Are you tired of being stuck in your classroom day after day? Do your students long to be outside. I imagine your answer is ‘YES!’
When our schools are surrounded by a wealth of outdoor space, why do we as teachers insist on always learning in the classroom?
There are huge benefits to students and teachers when learning outside, sometimes we just need a little guidance and confidence to try something new and different.
LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Over the last two decades, many research studies have been conducted to discover how to improve student’s well-being and health. With children spending approximately 40% of their waking hours at school (Nielsen et al), it makes sense to target health-based initiatives through the education system.
A wealth of evidence proves that students learning, physical activity, social relations, motivation and well-being are positively impacted when learning takes place outside.
BENEFITS OF TEACHING OUTSIDE
Educating outside of the classroom has a positive impact on student’s psychosocial well-being with an increase in their overall expression of empathy, helpfulness and kindness. Research clearly shows, that when the learning curriculum is taken outside, students find their schoolwork more enjoyable and therefore hold a higher level of intrinsic motivation for completing academic work. When working in the outdoors, students positively develop their own well-being to reach their full potential by having increased values and interests, being active and feeling closely connected to their peers and teacher (Mygind & Bølling). This is largely due to learning in nature, which offers a happy environment as well as one with reduced pressures and greater opportunities to explore own interests and ideas.
It’s important to understand that the effectiveness of teaching outside is only high when activities are carefully planned and purposeful. Randomly taking students outside to read a book for example, probably wouldn’t prove to be hugely beneficial!
RELATABLE RELUCTANCE
With the daily pressures and stresses that teachers face, implementing outdoor learning may feel like a further add-on to teacher’s responsibilities. Learning outside the classroom needs to be considered as an educational add-in, meaning that it’s a normal part of the school day. When a learning outcome can be covered using the local, outdoor environment, why not take it outside?
There are other considerations that may cause further teacher reluctance such as time and student behaviours. With a heavy curriculum to work through and division plus whole-school events, teachers are often left feeling that there simply is not enough time to take the learning outside, especially when considering that students need to be dressed appropriately for the weather as well as taking required materials outside. Student behaviours cause a strong reluctance to take learning outside, especially when there is the risk that students may run, struggle to listen, or have the inability to focus. As a result, leaving the security of the classroom within the school building could increase teachers levels of anxiety, stress and worry.
HOW TO TEACH OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
- Ensure that learning outcomes and your intended activity can be achieved using the outside environment.
- Be accompanied by an appropriate colleague, such as an educational assistant, for students that have behavioural needs.
- Make sure that students are appropriately dressed for the weather.
- Take all required resources with you that are needed to complete your intended activity.
- Notify the school office when you are leaving the classroom and returning so that they know where to reach you if needed.
- Take your cell phone with you in case you need assistance.
- Have fun with your students!
If learning outside the classroom is a new approach for you, I invite you to create an opportunity to learn in the outdoor environment at least once a week. When you plan and prepare for learning in this way, the academic, physical and social gains are extremely valuable and you’ll feel a deeper level of connection with your students!
For personalized support with learning outside the classroom, from an Alberta certified teaching coach, contact a TruTeach professional to book a FREE teacher consultation today by completing our contact form or phone 1-587-625-8510 !
References
Nielsen, G, Mygind, E, Bølling, M, Otte, M, R, Schneller, M, B, Schipperijn, J, Ejbye-Ernst, N & Bentsen P. (2016) A quasi-experimental cross-disciplinary evaluation of the impacts of education outside the classroom on pupils’ physical, activity, well-being and learning: the TEACHOUT study protocol. BMC Public Health, 16 (1117). Available at https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3780-8 [Accessed 4th May 2023].
Mygind, E & Bølling, M. (2022) Pupils’ Well-Being, Mental and Social Health. In: Jucker, R., Von Au, J. (eds) High-Quality Outdoor Learning. Springer, Cham. Available at https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-04108-2_8 [Accessed 4th May 2023]
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