PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SCHOOL AND THE ENVIRONMENT – TEACHING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

This paper considers the possibilities for developing a partnership between a school and its surroundings by means of integrated teaching outside the classroom. High quality collaboration between a school and its surroundings requires that both partners participate actively in the process of establishing and developing a partnership that would meet the needs and interests of both stakeholders. From the viewpoint of the current changes in schools, a partnership with the community is a necessity, because schools are expected to open up towards their surroundings and decontextualise school knowledge, which implies a bigger deal of learning outside the classroom for the purposes of the implementation of school curriculum contents. Important possibilities for building partnership between a school and its surroundings lie in carrying out school activities in authentic environments in the surroundings, especially by integrated outdoor teaching. By increasing the contribution of integrated teaching and learning outside the classroom in the process of school education, students, schools and the environment all benefit, a good base for decreasing the gap between formal and informal education is built and a unique educational space for the acquisition of knowledge and experience is created. Key words: school, environment, integrated outdoor teaching, partnership.