Nature Pedagogies
Overview
This unit will draw on the research evidence that reveals exposure to natural environments develops children’s understandings and experiences that will have a long term impact on the quality of children’s lives, particularly in relation to their physical health, motor skill development, emotional wellbeing and ‘character capabilities’ such as self-regulation, empathy, creativity, and innovation, and their capacity to be successful learners. Pre-service teachers will be supported to use their senses, to explore, to be creative and to (re)discover how to learn in, with and through nature, in order that they will be build capacity on how plan through policy, programming and pedagogy the means to introduce natural learning as central to an early childhood program
Requisites
02-November-2025
08-February-2026
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Anlayse holistic natural learning philosophies
- Explore and explain holistic natural learning methodologies
- Critically evaluate regulatory requirements versus natural learning pedagogies
- Create and justify a holistic natural learning program
Teaching methods
Swinburne Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 12.50 | 12 weeks | 150 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture |
1.00 | 12 weeks | 12 |
| On-campus Class |
3.00 | 8 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various |
4.00 | 12 weeks | 48 |
| Unspecified Activities Various |
5.50 | 12 weeks | 66 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Placement Portfolio | Individual | 50% | 1,2 |
| Portfolio | Individual | 50% | 3,4 |
Content
- Philosophies of learning and playing in, with and through nature
- Methodologies of learning and playing in, with and through nature
- Contemporary research: Nature Play, Bush kinder and Forest schools
- Relationships with and in spaces
- Relationships with and in nature
- Human and non-human animals learning together
- Developing nature play policies
- Excursions and incursions
- Choosing a site
- Risk assessments
- Regulatory requirements
- Sensory learning
- Risk taking
- Natural play pedagogies
- Outdoor learning
- Natural resources and materials
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.