October 1st, 2020
Not long after provinces throughout Canada re-opened schools, Ontario and Quebec already reported more than 140 infections among students and staff, prompting some schools to shut down. This has some parents worried about their kids being in class, but one idea has been floating around to circumvent this issue: holding classes outside.
Incorporating outdoor activities into the curriculum is part of a number of measures put forward by SickKids Hospital in its guidance for safe schools reopening, pointing out that it is “acknowledged that transmission of the virus will likely be attenuated in outdoor settings and outdoor play and learning have many benefits for children and youth.”
Learning outside in the winter? No problem!
Some educators say this can be worked out even in the wintertime. After all, this kind of outdoor teaching is already well established in Canada's Northern communities, like the Inuit. “The big piece is educating parents and children on layering and proper clothing. So, no cotton, having the proper layering and the proper mittens, proper socks, extra clothing” says Kristina Kraychy, head of school and founder of the new Calgary Changemaker School.
The school has gazebos and shelters, with a heater to “help them in the winter a little bit, so they can take their mittens off, and then they can do their writing exercises.” But exercises don’t have to be on paper, and the snow can even make it fun. “You can do things in the snow if you're going to do math, for example, you could use plant-based spray paint and use that for math right on the snow, so you can do your timetables,” she says, “and the kids love it.” They aim to hold 50 to 80 percent of their classes outside, and their cut-off temperature is -25C.
The research behind outdoor learning
Outdoor learning is not a new concept either. “This has been an area of research for a number of scholars for decades,” says Hilary Inwood, who leads the Environmental & Sustainability Education Initiative at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. “And it's really interesting to see the research that's emerging on this topic showing not only that there are benefits for students, but also benefits for teachers.”
Fresh air and nature have obvious benefits for physical health, which is why outdoor learning has been brought to the forefront with COVID-19; but it is also good for mental health and overall academic achievement. “It also helps us to experience learning in multiple ways, not just through our brains, cognitively, but also through our emotions, affectively, and through our bodies. […] Then, it's learning that really sticks with children.”
Outdoor learning for greater equality
As for schools where outside space is limited, such as inner-city schools, a rotation-based approach could work: “I don't see a reason why any school couldn't just use their soccer field and put up some temporary shelters,” says Kristina Kraychy. “These things can happen pretty much in any school, but it does take a little bit of outside-the-box thinking for sure.”
In the end, COVID-19 could just be the catalyst for Canada to rethink its approach to education, with more equitable access to nature for all students, including city kids. “You know, there are lots of people who are talking about not returning to the old normal, but to a new and improved normal,” says Hilary Inwood. “It's a fantastic way to engage them in learning that is different from what they might be limited by in a classroom. So it's a really great way, I think, to increase equity in learning in our schools rather than decrease it.”
This story was commissioned by Yahoo News Canada.