Tips For Teaching Outside the Classroom

During this pandemic, everyone is nervous about going back to school.  Everyone agrees that it is best for kids to be at school in person, but no one is sure that it can be done safely.  

Despite that, there is also nervousness around using the school's outside spaces for learning.  What about the weather? What about distractions?  What about behavior? All valid concerns, but none of them deal-breakers.  

Change is intimidating, especially in the current state of upheaval. Even in 'normal' times, many schools that enthusiastically added outdoor education infrastructure found that it was underutilized unless teachers got training and support towards becoming comfortable with the idea.

For initial training and support, please check out Megan Zeni's many helpful resources.  She is an experienced outdoor teacher. Keep her 10 Tips for Teaching Outside the Classroom handy.

 There she addresses, among other thing:

• inclement weather: "If you are going to teach outside the classroom, you’ll need to make your peace with some uncomfortable weather days. In my experience this is the part of teaching outdoors that requires the most effort, but brings the most benefit, [including] resilience."
• inverting your planning: "Instead of searching the internet for lessons to try outside, simply look at what you need to cover the next day and ask yourself, “What about this lesson requires me to stay inside?”
• inquiry-based learning: "There is a freedom to learn for both students and teachers that emerges in our school-yards. For kids, being outdoors allows them some autonomy and agency to come alive with curiosity and to take responsibility for their wonders. For teachers, there is something magical that happens when we allow ourselves to become co-learners with our students."
• including time to practice routines: "Like any classroom space, an outdoor classroom has routines and expectations that distinguish it from the unstructured play of recess. If you think about how long it takes to get your students marching to the beat of your drum in September, you’ll recall it takes almost the entire month of September. Time spent in your outdoor classroom is the essential ingredient for learning to happen."

Outdoor educating is possible on every day on which outdoor recess is possible. The benefits of it will likely last well beyond the pandemic.