Outdoor learning is the solution to school challenges

Physical, mental well-being benefit, Ciera DeSilva writes.

The prospect of students returning to school during the pandemic is causing understandable concern and anxiety. Yet the B.C. government is ignoring proven ways that will improve safety, educational outcomes and our children’s physical and mental well-being.

Having taught in B.C. secondary schools, I know firsthand about the overcrowding and infrastructure challenges that make a safe return to school harder than it needs to be. Crowded classrooms, outdated HVAC systems, and classrooms without openable windows are a real concern, but these problems are unlikely to be fixed in the coming weeks. Thankfully, fresh air is always available outside the classroom, making outdoor learning a realistic and proven solution.

Scotland included support and resources for outdoor learning in its COVID-19 back-toschool plan. Notably, the country has guaranteed funding for approximately 850 extra teachers and 200 support staff to “intensify support for children and young people.”

Toronto’s SickKids Hospital recommended in a June report that schools adapt to COVID-19 using outdoor learning.

Why then is the B.C. government not including outdoor learning in its return-to-school plan? Learning outdoors can help us address COVID-19 concerns and improve students’ learning outcomes, as well as their physical, mental and emotional health.

Thanks to the mild climate that the majority of B.C.’s population enjoys, we have an immense opportunity to use outdoor spaces for school learning, something scientifically proven to reduce virus transmission.

Yes, rain and snow will arrive. But building simple covered spaces on school grounds would allow for classes to learn outside year-round, during this pandemic and beyond. Plus, these spaces could be made available as community meeting spaces.

While some classes work under these covered spaces, others could be engaged in forested areas, including nearby parks.

Outdoor learning is a proven approach during pandemics. Taking a cue from many European countries, “forest schools” were established in Toronto in 1912 and successfully helped reduce the spread of tuberculosis.

Especially now, spending time outside offers kids and youth a much-needed counterbalance to being glued to screens.

As a teacher, I often took my social studies, French and Spanish classes outside. After some safety guidelines, students loved being trusted to find a spot to focus on the task at hand.

Students were equally or more productive. But what mattered most was to see them move, read in the shade of a tree, enjoy extra space to brainstorm, feel energized by the fresh air and sunshine, relax while disconnected from Wi-Fi, and ask new questions, all while respectfully enjoying parks alongside community members of all ages and the plants and animals we share this province with.

Outdoor learning is feasible when teachers feel confident to meet learning goals and ensure safety.

Content and teaching methods can be adapted to outdoor settings, which fits well with the new B.C. curriculum.

The Ministry of Education should be investing in teacher training led by locally based Indigenous knowledge holders and environmental educators to ensure respectful and meaningful approaches.

Some B.C. public schools already offer well-regarded outdoor education programs from Nature Kindergarten through to Grade 12. And others already utilize school gardens as a teaching tool that also supplies their cafeteria.

We can’t instantly create these realities for September (although schools can work toward them). But we can ensure all students, including those who require individualized support, are able to head outside if our government funds more educational assistants. Many students who struggle in a traditional classroom setting thrive when learning outdoors.

We have an opportunity to create lasting, positive change in the face of COVID-19. We can give our young people time to connect to the place where they live, observe changing seasons, understand where their food comes from and enjoy better physical, mental and emotional health.

Let’s embrace all that the world around us can teach us, while setting our students, teachers and support staff up for success from the beginning of the school year.

Ciera DeSilva is Sierra Club B.C.’s education program manager and a former secondary school teacher in B.C.