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Transforming Teaching With Nature: Indoors and Outdoors

Learn to deliver nature-connected learning, indoors and outdoors, with ZSL conservation expertise and practical teaching resources

717 enrolled on this course

Young children learning from a teacher in a natural setting

Transforming Teaching With Nature: Indoors and Outdoors

717 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Accreditation available

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

Teach outdoors with ZSL conservation tools

How can you bring meaningful outdoor learning into your teaching without overwhelming preparation? Primary teachers need practical tools and confidence to deliver nature-connected learning that engages pupils and supports curriculum goals.

This four-week course, developed with ZSL conservation expertise, provides a comprehensive nature teaching toolkit. You’ll explore outdoor learning, biodiversity basics, school grounds activities and curriculum connections through real-world conservation case studies.

Through downloadable resources and practical activities, you’ll develop confidence in teaching with nature.

Understand foundations of outdoor learning and biodiversity

Explore the benefits of learning outside the classroom for pupil engagement, wellbeing, and nature connectedness. You’ll learn biodiversity essentials: species, ecosystems, habitats and how to discover these using your school grounds.

Through ZSL’s conservation stories, you’ll gain inspirational examples to bring hope-filled science into primary teaching.

Plan outdoor lessons and ensure safety

Learn comprehensive risk assessment, site evaluation, and inclusive outdoor teaching preparation. You’ll explore practical projects like ZSL Hogwatch to find wildlife where you teach.

You’ll build teacher confidence for regular outdoor learning whilst maintaining safety standards.

Connect curriculum and communicate climate issues

Map outdoor activities across maths, science, English, and art whilst addressing climate change and eco-anxiety constructively. You’ll access downloadable lesson plans, activity sheets, quizzes, and video resources.

You’ll design personalised outdoor schemes of work and gain science capital insights and conservation career inspiration for pupils.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 3 seconds We’ve all seen pictures of the perfect setting for outdoor learning. It’s probably a sun drenched meadow. Rich and biodiverse, or a patch of ancient woodland. And in reality, the weather probably looks a bit better than this. But that is not realistic for most schools. In most schools we’re working with a tarmac playground or a playing field. However, to be an outdoor learning expert, you don’t need to have the perfect setting. That’s why we’ve created this course. Over the next four weeks, we aim to give you the confidence and the practical skills to make the outdoors a meaningful and consistent part of your teaching practice. ZSL has been supporting people to learn about animals and nature for the last 200 years.

Skip to 0 minutes and 45 seconds if we want young people to care about nature, it’s really, really important that they develop a connection to it. And the way that that happens is by getting them outside and into nature.

Skip to 0 minutes and 55 seconds But we also understand that it can seem a little bit daunting to get started, By the end of this course, we hope that you will be an advocate for nature in your setting, able to plan inspiring lessons that support your students to meet all of their learning objectives. We hope that through doing this, your students will learn to really, really care about nature. So grab your coat or in this case, umbrellas, and let’s get started.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Foundations of Outdoor Learning

    • Welcome to the Course

      A welcome discussion to set the scene. Introduce yourself, share your current experience with outdoor learning, and what you hope to gain from the course.

    • Learning Outside the Classroom

      Explore biodiversity through an engaging video and a ZSL case study. You’ll learn to overcome outdoor teaching barriers, discover how to transform school grounds, and discuss fresh nature-based ideas with fellow educators.

    • Knowledge Check and Reflections

      Check your progress with a short quiz on biodiversity and outdoor learning. Then, join our final discussion to share one key takeaway and a specific action you’ll try in your own teaching practice as a result of this week.

  • Week 2

    Your School Grounds as a Classroom

    • Getting Started

      Dive into Week 2 with practical tools for outdoor success. Learn to manage time, resources, and leadership support, then join our discussion to troubleshoot challenges and find solutions with your peers.

    • Exploring Your Space

      Explore your school grounds through active mapping and a ZSL Hogwatch case study on local conservation. Then, join the discussion to share your findings and any unexpected nature discovered on your site.

    • Knowledge Check and Reflections

      Wrap up Week 2 with a knowledge check on risk assessments and school zones. Then, review the week’s practical takeaways and preview Week 3’s focus on National Curriculum links in our final article.

  • Week 3

    Curriculum Links and Green Careers

    • Cross-Curricular Links

      Dive into Week 3 to link outdoor learning with the National Curriculum. Explore practical lesson ideas and downloads for Maths and English, followed by Science and Art. Finally, share your own cross-curricular ideas.

    • Inspiring Future Scientists

      Discover how science capital shapes student aspirations. Learn why your role is vital in building real-world science connections and how outdoor experiences can increase social mobility and long-term engagement.

    • Knowledge Check and Reflections

      A quiz covering National Curriculum links and key concepts like science capital.

  • Week 4

    Becoming an Outdoor Learning Expert

    • Understanding and Talking About the Climate Crisis

      Start the final week by exploring climate change and ZSL conservation. Learn how to discuss big topics with hope, not anxiety, and share your reflections on tackling these themes in class.

    • Embedding Your Practice

      Draft your own half-term outdoor learning plan using our templates and examples. Then, share a highlight from your plan in the discussion to exchange feedback and fresh ideas with your fellow educators.

    • Next Steps

      Access curated resources and complete the final course quiz. Reflect on your journey in our last discussion, then watch our wrap-up video to celebrate your success and claim your certificate!

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

The CPD Certification Service was established in 1996 and is the leading independent CPD accreditation institution operating across industry sectors to complement the CPD policies of professional and academic bodies.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the benefits of teaching and learning outside, and successfully implement ways of doing this with primary classes
  • Design and amend lessons to incorporate conservation and nature examples, with an increased understanding of biodiversity and climate change
  • Identify the positive impacts of at least one outdoor lesson on students
  • Demonstrate a significant increase in confidence to deliver lessons outdoors
  • Report (after 2 months) an increase in how often teaching has been taken outside, and in nature

Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for primary school teachers wanting practical outdoor teaching confidence, ZSL resources, and strategies for climate and biodiversity education, especially busy educators seeking asynchronous professional development.

Who will you learn with?

Charlie works in ZSL’s Conservation Education team, as the Learning Content Producer. He holds a Zoology degree and has over five years experience creating multimedia learning experiences.

Katriona works in ZSL’s Conservation Education team, leading the development of online learning. She holds a Zoology degree and Masters, and has over a decade of experience in zoos and conservation.

Who developed the course?

Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

We’re ZSL, a science-driven conservation charity working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world. We protect critical species, collaborate with communities to restore healthy habitats, train the next generation of conservationists, and find ways for everyone, from pre-schoolers to politicians, to create change for nature.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$335.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$119/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Start learning today

Free

Try this course - with limits

  • Limited to 4 weeks

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 2 November 2026 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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