Cultural Development Adviser, Anthony Ruck is taking part in a Transversal study visit to Ornskoldsvik, Sweden looking at the value of learning outside the classroom. Anthony has sent us an update from the study visit:

Örnsköldsvik is a small town in the North of Sweden - and is the host for a Transversal study visit on outdoor education and creativity, with 15 delegates working in education from across Europe.

So far the study has covered the role of outdoor education in Örnsköldsvik, and the work of the education advisers who have developed the programme across the schools in the municipality. The first two days have focused on using the environment as a physical resource to learning.

The visits have included bronze age settlements in the Forests around Örnsköldsvik, In the World Heritage area, and a small island called Trundsyal. The outdoor education itself is based on a co-operative learning approach, with educationalists as facilitators, rather then reproducers of information, with a multiple-curricular approach. Subjects covered include history, mathematics, geology, biology, art and citizenship - although the focus is on skills and competencies, and a blended curriculum, using the environment itself as a rich resource.

On Wednesday we will get to see the outdoor education in action, now that we have an understanding of how and why it is used - and we will have the opportunity to see the forests that are part of every school grounds in Örnsköldsvik, as a requirement of the planning authority. Seeing the fantastic educational Programmes here in Sweden has so far sparked a lot of inspiration, and also reflection on the fantastic outdoor spaces we have in our schools in England, and is showcasing multiple opportunites for the work that we do at MADE, using the environment around us to provide learning in effective and coherent ways for young people across the West Midlands.