Spotlight on Dr Roger Greenaway - Reviewing skills training

Roger's first reviewing skills training workshop was on a course for primary school teachers over 35 years ago. His three handbooks about reviewing were published in the 1990s after which he made active and creative reviewing his own specialism. Since 1997 Roger has provided training courses worldwide for people who facilitate experiential learning in corporate and educational settings

Why are you supporting SOLD with our Learning Beyond the Classroom conference this year?

I'm very happy to support the theme of Learning Beyond the Classroom - partly because I have always been a fan of outdoor education, but also because so many aspects of best practice in the outdoors can help to inspire better practice indoors. This is especially the case with imaginative approaches to reflection and review. Whether outdoors or indoors, a variety of engaging review methods can really help children learn and develop through their experiences. This is a message I love to promote - along with some practical tips and methods.

Why do you feel young people should be learning in the outdoors?

Even just talking about the natural environment works better if children are outdoors and can see or touch the real thing. But the primary benefit for most kinds of outdoor learning is that children have something motivating and interesting to do. Being outdoors does not automatically increase engagement. But being outdoors does tend to create expectations that it will be learning by doing. If the tasks are well-designed and are in small enough groups for everyone to be involved, then all children (including those who struggle in the classroom) can benefit - and on many levels.

What will teachers learn from you at our conference?

I hope that delegates will be increasing their appreciation of the importance and benefits of using excellent reviewing techniques as an integral part of outdoor learning practice. I will be exploring these three questions:

• How much fun can reviewing be?
• How important can reviewing be?
• How does reviewing help me and my children?

It's not just students who see the outdoors as an opportunity for doing different things and for doing things differently. Outdoors can provide breakthrough moments for teachers too.

We look forward to welcoming Roger to our 2019 conference being held on 29 March at our High Ashurst centre near Dorking.

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