Science in the Schoolyard
Evaluation
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Science in the Schoolyard Training and Teacher Outcomes
In addition to examining teacher practices and student experiences with teaching science outdoors, the evaluation also focused on understanding the role of Science in the Schoolyard (SSY) training in teacher outcomes. The analysis, which focused on relationships between teacher attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors and SSY participation, demonstrated that SSY training was significantly related to important teacher outcomes, including taking students outdoors for science. SSY training was also related to intrinsic motivation and confidence in taking students outdoors for science.
SSY-trained teachers take students outdoors more than teachers without SSY training.
Fully 69% of science teachers reported that they had taken students outdoors for science at least once during spring of 2013 (when data were collected). SSY-trained teachers were significantly more likely to take their students outdoors, even when controlling for years of teaching experience, presence of an outdoor classroom, number and length of science class sessions, and fidelity of kit use. Although the number of SSY-trained teachers who took students outdoors very frequently (once a week or more) is still relatively low (n=6 or 15%), less than a quarter (n=9 or 23%) did not take students outdoors for science at all.
Click the image to the right to see a visualization that demonstrates how SSY training is related to how often teachers take students outdoors.
SSY-trained teachers are more confident about teaching science outdoors.
Another goal of SSY training is to instill confidence and comfort in utilizing and working with the unpredictability of the outdoors for instruction. Evaluation findings demonstrated that some relationships between training and confidence in outdoor science instruction exist. More specifically, teachers without SSY training were significantly more likely to agree with the statement, “I don’t know how to teach outdoor science lessons” than SSY-trained teachers. This is particularly important because teachers who agreed with this statement took students outdoors for science significantly less often than those who disagreed with that statement. Thus, another mechanism by which SSY training may lead to increased use of outdoor instruction is through the development of confidence in teachers’ ability to teach outdoor science lessons effectively. In addition, SSY-trained teachers were significantly more likely to agree that they have the content knowledge to implement outdoor science lessons.
SSY-trained teachers were also significantly more likely to agree that they aren’t afraid for outdoor science lessons to be unpredictable. SSY training focused on developing teacher comfort in the unpredictability of the outdoors and on capitalizing on unexpected experiences. In observations, some teachers demonstrated spontaneity and flexibility in their instruction, incorporating unexpected phenomena—including organisms, sounds, and even litter—into their lessons. During one observed outdoor lesson on ecosystems, several students noticed trash, both organic and inorganic, around the schoolyard. The teacher used their discoveries to engage the whole class in a discussion of how different types of trash might contribute or harm an ecosystem.
In some cases, however, teachers did not take advantage of opportunities for spontaneous instruction. For example, in one outdoor classroom during a weather lesson, a student excitedly discovered a ladybug. The teacher admonished the child and instructed her to pay attention, rather than incorporate the ladybug into the discussion.
Teachers indicated that the trainings showed them how to structure outdoor lessons, and be more thoughtful about activities. In particular, teachers who had attended SSY trainings felt that having the opportunity to hear ideas from both instructors and other teachers’ experiences was particularly valuable. As one teacher commented,
“Everyone had to go teach a lesson outside and then bring it back, tell about it, and share the students' work. And it was just great to see all the different ways that people used the classroom. I feel like I learned a lot just from other teachers. I think that's the best networking.”
Teacher
Science teachers value SSY training.
Teachers rated SSY professional development highly, and generally agreed that their teaching and content knowledge had improved as a result of participating in SSY training. In particular, approximately ¾ of all SSY-trained teachers agreed or strongly agreed that SSY was a good use of their time and was an effective program.
Ratings of Satisfaction by SSY-Trained Teachers
Teachers commented that the SSY training helped motivate them to use the outdoors, gave them more ideas about how to use the outdoor space, and helped them understand how to connect the outdoors to the science curriculum. Several teachers’ thoughts on the SSY trainings are included below.
“Taking the courses allowed me to be a little more thoughtful about my outdoor lessons. I definitely take kids outside a lot more, especially now that I've also learned the curriculum I can see where the links are and plan ahead for those kinds of occasions.”
Teacher
“The training—when I went to that life science course, that really opened up the box of the outdoor classroom for me. I got so many good ideas of different things that I could do. So that was really, really helpful. I got to see other outdoor classrooms and I got to be with other teachers who use them.”
Teacher
“The trainings motivated me and gave me some more ideas of other things I could do in the outdoor classroom. We don't necessarily have to be planting. Like today we went out and we listened to sounds. There's a lot of different things you can do out there.”
Teacher
“I think that the training was probably the most beneficial to me, because it kind of opened my eyes into all the different things I could do out there. All the opportunities, and how I could make--I could still cover what I need to cover, because we only have the kids for six, seven weeks, so we have to get all those activities done. So if you can see a way you can connect or bring it outside--that's what some people are afraid of. We only have seven weeks, and they're afraid they'll lose a lesson if they go outside. But it's not, you bring the lesson outside with you.”
Teacher
For additional details about the data collection, please see About the Evaluation.
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Challenges and Supports
Christian Phillips Photography
The evaluation examined how external supports and challenges can both facilitate and potentially inhibit outdoor science instruction. Outdoor science instruction and the particular practices advocated in the Science in the Schoolyard trainings face a number of challenges. These challenges aren’t necessarily unique, but it is important, nonetheless, to clearly describe them in this context and how they may be addressed. In addition, findings also revealed several factors that appear to support teachers’ ability to implement outdoor instruction. These are also described below.
Recommendations for schools and districts to address challenges are also discussed in the For Districts section of this report.
Challenges
Click the image to the right for an interactive visual look at some of the factors associated with teachers’ taking students outdoors for science.
Supports
A nice outdoor space
The presence of a Boston Schoolyard Initiative-installed outdoor classroom was marginally related to frequency of taking students outdoors. Nearly¾ of science teachers with an outdoor classroom reported that they took students outdoors for science class a “few times” or more the previous spring, whereas only about half of the science teachers without an outdoor classroom reported taking students out a “few times” or more.
In addition, teachers who agreed more with the item “the outside area at my school is not sufficient to teach science outdoors” took students outdoors for science significantly less. While there is marginal evidence that presence of a full outdoor classroom was positively related to frequency of taking students outdoors, it is important to note that a “nice enough” space, even if a full outdoor classroom is not available, may be sufficient to make a difference.
Several teachers reported student enthusiasm and school pride in their renovated outdoor spaces. A few described their outdoor spaces as “special” and as a “little oasis right in the city.” One teacher indicated that the space allows students to feel more like scientists. Another describes how the new space has transformed the school lot:
“We had—this was all concrete, no playground or anything, with the Schoolyard Initiative we got the playground. It was just pavement out back. So we get the playground, the paint on the back, and the outdoor classroom. So before that we just walked around, just the exterior, mainly for erosion because there were some spots where you could see the rocks trickle down. So we would go outside, but not to the extent that we're able to now.”
Teacher
For additional details about the data collection, please see About the Evaluation.
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Teaching Outdoors and Science Instruction
Observations, interviews, and questionnaires provided data to help document and describe outdoor lessons and science instruction across Boston public elementary schools. The analysis examined the range of practices during instruction outdoors as well as relationships between frequency of outdoor instruction and particular instructional strategies.
Outdoor lesson vary, but still have some things in common.
