room KA 209
Outdoor science learning in a multicultural classroom: Students’ perspectives
Cyvin, Jardar, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Febri, Maria I. M., Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Staberg, Ragnhild Lyngved, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Lund, Anne Bonnevie, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Within the Erasmus+ project IncluSMe (https://inclusme-project.eu/), we developed teaching modules linking science education and intercultural learning for initial teacher education. Our module highlights the potentials of arenas outside of school for science learning in intercultural context. We used targeted outdoor activities within the scope of education for sustainable development, visiting a park in a large city as the outdoor arena. The module was implemented in the context of a summer school involving 26 students from seven countries. We investigated the students’ perspective on how outdoor schooling can contribute in science learning in a multicultural context. Our research question is: “Which arguments do students after an international science summer school use to promote outdoor schooling in a multicultural classroom?” The data consisted of the students’ feedback that we collected after teaching our module. Our findings show that a majority of the students appreciated the outdoor schooling because it broke down language barriers, was concrete and situated, and promoted social aspects. These are important factors to considerate when teaching diverse student groups.
