Education needs some air!

For comparison, when “modern” medicine was the same age, the all-purpose treatment was to draw blood from the sick in the hope that it would chase away the bad guy. And yet, what our doctors accomplish today is downright astonishing!

I'm hopeful that our education system will one day be just as incredible. And it will happen even faster if we all accept together that the model we knew in our day isn't necessarily the one we should keep. “New” teaching practices are slowly gaining popularity because their effectiveness is undeniable. One of them: outdoor education!

To my great delight, we're seeing more and more green outdoor spaces set up to welcome groups. This initiative is brilliant because simply being in contact with nature while they learn reduces students' stress, increases their concentration and helps motivate them more.

But outdoor education can be so much more than simply replicating what is done inside the classroom. The schoolyard, parks and even city streets offer learning opportunities not to be overlooked. Children naturally learn through exploration and play, so why doesn't school embrace this instinctive way of learning more?

I admit it can be intimidating at first. Managing the group, the whims of the weather, the weight of the curriculum… there are plenty of reasons to prefer sticking with what we know. Yet teachers and children who have experienced outdoor education can attest that it's worth taking the plunge. And it's backed by research: increased creativity, better collaboration, higher academic performance and greater self-confidence. That's no small thing!

Of course, the classroom also has its advantages. So as not to miss out on them, the ideal is to alternate between indoors and outdoors. That way, we get the most out of what each environment has to offer.

If I'm talking to you about it today, it's to spark something. Québec education needs a surge of public momentum to propel it forward. Imagine our children no longer feeling anxious at the thought of being evaluated and, on top of that, actually remembering what they learn. It's possible! I'm already seeing it on a small scale. But school is political. Teachers need the public's support for the movement to grow. Collectively, we have to be humble enough to accept that we can do better and passionate enough to chant that education needs some fresh air!

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