Ask people what they remember most about the physical surroundingsof their childhood and they're likely to describe a special placeout of doors--a school yard, a patch of woods, a community garden.For it is outside space that is most conducive to the ebb and flowof spontaneous activities, offers rich and often surprising sensoryinput, and provides endless possibilities for exploration. If theclassroom is the place where children are taught, the outdoors iswhere they learn on their own. A growing legion of landscape architects is exploring andexploiting the ability to create outdoor environments that optimizethe learning experience and mirror the ideas, values, attitudes,and cultures of those who inhabit them. In Landscapes for Learning,Dr. Sharon Stine presents 11 case studies of the very best of thesedesign projects from around the world. Her findings describe notonly design concepts and end results--rich outdoor learningenvironments--but, more importantly, the processes that led to thecreation of these environments. She examines the roles ofdesigners, teachers, and the children themselves, and how theirinteraction affects the planning, building, and use of thespace. Dr. Stine shows how the most successful designs address the needsof both the children whose job it is to "mess up" the space and theadults who supervise them. She defines nine pairs of contrastingelements that are essential to any play environment and uses theseboth as the basis for her analyses of particular environments andas the foundation of a common language that designers and educatorscan use when developing a new design. She also addresses the issuesof safety and security and demonstrates that learning environmentscan be stimulating, interesting links with the natural world andsafe places for children to run free. Landscapes for Learning is the ideal source for landscapearchitects, architects, planners, school administrators, andteachers who want to collaborate in the development of useful,intriguing outdoor environments for students in day care,preschool, elementary school, junior high, and high school. Discover the keys to creating delightful, stimulating, challenging,and educational outdoor environments for children and youth This unique volume explores the vital and growing movement that istransforming school yards, day-care facilities, and museum groundsaround the world. Dr. Sharon Stine presents detailed analyses of awide variety of outdoor environments for children and theprinciples and processes that enabled their design, creation, andongoing operation. Special features of this book include: * Eleven case studies of outstanding outdoor environments forchildren and youth--both contemporary and historical * More than 140 photos and line drawings that illustrate theapplication of specific design principles * Nine pairs of contrasting elements essential in any playenvironment that form the basis of a shared language for the designand analysis of outdoor learning environments * In-depth analyses of the development and evolution of outsidespace in two schools over a period of 80 years * And much more

If the body of knowledge of a profession is a living landscape of practice, then our personal experience of learning can be thought of as a journey through this landscape. Within Learning in Landscapes of Practice, this metaphor is further developed in order to start an important conversation about the nature of practice knowledge, identity and the experience of practitioners and their learning. In doing so, this book is a pioneering and timely exploration of the future of professional development and higher education. The book combines a strong theoretical perspective grounded in social learning theories with stories from a broad range of contributors who occupy different locations in their own landscapes of practice. These narratives locate the book within different contemporary concerns such as social media, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary and multi-national partnerships, and the integration of academic study and workplace practice. Both scholarly, in the sense that it builds on prior research to extend and locate the concept of landscapes of practice, and practical because of the way in which it draws on multiple voices from different landscapes. Learning in Landscapes of Practice will be of particular relevance to people concerned with the design of professional or vocational learning. It will also be a valuable resource for students engaged in higher education courses with work-based elements.

Grounded in philosophy from John Dewey and Maxine Greene, this book sheds light on difficulties and practicalities of examining culture and politics within the realm of interdisciplinary education. Providing both theoretical and concrete examples of the importance of a contemporary arts education, this book offers imaginative ways the arts and sciences intersect with democratic learning and civic engagement. Chapters focus on education in relation to diversity, apprenticeship, and civic engagement; neuroscience and cognition; urban aesthetic experience and learning; and science and art intelligence.

Filled with numerous exercises this practical guide provides a real hands-on approach to learning the essential concepts and techniques of landscape ecology. The knowledge gained enables students to usefully address landscape- level ecological and management issues. A variety of approaches are presented, including: group discussion, thought problems, written exercises, and modelling. Each exercise is categorised as to whether it is for individual, small group, or whole class study.

‘Here’s a knocking indeed!’ says the Porter in Shakespeare’s Scottish play (Act II, Scene 3) and immediately puts himself into role in order to deal with the demands of such an early call after a late night of drinking and carousal: ‘If a man were porter of hell-gate...’. But what roles does the porter of curriculum-gate take on in order to deal with drama’s persistent demands for entry? Ah, that depends upon the temperature of the times. We, who have been knocking for what seems to be a very long time, know well that when evaluation and measurement criteriaare demanded as evidence of drama’s ef cacy, an examiner stands as gatekeeper. When the educational landscape is in danger of overcrowding, we meet a territorial governor. And how often has the courtesan turned out to be only a tease because the arts are, for a brief moment, in the spotlight for their abilities to foster out-of-the-box thinkers? In this text, we meet these ‘commissionaires’ and many more. The gatekeeping roles and what they represent are so familiar that they have become cliches ́ to us. We know them by their arguments, ripostes, dismissals, their brief encouragement and lack of follow-up. And we know that behind each one (however rmly they think they keep the keys) is a nancial and political master whose power controls the curriculum building and everything in it.

Drawing upon the author's on going research into information literacy, Information Literacy Landscapes explores the nature of the phenomenon from a socio-cultural perspective, which offers a more holistic approach to understanding information literacy as a catalyst for learning. This perspective emphasizes the dynamic relationship between learner and environment in the construction of knowledge. The approach underlines the importance of contextuality, through which social, cultural and embodied factors influence formal and informal learning. This book contributes to the understanding of information literacy and its role in formal and informal contexts. - Explores the shape of information literacy within education and workplace contexts - Introduces a holistic definition of information literacy which has been drawn from empirical studies in the workplace - Introduces a range of sensitizing concepts for researchers and practitioners

You can develop the skills to meet the needs of learners in any learning environment. This approachable, in-depth guide unites the adaptability of Universal Design for Learning with the flexibility of blended learning, equipping educators with the tools they need to create relevant, authentic, and meaningful learning pathways to meet students where they're at, no matter the time and place or their pace and path. With step-by-step guidance and clear strategies, authors Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker empower teachers to implement these frameworks in the classroom, with a focus on cultivating community, building equity, and increasing accessibility for all learners. As we face increasing uncertainty and frequent disruption to traditional ways of living and learning, UDL and Blended Learning offers bold, innovative, inclusive solutions for navigating a range of learning landscapes, from the home to the classroom and all points in between, no matter what obstacles may lie ahead.