School districts turn to outdoor learning in the pandemic

share

While the novel coronavirus has made its way into seemingly every facet of our lives, education has increasingly become a topic of concern. One of the major points of discussion and debate is if schooling should happen virtually or in-person. Since the spring, teachers, parents, and school district officials have debated how to handle the situation.

As COVID-19 cases have continued to tick upwards in the fall, many schools once again face difficult decisions. Chief among them: Should they shift students back to remote learning despite plans to bring more students in-person?

On October 27th, Denver Public Schools announced that grades 3-5 will begin remote learning on November 2nd and that grades 6-12 will remain remote. On October 30th, Denver Public Schools parents protested this decision.

Like many parents, Tenly Williams found herself conflicted over how to return her children to school earlier in the fall. While she worried about sending her kids into a crowded classroom, her children’s pediatrician told her to be on the lookout for signs of eating disorders and depression with remote learning.

Schools are looking to find a solution that offers parents reprieve, provides students with a quality education, and keeps everyone safe. Many school districts are turning to outdoor learning to meet that combination of goals.

The outdoors offer safety when it comes to interaction with others. A studynot yet peer reviewedfound that an open-air environment reduced COVID-19 transmission by 18.7 times.

Tenly recognizes that outdoor learning may not be for all students. Children with allergies, for example, may not be able to participate. However, if others are able to, room indoors will open for those students that cannot learn outdoors.

But moving classes outdoors is no easy feat. Not all schools have the immediate space, Colorado weather can quickly become a barrier, and curriculums would need to change.

Some schools and programs, however, have already been working on this or have quickly pivoted in response to the pandemic.

For Mapleton School District, “outdoor learning and outdoor experiences have always been a big part” of their work, says Melissa Johnson, Director of School and Community Engagement. Welby Community School, a Mapleton School, opened their Welby Learning Park in the spring of 2020, just before the pandemic made its way to the U.S. and Colorado. The outdoor space was a collaboration with a variety of organizations. With the pandemic, the school has been able to “use it even more and in a different way,” says Toni Booth, Director of Welby Community School. In the early spring, the school was able to hold a class outdoors with a foot of snow, showing how learning can happen outside even in the colder months.

One of Welby’s partners for the park was Big Green, an organization that builds and maintains learning gardens for schools all over the country. Big Green has built 83 gardens in Colorado for schools and their communities, primarily in urban settings. Josh McGuire, Western Regional Program Manager of Big Green Colorado, says the gardens are “designed to be outdoor classrooms” to empower students with knowledge around food and health. CU Denver found that students were 97% more likely to try fruits and vegetables after experiencing gardening. The pandemic has pushed the program to expand their virtual platform with Big Green at Home, which has expanded their reach.

Academy 360 has also pivoted, developing innovative ways to safely teach their students. The school applied for and received a grant to install shade structures on their property, which sits in the Montbello community. It is one example of how outdoor classes might be held even in an urban setting. Arizona Alli, a teacher at Academy 360, says she’ll be outside “as much as possible.”

But some schools simply lack the space to hold class outdoors. Temporary shared streets and expansion programs have been in effect in Colorado and will potentially stay in effect into the fall of 2021. Some people have begun asking why streets can’t also be closed for schools. Decreased traffic and road damage, and more space for kids (inside and out) seems like a win-win-win. And the City & County of Denver has the authority to close streets.

But Richard Louv believes we also need to create nature. Louv pioneered the concept of nature-based learning through his book “Last Child in the Woods.” Nature-based learning not only means learning in an outdoor setting, but also learning about nature. Nature has been shown to alleviate ADHD and stress for both children and adults. However, there is a lack of fair access to green spaces across the country. Having access to green spaces can even prevent premature death. As Louv says, “it is a matter of life and death.”

The Trust for Public Lands hopes to play a part in providing the benefits of nature to children and adults alike. Jim Petterson, the Colorado & Southwest Region Director, says the organization’s national vision is that “everyone in the country lives within a ten-minute walk from home of a high-quality park.” In the Trust’s latest report, “School’s Out,” the organization reveals how schools’ green spaces can be shared with their community. Green space can cool neighborhoods and help manage storm water. Plus, a shared-use agreement between schools and their communities can alleviate the cost of maintaining those green spaces.

While a number of organizations and individuals have come out in support of outdoor education and have provided solutions to tackle outdoor learning, will these programs and ideas survive post-pandemic? Many are optimistic. Petterson points out it’s just a matter of reimagining spaces for a “win-win situation of epic proportions.”