Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Redefining learning spaces: a pedagogical approach to sustainability education outside the classroom
The OTTER lab approach gives teachers a five-step structure for planning sustainability education outside the classroom: prepare, orientate, discover, make an impact, reflect.
What's new
Practitioners and researchers in a European consortium co-created the OTTER (Outdoor Science Education for a Sustainable Future) lab approach and piloted it in nine schools across four countries. It combines pedagogical theory with hands-on learning in five steps: prepare, orientate, discover, make an impact and reflect. The paper describes how the approach was developed and its pilot implementation, with practice-based examples. It presents the approach as scaffolding that still leaves room for practitioners' own decisions.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
It offers a simple planning structure for linking EOTC with sustainability and science learning, which schools here can adapt.
Putting it into practice
Plan your next sustainability-focused trip using the five OTTER steps, making sure the 'make an impact' and 'reflect' stages are included.
How strong is the evidence
The paper describes the approach and its pilot with practice examples. The abstract does not report outcome data.
What to read
The description of the five steps and the practice-based examples.