Outdoor lessons can be very different in many respects. The observed sessions ranged from around 5 minutes to over 30 minutes and included a mix of spontaneous, teacher-created lessons, FOSS-created outdoor lesson guides, and Science in the Schoolyard Guides to FOSS lessons. Even among those teachers who use the SSY Guides to FOSS to teach outdoors, there was variability. When asked to describe the fidelity with which they use the guides, most science teachers (84%) agreed “to some extent” that they usually adapt the SSY lessons, though 67% also agreed “to some extent” that they use the lessons almost exactly as they are written. The high level of agreement to both of these items suggests that some adaptation is typically occurring, though often a relatively small amount.Outdoor Lesson Case Studies
Even with this variability, however, student observation and exploration were consistently present. During observed lessons, the students often spent time exploring the schoolyard or outdoor classroom, making and documenting observations, and sometimes completing scientific drawings. When asked what they usually do during outdoor lessons, they most often described these kinds of exploratory and observational experiences. As one student said, “What we do outside is we observe things that we find. And observe small bugs. We can observe plants and draw them, and we can observe closely.” While some students and teachers described other kinds of activities such as investigations and experiments, teachers also reported on the dominance of observations and general exploration in outdoor lessons:
“As the science teacher, I did a lot of observational drawings. That's been a lot of the time. Especially in the younger grades, really looking at things closely, looking at every little structure of it and every little piece of it. We didn't have the outdoor classroom yet, but we used to go out there and look at the plants that were there and rocks and things that were out there.”
Teacher
Science teachers who take students outdoors exhibit higher levels of several important teaching strategies than science teachers who do not take students outdoors.
On questionnaires, teachers reported the frequency with which they used a variety of science strategies. Science-strategy use measured in the evaluation focused on strategies defined as core to the SSY model and emphasized during SSY trainings. Although the findings did not reveal any differences between SSY-trained and non—SSY-trained science teachers on the use of these strategies, there were some differences between teachers who took students outdoors and those that did not take students outdoors for science.
Science teachers who take students outdoors enact several science talk strategies at higher rates.
One important strategy that teachers may enact during science instruction is the facilitation of science communication. This can include use of vocabulary as well as verbally expressing ideas, knowledge, and arguments. Science teachers who take students outdoors enacted several “science talk” strategies at significantly higher rates than science teachers who reported they did not take students outdoors. Further, science teachers who reported taking students outdoors for instruction at least once during spring semester indicated significantly higher rates of revisiting vocabulary learned in a previous lesson and verbally reminding students to ask questions. Student reports support the notion that there are more science communication opportunities with outdoor lessons as well: students who report going outdoors for science instruction also report engaging in certain aspects of science talk to a greater extent. This is highlighted further in the Student Outcomes findings section.
Science teachers who take students outdoors enact several science facilitation strategies at higher rates.
Science teachers who took classes outdoors reported enacting two other strategies with greater frequency than those who did not take students out for instruction. Science teachers who reported taking students out at least once during the spring semester reported significantly higher frequencies of structuring activities to allow students to work at their own level, as well as marginally greater frequencies of demonstrating science skills (such as how to observe or measure). Both strategies are critical for student comfort and confidence in their ability to carry out science activities.
For additional details about the data collection, please see About the Evaluation.
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Outdoor Science Education and Student Outcomes
Christian Phillips Photography
A key evaluation question focused on understanding the student outcomes associated with outdoor science instruction. Findings showed that participation in outdoor science lessons (as reported by teachers or students) is associated with higher levels of several positive attitudes, behaviors, and activities. The Key Findings sections highlight those outcomes that were statistically significant and/or well-supported by qualitative data.
Students who report going outdoors for science indicate higher interest in and self-efficacy for science.
Students who reported that they have outdoor science lessons showed several significantly higher positive attitudes toward science than students who reported they never went outdoors for science. Although differences were not seen across all measures of interest and self-efficacy for science, a few important distinctions emerged. These differences were statistically significant, though sometimes subtle.
Students who report going outdoors for science indicate higher levels of interest in science.
Findings show that students who reported that they “sometimes” or “often” go outdoors for science lessons also indicated significantly higher levels of science interest: they were more likely to agree that learning about science is fun than students who don’t have outdoor science lessons.
Further, students who reported that they have outdoor science lessons were also more likely to agree that they want to learn more science. And finally, these students were also more likely to report that they do science activities at home, even if they don’t have to.
