By Ryan Barfoot, outdoor and ecological educator and EEPSA member-at-large, Powell River

Every day, teachers across BC are seeking ways to keep themselves and their students safe and healthy. This responsibility has become even more paramount during the pandemic. Our understanding of COVID-19 has evolved since the beginning of the pandemic, but the fact that transmission rates are significantly lower in outdoor environments continues to stand true. This, along with an emphasis on place-responsive education and the First People’s Principles of Learning in the updated curriculum, detail some of the reasons why teachers are increasingly engaging students in education outside the classroom (EOTC).

While the increasing interest in EOTC is certainly a reason to celebrate, it’s also a reason to exercise caution and have supports in place. The Environmental Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA), in collaboration with the Outdoor Council of Canada and Classrooms to Communities BC, recently developed a Position Statement on Education Outside the Classroom. The position statement seeks to summarize our perspective on EOTC, while helping to legitimize it as an effective learning environment.

It may be helpful to review what we understand about education outside the classroom:

• Spending time outside is a part of our heritage and cultural identity.
• Being outside is beneficial to the social, emotional, and physical health of both teachers and students.
• Outdoor learning correlates with equitable and improved academic success.
• The outdoors can be an inspirational and transformative learning environment.
• Teaching is complex, and EOTC requires dynamic decision-making skills specific to each region.
• Teaching outdoors requires risk management that is appropriate, evidence-based, and reasonable.
• Place-based learning is best experienced outdoors.
• Misconceptions about perceived and actual risks create barriers for EOTC.
• Professional learning and mentorship build confidence and capacity at school, district, and provincial levels.

The position statement also includes clear recommendations the BC education system can use to support teachers in taking their classroom learning outside. This is particularly important in these times of COVID-19 when the outdoors may be our safest venue for learning. EEPSA developed the following recommendations for teachers, administrators, and the Ministry of Education:

·        Consider a 60-minute minimum for daily instructional time outdoors as a provincial mandate. This time could be aligned with curricular content areas. Multiple K–12 resources exist to support EOTC for teachers across the curriculum.

• Maintain daily access to outdoor play and learning, despite inclement weather, including rain and snow.
• Designate and prioritize funding to develop outdoor learning spaces on school grounds.
• Include the experienced voices of practising teachers in EOTC policy decisions at both district and provincial levels.
• Provide professional learning, leadership, certification, and mentorship opportunities for both teachers and students to enhance access to outdoor play and learning during school hours.
• Follow appropriate risk management practices for outdoor learning within school yards and local communities.
• Support communities of practice that encourage time for reflective and emergent learning outdoors.
• Build partnerships with local First Nations and community organizations to inform practice, build capacity, and support change on a systems-based level.

EEPSA is a key support for BC teachers who are looking to connect their students to outdoor, environmental, and place-based learning. In this pandemic, teachers are challenged to provide an educationally rich experience and to keep our schools and communities safe. Now is an opportune time to consider EOTC as a way to meet both objectives. The educational community would benefit from reduced barriers and strategic funding.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Barfoot is a member-at-large with EEPSA and an outdoor and ecological educator in SD47 Powell River. He chairs the Position Statement on EOTC Committee and honours the work of Frances McCoubrey, Nick Townley, and Megan Zeni, along with the EEPSA Executive.