Does your teacher prefer to teach maths outdoors in the school playground? Does your colleague seize every opportunity to take the class outside and teach there? Does your colleague always inspire you with new ideas for outdoor lessons? Then nominate them from 10 January as Outdoor Learning Teacher of the Year and, together with Jantje Beton and IVN Nature Education, help put outdoor teaching on the map.
How does it work?
Anyone can nominate a teacher who teaches outdoors, so nominations can be submitted by a colleague, principal, parent or the teacher’s own pupils. A teacher can also nominate themselves. To be eligible for nomination, the teacher must teach outdoors at a primary school at least 8 times a year and be available on National Outdoor Learning Day on 5 April for the awards ceremony. The nominated teachers compete in the preliminary round against teachers from their own province, producing 1 winner. An independent jury then selects the very best outdoor learning teacher in the Netherlands from the 12 provincial winners. The winner will be announced on 5 April during National Outdoor Learning Day.
What can you win?
As the best outdoor learning teacher of the year, you will receive a trophy for the school and a €2,000 budget to create an outdoor learning area in the school playground. Think of raised vegetable beds, a fire pit or seating in the outdoor classroom. The 12 provincial winners will of course also receive a suitable prize. The greatest prize is, naturally, the honour. As the winner, you may use the title Best Outdoor Learning Teacher for a year. For a year, you will be an ambassador for outdoor teaching. Together with Jantje Beton and IVN, you will inspire teachers to teach (more) outdoors, including by developing new outdoor lessons with us.
Registration
All information about Outdoor Learning Day and nominating the best outdoor learning teacher can be found at www.buitenlesdag.nl.