Several students gave rich examples of science activities they did at home, which often connected to learning they had done in science at school. One student explained, “At my house, I actually have a garden, and I learn what plants need in science class. I learned that they need water and sun when I was in K-1 or K-2. I learned how if you don't give them water or what they need, it affects them and they could possibly die. And now I'm planting kale and I water them every day.”
These findings suggest that participation in outdoor science lessons was associated with students generally having more fun in science learning. In addition, participation in outdoor science lessons was related to increased motivation for students to learn additional science content and engage in science outside of school hours.
Students who report going outdoors for science indicate higher levels of self-efficacy for science.
Students who reported that they go outdoors for science were more likely to agree that they can do well in science. Other findings of self-efficacy were slightly mixed, but generally positive. Students who had outdoor science lessons were slightly more likely to indicate that “Even if a new science topic is hard, I can learn it,” and “I know I can learn science if I work hard.” Thus, in addition to interest, there is some evidence that outdoor lessons are associated with students’ confidence in science ability.
Students who go outdoors for science lessons may experience more engagement across several key activities and behaviors.
Both students and teachers reported on a wide range of activities and behaviors that students might engage in during science lessons. Students who go outdoors for science “sometimes” or “often” (as reported by the students or their teachers) also show significantly higher rates of participation in several core science activities and behaviors.
Students who report going outdoors for science report engaging in more investigations and observations.
Students who said that they “sometimes” or “often” go outdoors for science lessons reported significantly more instances of conducting investigations and making observations. Those who participated in outdoor lessons were 10% more likely to indicate that it is “always” true that they make observations during science time. Additionally, students who participated in outdoor science lessons were more likely to indicate it is “sometimes” or “always” true that they conduct investigations than students who didn’t participate in outdoor science lessons.
Students who have outdoor science lessons may exhibit more risk-taking, independence, and curiosity.
In addition to providing new opportunities for direct engagement with natural scientific phenomena, the outdoor environment may also provide opportunities for students to have new experiences in science. Students who reported that they “sometimes” or “often” go outdoors for science lessons indicated significantly greater frequencies of being willing to try something new or different in science.
Further, the outdoors may support students’ independence. Although there was no quantitative relationship between outdoor lessons and teacher reports of students exploring independently during science, independence was frequently observed during outdoor science lessons. Teachers often allowed students to have freedom and to make choices about how to use their time. Students were allowed to explore the outdoor environment at will, finding their own spots to work and making observations of phenomena that were attractive or interesting to them. This independence also allowed students to do their work at their own pace and explore new things at will.
Finally, teachers who take students outdoors for science lessons were also significantly more likely to report that students ask questions that stem from their own curiosity. The more often teachers reported taking students outdoors for science, the more they reported students exhibiting this curiosity.
These findings suggest that outdoor science lessons may be associated with students having new experiences or ideas, as well as engaging in independent learning.
Students who have outdoor science lessons may make more connections between concepts, lessons, or disciplines.
Teachers who take students outdoors for science reported significantly greater levels of students identifying connections between lessons. While simply taking students outdoors at all was associated with an increase in making connections, the more teachers reported taking students outdoors, the more they generally reported students making connections.
Students may also make direct conceptual connections between what they learn indoors and what they see outdoors. No quantitative relationship was found between outdoor science lessons and students making lesson connections to real-life phenomena, though many teachers spoke about the connections they see students making outdoors (both facilitated and spontaneous) to content learned indoors:
“I think even today, we're learning about the life cycle of the butterfly, and then outside they were all, "Oh, I think I see a chrysalis attached to the tree!" So they did, they're definitely making the connection.”
Teacher
“I try and set it up so that they can hopefully go outside to make that connection. I try not to give them all the information in here so they can go out and discover it themselves.”
