Nature in School: Is It Time to Hold Classes Outdoors?

[The Conversation] - Published on June 29, 2020 in Science and Society

As soon as the measures to ease lockdown restrictions were announced, the idea of a school where classes would be held outdoors began to take shape. Several opinion pieces called for schools to open up to the community and hold classes outdoors. With the implementation of strict health protocols, this “outdoor school ” became both a “healthy and beneficial solution” and a symbol of regained freedom.

Sylvain Wagnon, University of Montpellier

This movement toward connecting with nature is not new. It is a long-standing, international educational trend that is currently experiencing a genuine resurgence of interest. So has the time come to move from theory to practice, from experimentation to widespread adoption, and thereby establish a new relationship between human beings and their environment within education?

Nature and Well-Being

The benefits of children’s connection with nature are numerous and have been recognized by many studies. The past few months have shown us just how vital a connection with nature is. Is this simply a one-off initiative to mark the lifting of lockdown restrictions, or—as Moina Fauchier-Delavigne and Mathieu Chereau have written—the emergence of a “green revolution” in education?

Spending time in nature is important not only for a child’s health but also for their well-being. Playing, spending time in nature observing, running, singing, listening, and smelling are all ways to improve a child’s independence and self-confidence. This fosters a different relationship with oneself and one’s environment. Being in nature influences our behaviors and emotions.

From an educational perspective, its psychological benefits are reflected not only in behavior but also in cognitive development, as the child’s needs and interests are taken into account.

While still in their infancy in France, there is a wealth of scientific research on this topic in Anglo-Saxon countries. Katherine Mycock’s work demonstrates, with regard to Great Britain, the importance of learning in nature for child development. In France, interest in this alternative form of education—as opposed to traditional schooling—has been growing for about a decade.

Practical knowledge

We can refer to this as nature-based education, with the goal of reconnecting children with the environment. Exploring natural elements is a way to move beyond learning that is limited to books and to apply that knowledge to engage with the environment through one’s senses, body, and mind.

Outdoor education aims to foster hands-on exploration to raise young children’s awareness of nature. Children play, climb trees, and build things. While these are experiences that already exist at summer camps or in Scouting, here they take on an academic character. This learning not only leads to exploration and social interaction but also to the acquisition of a wide range of skills in math, vocabulary, and scientific, geographical, historical, and artistic understanding.

“Luxembourg: A Preschool Has Set Up Shop in a Forest” (Télé Matin, 2017).

Today, these outdoor activities are also seen as important for well-being in the face of a growing sedentary lifestyle that is leading to an increase in health problems such as hyperactivity, anxiety, obesity, and stress.

Several principles unite the schools that make this choice:

• the concept of the pleasure that nature brings to a child
• the commitment to a well-rounded education that takes into account the various facets of a person's personality
• the idea of developing a relationship with one's environment.

Historical Precedents

Ever since Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, educational reformers have emphasized the importance of nature in the harmonious development of children. Early^20th-century educators associated with the “New Education” movement, such as Freinet and Decroly, theorized about this “school of life,” in which students should step outside the classroom to observe, experiment, and understand.

In the early^20th century, outdoor schools represented a European educational movement that sought to open up school architecture to the outdoors and to develop teaching methods connected to nature. The current exhibition on the Suresnes outdoor school highlights the architectural and educational innovations of this type of school.

Forest schools and outdoor education programs now form a structured global network. As early as the 1920s, schools in the United States were already making nature the very reason for their existence. “Forest schools” are experiencing steady growth in Europe, primarily in Germanic and Scandinavian countries. In Denmark, the concept of forest schools has become an integral part of the curriculum for preschool-aged children (under seven years old).

Over the past decade, a national program has been implemented in Great Britain, and the country now has more than 140 schools designated as forestry schools.

In France, nature-based schools are still developing slowly. The “nature-based education” movement seeks to structure educational experiences that are grounded in nature. Since 2018, several schools have joined this movement.

Eco-Citizen Schools

Beyond introducing students to sustainable development, environmental awareness, and respect for the environment—topics that are now an integral part of school curricula— eco-citizen schools engage students in concrete actions, such as removing asphalt and replanting vegetation in school playgrounds. For its part, the Eco-School network represents several thousand schools that, since 2005, have been working to develop specific skills in the areas of sustainable development and education.

Introduction to the Eco-Schools Network.

The challenge is to move beyond mere talk of connecting with nature and to implement interdisciplinary practices that take learning outdoors. Experiments are underway in the public school system. Schools in the Doubs department are developing “open-air” practices, and stakeholders on the ground are advocating for these practices.

Bringing children closer to nature and the environment means approaching education in a profoundly different way. The health crisis, concerns about the future, and the need to take action for the ecological transition all provide a favorable context and opportunities for “outdoor schooling.” Will the various stakeholders in education—schools, parents, and teachers—recognize this for the sake of children’s futures and undertake a genuine educational reform based on harmony between human beings and their environment?

Sylvain Wagnon, Full Professor of Education, School of Education, University of Montpellier

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.

Keywords: Education, Environment, Company