Here is a chance to be a fly on the wall of somebody else's 4th, 5th and 6th grade math lesson, taught in a space that may have flies, but no walls.*
A Lesson Outside Each Week
After the students had a snack break, they went outside for a math lesson, because math is not something they only do on their iPads. Their teacher, Mr. Timon Koster shares, "Learning on their iPads works well. It is an efficient way of learning, and with the language and math methods, children can work at their own levels. But learning only with iPads doesn't work. I think it's important that children develop more broadly. All that staring at a screen has to be compensated for, and we do that outside."
At the fire pit, they get a card fastened onto their back with a number on it. Headbanz-style, the children try to discover what number they have by asking fellow students yes-or-no questions. First, they practice what questions they are allowed to ask: is the number lower or higher than 100? Is it even or uneven? The children get to work in earnest. After they have all guessed their number a few times, it starts to get unruly and Mr. Koster introduces the second part of the math lesson.
During the second part of the lesson, the children practice 'solving together', something that they have practiced in the classroom last week. In their groups, they make six math equations that will be solved by another group. 224 + 450 for example, or 7097 + 5991. Once they are done, the group lines up behind a line and the relay race begins. One by one, they solve the equation. The group that finishes them all wins.
"At first, having class outside is an uneasy thing for both the teacher and the students," says Mr. Koster. "Lessons outdoors, including mine, still don't go as smoothly as I want. But already it is a world of difference compared to four weeks ago. It goes a little better every time. You have to take the time to make it your own, and give children the time to get used to it. For them, it is a big change: the schoolyard was always a space for recess, and now it is also a space for learning. "
Curriculum: Make it Up or From a Book
Mr. Koster designed these lessons himself. "In the Netherlands, there are few resources with ready-made lessons or lesson ideas. In other countries there are. I get a lot of inspiration from English-language books out of Sweden or Scotland. They are much further along with outdoor education. But now that I got started with it, I think of more of my own lessons, for learning the times tables for example. You can approach that in a dry rote way, or you can tackle it in a playful way outdoors."
Fedde (11) and Jeroen (9) come up with outdoor lessons too. "I think I can do spelling really well outside," Fedde says. "Someone can hide letters that we can find, for example, and then we have to make a word from the ones we find, similar to the game Boggle." "Or someone can write a category in the sand, and then a group has to think of words to go with it. Then the next group has to spell those words."
But back to the math lesson. At the one end of a space, there's a number line from 1-100. At the other end are the students. Mr. Koster calls out an equation, and the students have to run to the right answer. That takes some effort: many students start running before they have even thought of the answer. After a few warnings that improves; students think before they run.
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'Rithmetic and Running
Fedde likes it. "It's fun that we can run in math. When we have to just sit still, it's harder." Jeroen agrees: "It's nicer to learn in the fresh air, and more fun when we can run as part of the lesson, because I am one of the best in the class at running."
Mr. Koster has set for himself the goal to do a minimum of one lesson outside per week. If that goes well, he hopes to build on that to one lesson per day. "There are so many possibilities outside... Everything comes to life more. Children become more curious outside..."
Timon's Tips
- It is very normal that things go wrong the first few times. Take time to familiarize! Plan the first few lessons for that purpose, rather than for the purpose of accomplishing curriculum goals.
- State and practice clear boundaries
- Keep in mind: lessons outside are not 'extra'. They replace the indoor lesson
- Try to arrange for eventualities. Some schools have found donors for rain gear or snowsuits.
*This story was found here and translated by the author of this blog.
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