Dr. Gillian Judson’s “The Walking Curriculum” named one of the world’s most inspiring innovations in K-12 education

Congratulations to Dr. Gillian Judson, Assistant Professor in SFU’s Faculty of Education, for having “The Walking Curriculum” recently recognized as one of the world’s most inspiring innovations!   

This recognition appears in a report by education non-profit HundrED in their fourth annual Global Collection. HundrED’s annual Global Collection highlights 100 of the most impactful innovations in K-12 education from around the world with the goal to inspire a movement by helping pedagogically sound, ambitious innovations spread and adapt to multiple contexts across the world.

To make this year’s Global Collection, a shortlist of innovations was reviewed by 150 Academy Members consisting of academics, educators, innovators, funders and leaders from over 50 countries. In total, there were 3404 reviews by the Academy based on their impact and scalability that were then evaluated by HundrED’s Research Team to make the final selection.

The Walking Curriculum is an innovative interdisciplinary resource developed by Judson for K-12 educators who want to take student learning outside school walls with the simple message: #getoutside. This resource, based on principles of Imaginative Ecological Education, features 60 easy-to-use walking-focused activities designed to engage students’ emotions and imaginations with their local natural and cultural communities, to broaden their awareness of the particularities of Place and to evoke their sense of wonder in learning.

“We’re so pleased to have been selected as one of HundrED’s 100 global innovations,” said Judson, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, and developer of The Walking Curriculum. “The Walking Curriculum challenges teachers to re-imagine how they teach, and it encourages teachers to personally re-connect to Place and community. The #getoutside message involves acknowledging that our communities—natural and cultural—are teachers, too. It is exciting to see a growing interest in outdoor learning K-12.”  

Learn more about Dr. Judson’s innovation and see examples of recent walks by visiting her official website.