the children expressed an interest in learning more about technology. Over 98% of students believe a STEM background will earn a handsome income. These facts confirm how much influence a STEM-led educational tour can have on students’ future choices and their belief about how promising a tech career is.

The educational tour reoriented the children on some misconceptions that prevent children from taking up STEM courses and careers. Following the students’ experiences on the educational tour, the majority (64.5%) believed that learning a digital technology skill is easy. Regarding gender bias in STEM courses, most (91.9%) students believed that STEM courses were not just for boys. This could be due to testimonials heard during the educational tour. Invariably, introducing learners to digital literacy through the outdoor STEM learning exercise can equip them with the basic digital knowledge required to succeed in the 21st-century world and workplace. Visits to tech spaces to acquire knowledge about STEM are a rewarding feat.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Findings revealed that the students had an increased desire to know more about technology and study STEM-related courses in the near future. This implies that teaching STEM subjects in more integrated ways can improve students’ STEM appreciation and their overall motivation and success rate. Integrating educational tours into schools’ curricula is advisable to make learning attractive and tech spaces a destination for acquiring STEM education.

Another finding revealed that outdoor educational tours are crucial in inspiring STEM learning. For instance, all the children who participated in the tour expressed significant interest in learning STEM through the outdoor concept. This article charges STEM educators and policymakers to increasingly experiment with research to support outdoor learning opportunities for added STEM engagement.

In conclusion, some activities during outdoor tours can dispel myths associated with STEM, enabling more children to pursue STEM pathways. Seeing that the majority believe learning tech skills is bearable and not limited to boys only, we must design outdoor experiences to inspire STEM learning and demystify misconceptions about STEM.

References

• Allsopp, D. H., Kyger, M. M., & Lovin, L. H. (2007). Teaching mathematics meaningfully: solutions for reaching struggling learners. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooke Publishing Co., Inc.
• Baran, E., Bilici, S. C., & Mesutoglu, C. (2016). Moving STEM beyond schools: Students’ perceptions about an out-of-school STEM education program. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 4(1), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.18404/ijemst.71338.
• Barker, B. S., Larson, K., & Krehbiel, M. (2014). Bridging formal and informal learning environments. Journal of Extension, 52(5), n5.
• Mc Gladdery, Christine A.; Lubbe, Berendien A. (1 January 2017). “Rethinking educational tourism: proposing a new model and future directions.” Tourism Review. 72 (3): 319–329. doi:10.1108/TR-03–2017–0055. ISSN 1660–5373
• Popovic, G., & Lederman, J. S. (2015). Implications of informal education experiences for mathematics teachers’ ability to make Connections beyond the formal classroom. School Science and Mathematics, 115(3), 129 –140. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12114 .

Further readings

• Baterna, Hazel & Mina, Teodolyn Deanne & Rogayan Jr, Danilo. (2020). Digital Literacy of STEM Senior High School Students: Basis for Enhancement Program. International Journal of Technology in Education. 3. 105–117. 10.46328/ijte.v3i2.28.
• Basu, S. J., & Barton, A. C. (2007). Developing a sustained interest in science among urban minority youth. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(3), 466.
• Bell, P., Lewenstein, B., Shouse, A. W., & Feder, M. A. (Eds.). (2009). Learning science in informal environments: people, places, and pursuits. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12190.
• Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational researcher, 18(1), 32–42
• Campbell, G., Denes, R., & Morrison, C. (2000). Access denied: Race, ethnicity, and the scientific enterprise. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
• Denson, C. D., Hailey, C., Stallworth, C. A., & Householder, D. L. (2015). Benefits of informal learning environments: a focused examination of STEM-based program environments. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 16(1), 11.
• European Commission. (2006). Digital Literacy European Commission working paper and recommendations from Digital Literacy High-Level Expert Group. Brussels, Belgium
• Luehmann, A. L. (2009). Students’ perspectives of a science enrichment program: out-of-school inquiry as Access. International Journal of Science Education, 31(13), 1831–1855
• Lyon, G. H., Jafri, J., & St Louis, K. (2012). Beyond the Pipeline: STEM Pathways for Youth Development. Afterschool Matters, 16, 48–57.
• Mohr-Schroeder, M. (2015). Track 3 panel session: National models for broadening participation. Invited panelist speaker at the 24th National EPSCoR National Conference, Portsmouth, NH
• Portz, Stephen, “The Challenges of STEM Education” (2015). The Space Congress® Proceedings. 3. https://commons.erau.edu/space-congress-proceedings/proceedings-2015-43rd/ proceedings-2015–43rd/3

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