PLaTO-Net (Play, Learn and Teach Outdoors Network):
a global network of thought-leaders interested in advancing research and practice related to outdoor play, risky play, outdoor learning and teaching through play.
PLaTO-NET Terminology, Taxonomy, Ontology Global Harmonization Project
Research related to play, teaching and learning in the outdoors continues to grow rapidly. Currently, there are contradictions/competition on key terms, which causes confusion and impedes the advancement of this field. There is a need to harmonize the terminology, taxonomy, and ontology related to playing, teaching and learning in the outdoors. This project, through the direction of the steering committee, aimed to achieve global consensus on these terms and concepts and develop an inclusive model encompassing outdoor play, learning and teaching to facilitate future research in the field.
The results of this project have been published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Access the published PLaTO-Net Terminology, Taxonomy, and Ontology paper here.
View the final definitions, taxonomy, and ontology model produced from this project, below.
PLaTO Ontology Model
At the bottom of the model, surrounding the tree roots in the earth, are the terms economic, cultural, social, ecological, geographical, and political which denote some of the main influences on/consequences of outdoor activities. Along the roots are examples of outdoor settings, starting at the top of the roots with ‘environment,’ branching out to the terms natural and built, leading to green space and loose parts, and school ground and playground, respectively. The roots overlap with each other to indicate inter-relationships between all terms in the earth and roots. Along the bark of the tree trunk are examples of purposes/outcomes that can be achieved while engaging in different activities in the outdoors (e.g., living, connecting, growing, be(long)ing, healing, [re]creating, and socializing), where the bark again overlaps with the different terms to indicate the connectivity of and fluidity between these terms. The trunk supports the leafy canopy where we suggest there are five overlapping main types of activities that can be performed outdoors. These activities span across a range of colors that blend into and overlap with each other, with leisure in orange, leading into play in red, learn in green, teach in purple, and work in yellow (e.g., some leisure activities involve play, a lot of play can be informal learning, working outdoors can involve play, or teaching and so on). Some leaves have fallen back down to the soil to indicate the cyclical and interconnected relationship between all elements. There is also a box to the right of the tree with a cross-section indicating the rings of the tree, with the labels early years, children, youth, adults, and elders in concentric rings moving from the outermost ring to the center, just as the youngest tree rings are at the edge and the oldest at the center, to highlight the applicability of the model to all humans across the lifespan.
Terminology and taxonomy of PLaTO
| Root terms* | Sub-terms | Proposed definition | Synonym/co-hyponym | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoors |
Any open-air, wild, natural, or human-made space Nuances: The space may include a temporary or fixed cover (e.g., awning or roof) but maintain exposure to ambient environmental conditions |
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| Built environment | Human-constructed physical surroundings (e.g., structures, features, facilities) in which people live, learn, work, travel, and play | |||||
| Green space |
Any vegetated land, an area of grass or trees that may also contain bodies of water (e.g., pond, creek), in an urban environment Nuances: The space may either set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes or wasteland areas that have been colonized by nature in an otherwise urban environment |
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| Loose parts | Natural or manufactured play materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials, moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways | |||||
| Playground | A piece of land usually equipped with facilities and/or equipment that is used for outdoor play and recreation | |||||
| School ground | Proprietary outdoor area on the land of educational institution buildings | Synonym: School yard | ||||
| Natural environment | Non-built surroundings and conditions in nature in which living and non-living things co-exist | Synonym: Nature | ||||
| Garden | Planted, developed, or cultivated land used to grow vegetables, fruit, herbs, flowers, and other living plants and organisms | |||||
| Outdoor place space | Any outdoor area where people can play | |||||
| Play |
Voluntary engagement in activity that is fun and/or rewarding and usually driven by intrinsic motivation Nuances: Not all play is self-directed and intrinsically motivated |
