As part of my master's thesis, I focused on outdoor education with elements of risky play. Outdoor science education plays a significant role in achieving both general and specific learning objectives of the subject. Authentic environments provide much better opportunities for understanding natural phenomena and scientific concepts, and also for creating and building a relationship with nature. The forefront of outdoor education involves active learning methods, with teaching techniques diverse and adapted to specific needs of students.
Didactic play is one of the active methods that gives the teacher a lot of opportunities to perform, even in the form of outdoor lessons.
Recent research indicates the significant role of risky play in lifelong learning. It's crucial to educate and offer opportunities for youths to take responsibility, face risks, and learn to make decisions in such situations. Risk in play is fundamental for a child's exploration and understanding of the world. Researchers highlight positive aspects of risky play, such as increased physical activity, mental and social benefits for students, and assistance in solving everyday life situations they'll encounter in the future.
Risky play elements are divided into six categories: speed, height, working with real tools (hammer, saw, knife, etc.), presence of dangerous elements (fire, water), rough and tumble play and play in places where there is a chance of children getting lost.
Within the master's thesis, a new form of didactic play with risky elements was developed. The didactic game is designed in such a way that its implementation is planned in the form of outdoor lessons and is intended for pupils of the 4th grade of primary school.
The research involved 45 students from two different elementary schools in rural and smaller suburban areas, along with four class teachers. The didactic play was conducted at both schools, and data was gathered through student questionnaires, observation forms for activity monitoring, and semi-structured interviews with teachers.
The study indicated that students felt best when climbing a ladder, walking on a balance beans, and running with their eyes closed, while they felt worst when shooting a bow and drawing with mud. There weren't significant differences in achievements between rural and suburban students, except for sawing, where suburban students showed more confidence.
The study also found that students often encounter activities involving risk elements at home, while they rarely encounter such situations at school.
Based on semi-structured interviews with teachers, it was found that teachers do not include risk elements in their classes, or very rarely.
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