- In a column published in Le Monde, researchers, teachers and trainers suggest organizing lessons outside the classrooms.
- Because deconfinement could, according to them, be an opportunity to develop this practice already implemented in many countries, such as Denmark or Germany.
What if it was a solution for the return to school during the deconfinement? In a column published in Le Monde , researchers, teachers and trainers suggest organizing lessons outside the classroom. "Among the approximately 16 million children and their parents, and the million teachers, many do not seem to want to return to closed rooms, as much nests of microbes as continuity of confinement", they write.
A solution that Denmark has already adopted for the return of its students to school. "This country already practiced lessons outside and decided to develop them during deconfinement", observes Marc Vannesson, general delegate of Vers le haut, think tank dedicated to education. Some countries like Scotland and Germany are also way ahead on the subject. "Since 2010, the Scottish Ministry of Education has even been training its teachers in outdoor teaching and has integrated outside learning into the official curriculum," says Crystèle Ferjou, one of the pioneers of the outdoor classroom in France, who '' she experimented in 2010 when she was a kindergarten teacher at Pompaire (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). France is more lagging behind on the subject. “But several hundred French teachers already practice the class outside. And not just in rural areas. Because in big cities, it is possible to take students to the park or to a green courtyard, ”specifies Moïna Fauchier-Delavigne, co-author of L'enfant dans la nature (ed. Fayard, 2019).
A gain in well-being for students
And if mayonnaise is gradually taking hold in Europe, it is because outdoor education is adorned with a thousand virtues by its followers. First for its health benefits for students “Several international studies have shown that this allows children to strengthen their immune system. Being in contact with the wind, air, water provides a feeling of well-being and reduces stress. This is all the more important after confinement. Children need movement, ”says Crystèle Ferjou.
For Marc Vanesson, if the classroom outside is promised a bright future in Europe, it is also because it is part of a fundamental movement of reconnection with nature: “Even in normal times, the fact that children don't go out enough is a real subject. It is, moreover, a concern of parents which explains the growing success of scouting, ”he maintains.
"It has an effect on their concentration"
And being outdoors would make students more available for learning: “Several studies show that outdoor lessons transform the relationship between teachers and their students. Because changing the school environment changes everyone's posture and strengthens the students' motivation, ”says Marc Vannesson. "This has an effect on their concentration, because their attention reserves are regenerated via contact with nature", adds Moïna Fauchier-Delavigne.
The educational interest of the classroom outside would no longer be demonstrated either, according to Crystèle Ferjou. “Teachers can use nature for educational activities. And this helps develop the students' motor skills, their cooperation, their imagination… ”. “It strengthens their environmental awareness; in contact with the living, they have the impression of making a whole with nature, which pushes them to take care of it ”, adds Moïna Fauchier-Delavigne.
"Classing outside would have a less anxiety-provoking effect for everyone"
It remains to be seen whether the academic authorities would give their approval to this type of initiative in the midst of a health crisis, when the educational community is already full of worries. The signatories of the rostrum believe that they would have an interest: “Schools often do not have sufficient space inside to allow compliance with the minimum recommended distances. Classes and circulation spaces are too small and lead to high average densities and crowded conditions, ”they write.
“Classing outside would have less of an anxiety-inducing effect for everyone. And the fact of not using school furniture reduces the risk of contagion, ”insists Moïna Fauchier-Delavigne. As for where these work sessions could take place, the forum suggests gardens, parks, stadiums, football fields, forests ... But on the one hand, for establishments located in the territories in the "red zone" vis-à-vis in the face of the epidemic, this will not be possible. And on the other hand, "for this to work, there must be a real commitment from parents and the whole teaching team", underlines Marc Vannesson. It's not obvious that their blank check is easy to obtain at the moment…
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- Covid 19
- school
- Students
- Coronavirus
- Deconfinement
- Confinement
- Education