Teacher
Classroom teachers also reported that outdoor instruction helps their students make connections between science and other subjects. Although there were no quantitative relationships found between outdoor lessons and students making interdisciplinary connections, teachers described interdisciplinary connections their students made during reading and writing activities. As one teacher said, “I feel like what we do outside always carries over into our reading and writing work. Because we'll do read-alouds that connect to what we see and do outside, and then their writing is also based on that, the activities that we continue with once they come back in.”
While significant differences were seen between students who do and do not go outdoors for science across the several activities and behaviors described above, there were no significant differences between these groups on other measures of science activities and behaviors. No differences were seen between these groups on reports of activities such as students engaging in writing, making predictions, working well together, making connections to other subjects, making connections to real life phenomena, explaining reasoning, supporting claims with evidence, considering alternative arguments, reflecting on experiences, following procedures, exploring independently, or connecting science to other disciplines.
Students Love Going Outdoors for Science.
Elementary students and teachers spend the majority of their day at school, inside a classroom. And in an urban location like Boston, many teachers reported that students have few opportunities, even outside of school hours, to explore an outdoor environment. Teachers and school leaders who are committed to outdoor instruction report that it provides students with the opportunity to have critical time outdoors, among plants and bugs and dirt.
During observations, teachers’ announcements that the class would be going outdoors for science were almost always greeted with sheer joy. Although some students did not want to get dirty or touch snails, nearly all enjoyed interacting with the plants, dirt, insects, and other living and non-living things they found outdoors. As one student put it, “When you're outside, it's more fun and everybody's having a good time.”
The questionnaire data also supported this finding. Three-quarters (75%) of the students surveyed who reported that they “sometimes” or “often” go outdoors for science indicated that it’s always true that they love going outdoors for science. Nearly 2/3 (60%) indicated it is always true that going outdoors for science is better than learning science inside.
Students were also asked to describe “one thing that they learned during science outdoors that they really liked.” They provided a variety of rich experiences and reactions. Click the image below to see an interactive visual with a selection of students’ responses.
Some teachers report that outdoor lessons facilitate science learning for special education and ELL students.
Across the entire sample, most science teachers agreed to some extent that outdoor education “helps special education students and English Language Learners (ELL students) to be successful in science.” Several teachers expressed that the activities experienced in the outdoor environment allow special education and ELL students to participate in a different and more meaningful way than they are able to do when reading, writing, or talking in a classroom. Some teachers also reported that having instruction outdoors helps their ELL and special education students build vocabulary and use it in context.
“[My ELL students] actually try to write more, they ask for more help, versus sitting and if they were to just do book paperwork. They're able to see the things, they're able to look at it and try to explain it even if they don't have the words to communicate. They'll try and often will go back to their home language and say it in that, or ask another student, ‘How do you say that?’ So they're more expressive, verbal, about sharing things. They get more excited when they actually see it.”
Teacher
“My special education class of 3-, 4-, 5-year olds, varies widely… people have to hold their hands all day, it's very structured, and when they go outside they are allowed to walk around and even—they can touch everything, and this is the only place probably in their lives where they can touch everything. And I noticed in the classroom, they'll try to put stuff in their mouth all the time, like chronically. But outside they won't do it. It's like they just touch it with their hands, some kind of sensory thing, and then they move on to the next thing. And they just are amazing… the language, too, that comes out is incredible. They'll just start saying leaves, stem—they'll just start using all the stuff I use inside with them. I think for that population, the outdoors is incredible.”
Teacher
Science in the Schoolyard (SSY) training may also be related to this belief. SSY-trained science teachers were significantly more likely to agree that outdoor lessons help special education students, and were marginally more likely to agree that outdoor lessons help ELL students and students with language disabilities to learn vocabulary more effectively.
A few teachers did note that behavior can be more of a challenge when taking their ELL or special education students outside, as the environment can be over stimulating and hard to manage for some. This reflects the more general concern about managing an entire class of students outdoors, and the need for extra support (in the form of another adult) in order to take students outdoors for science or other instruction. This is discussed further in the Challenges and Supports section of this report.
For additional details about the data collection, please see About the Evaluation.
