Young People and Nature

Outdoor play and nature connectedness are critical vehicles for young people to develop resiliency, emotional competence and social skills while encouraging creative ways to solve problems and enhance their psychological development in times of global and national ecological emergencies.

The aims of the course include providing a critical understanding of the role of nature in young people’s development and mental health and how to apply your knowledge. You will discuss a range of theoretical approaches and learn to evaluate the effectiveness of outdoor activities and nature-based practices. You will know how to create a range of activity to support young people’s development and mental health and evaluate and develop appropriate nature-based wellbeing activities for children, adolescents and families.

You will also learn to present your work appropriately within the relevant ethical and professional frameworks, and gain a secure understanding of the requirements of critical and reflective thinking.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course will be of interest to pre-and in-service teachers, teaching assistants and those who work with children and young people in social care and health settings.

Teaching Methods

You will have the chance to build your knowledge and confidence in a structured and coherent manner, working closely with the programme team.

In addition, the course will reflect contemporary transdisciplinary practices that seek to create a stimulating and innovative community of learning.

Teaching, assessment and learner support will encourage creativity in a dynamic environment and collaborative culture.

You will have opportunities to gain experience by interacting with others during the sessions, which will provide learning activities to develop you as an inquiring, expert and confident practitioner.

There will be opportunities for formal appointments with your Academic Support Tutor, where any issues can be raised, and informal one-to-ones to discuss your progress, if required. You will also have access to the library, learning resources centre, online resources and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). There will be a session to make sure that you are supported in understanding and meeting the assessment requirements.

Assessment

The learning, teaching and assessment strategy for this micro-credential has been devised to ensure that the specialist knowledge and practical skills are developed and clearly assessed in the most appropriate manner possible and have a clear professional focus.

For example, the assessment includes an individual presentation demonstrating a nature-based activity that learners can use and transfer to their practice.

Furthermore, formative tasks and seminar activities will have a professional focus and enable learners to consider case studies and real-life scenarios in order to apply their knowledge and learning to the real world. It will also allow for critical topics to be explored in greater depth with academic tutors and peers.

Assessments will be evidence-informed and will embrace pedagogic research and practice.