143/587/2016 Ihan pihalla! - oppilaat ympäristön tutkijoina. Hankkeen arviointi (Teachers’ and students’ experiences on game-based learning and outdoor education. Assessment of the Far out! -project 2016-2018).

Far out! Pupils as environmental scientists -project aimed to inspire both students and teachers on basic education to make small-scale investigations in environments nearby their school. The project was financed by the Finnish National Agency for Education and coordinated by the city of Kaarina. It was carried out in collaboration with 10 municipalities around Finland, Seppo-game tool designers, Finnish Envi-ronment Institute, the Rauma Unit of the University of Turku and the University of Helsinki. This report is based on the project’s activity between 2016 and 2018 evalua-ting how the goals of the project were met from the viewpoints of the participating teachers and students.The main goal of project was to create new multidisciplinary, inquiry- and phenomenon-based teaching models that utilize various digital tools and learning environments. During the project teachers participated training sessions helping them to plan and carry out their own instructional models. Teachers planned and built digital learning games by using the Seppo-game tool. The digital game was in-cluded to a small-scale environmental study concerning one of the following themes: 1) water systems nearby the school or 2) low-carbon future. The evaluation data was collected three times during the project by survey. In addition, the digital learning games made by the teachers were studied. Together 65 primary or lower secondary schools and 165 teachers (response rate 24%) participated the project. Both class teachers and subject teachers with their students (grades 1-9) attended the study. The results showed that the project enhanced the utilization of game-based and inquiry-based instruction in the schools. Most teachers responded that the trai-ning gave them practical tools to develop their teaching. The project inspired many teachers to use the game-based and inquiry-based approaches in their teaching.In general, the teachers liked to plan and use the Seppo game in their teaching. Many teachers and students assessed that playing the game was motivating. The game made it possible to utilize the school surroundings in a new way and teaching also outside the classroom. Also, the game improved interaction between students and teachers. The game ́s tasks differ from the ordinary classroom instruction in that they emphasized procedural knowledge, skills and creativity. The main challenges related to playing the game were technical issues and the fast pace of the game. Teachers’ feedback on carrying out the inquiry with students was varying. Some teachers felt that the inquiry was challenging regarding using the research tools and carrying out the field work in outdoor teaching. According to the teachers, the research tools provided by the Finnish Environmental Institute brought extra value and support to teaching, and motivated the students to learn. However, the Institute’s open databases were used only sparsely. According to students’ feedback, they had learned to use research tools and some basics about how to carry out an inquiry. The result agrees with teachers’ assessment on students learning during the project.