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| Outdoor play | A form of play* that takes place outdoors* | Co-hyponym: Outdoor recreation | ||||
| Active play | A form of play* that involves physical activity of any intensity | |||||
| Free play | A form of play* that is unstructured and self-directed | Synonym: Unstructured play | ||||
| Nature play | A form of play* that takes place in a natural environment and/or involves interaction with natural elements and features (e.g., water and mud, rocks, hills, forests, and natural loose parts, such as sticks, pinecones, leaves, and grass) | Co-hyponym: Nature-based recreation | ||||
| Risky play | A form of play* that is thrilling and exciting, which involves uncertainty, unpredictability, and varying degrees of risk-taking | |||||
| Social play | A form of play that involves interacting with others | |||||
| Learning | The development of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits | |||||
| Outdoor learning | Learning* that takes place outdoors* | |||||
| Teaching | The process of facilitation of learning | |||||
| Outdoor teaching | Teaching* that takes place outdoors* | |||||
| Education | The process of learning* and teaching* | |||||
| Outdoor education | Education* that takes place outdoors* | |||||
| Environmental education | A form of education* aimed at increasing knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of the environment | |||||
| Forest schools | An educational* approach that includes regular and repeated access to natural space and participant-directed, emergent, and place-based learning | Co-hyponym: Forest kindergartens, forest preschools, forest programs | ||||
| Outdoor classroom |
A shared space of learning* and teaching* in the school context that is entirely outdoors Nuances: Unlike outdoor education, outdoor classroom takes regular pedagogy and curriculum outdoors in the school context |
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| Place-based learning |
Learning* that considers the importance of connecting learners with their community by anchoring pedagogy within the context of the locally natural, cultural, and social ecosystems Nuances: The learning focuses on a specific physical space which may or may not involve the natural environment |
Co-hyponym: Place-based education | ||||
| Land-based education |
An approach to education* that recognizes a deep connection and relationship of reciprocity between people and the land Nuances: This is specific to the North American context based on Indigenous epistemology of which the land is being understood beyond physical sense and as spiritual, emotional, and intellectual sense |
Co-hyponym: Land-based learning | ||||
| Nature-based education | A form of teaching* and learning* situated in the context of outdoor natural settings | Co-hyponym: Nature-based learning, nature-based preschool | ||||
| Learning for sustainability | A cross-curricular approach to life and learning* which enables learners, educators, schools, and their wider communities to build a socially just, ecologically sustainable, and equitable society | |||||
| Other terms related to PLaTO | ||||||
| Outdoor activity | Leisure, recreational, educational, occupational, and/or health-enhancing activity engaged in the outdoors | |||||
| Outdoor time | Time spent outdoors | |||||
| *Refer to the definition of the corresponding root term | ||||||
PLaTo-Net Steering Committee
| Name | Country | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Members | ||
| Mark Tremblay | Canada | Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario |
| Eun-Young Lee | Canada | Queen’s University |
| Mariana Brussoni | Canada | University of British Columbia |
| Greg Mannion | Scotland | University of Stirling |
| Shawn Marsolais | Canada | Blind Beginnings |
| Mark Leather | England | Plymouth Marjon University |
| Libby Lee-Hammond | Australia | Murdoch University |
| Bjørg Oddrun Hallås | Norway | Western Norway University of Applied Sciences |
| Sue Waite | England | University of Plymouth |
| Sarah Moore | Canada | Douglas College |
| Tove Anita Fiskum | Norway | Nord University |
| Po-Yu (Eric) Wang | Taiwan | National Taiwan University of Physical Education and Sport |
| Maria Isabel Amando de Barros | Brazil | Alana Foundation |
| Cathy Jordan | USA | University of Minnesota |
| Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter | Norway | Queen Maud University College |
| Claire Warden | Scotland | Mindstretchers Academy |
| Nancy Spencer-Cavaliere | Canada | University of Alberta |
| Louise Zimanyi | Canada | The Conversation |
| Susanna Ho | Singapore | Ministry of Education, Singapore |
| Claire Bartels | South Africa | University of Cape Town |
| Peter Bentsen | Denmark | Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital |
| Support | ||
| Michelle Guerrero | Canada | Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario |