Stamford College T Level Students Bring Early Years Learning Theories to Life Outdoors

Level 3 T Level in Education & Early Years students at Stamford College recently took their learning outdoors for a practical workshop focused on Discovery Learning and Natural Investigation Kits. 

Heading onto the college grounds, the future practitioners gathered a rich variety of natural materials, including stones, bark, pinecones, twigs, and leaves, to construct bespoke hands-on learning resources for early childhood development.

The practical session allowed students to put famous cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner’s Discovery Learning Model directly into practice across three distinct stages. Beginning at the Enactive Stage, students engaged in physical exploration and collection of tactile objects. Moving to the Iconic Stage, they visualised their findings by categorising items based on texture, weight, and colour gradients before mapping and sketching them. Finally, in the Symbolic Stage, students linked their physical discoveries back to abstract theoretical concepts and drafted professional strategies.

This hands-on outdoor workshop equips Stamford College’s future Early Years practitioners with the practical skills needed to design rich, curious, and inspiring learning environments for young minds in their professional careers.