Education needs air!

Education in Quebec is not yet there. That's normal; the idea of ​​a free, public and compulsory school is not even 200 years old. On a human scale, that's super young!

For comparison, when "modern" medicine was the same age, the go-to treatment was to take blood from patients in the hope that it would make the bad guy go away. And yet, what our doctors accomplish today is downright mind-blowing!

I am hopeful that our education system will one day be just as incredible. And it will go even faster if we all accept together that the model we have known in our time is not necessarily the one we should keep. “New” educational practices are slowly gaining popularity because their effectiveness is undeniable. One of them: outdoor education!

To my great pleasure, we are seeing more and more green outdoor facilities to accommodate groups. This initiative is great because the simple fact of being in contact with nature during their learning reduces students' stress, increases their concentration and helps to motivate them more.

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

I admit it can be intimidating at first. Group management, the vagaries of the weather, the program load… there are plenty of reasons to prefer to stick with what you know. However, teachers and children who have experienced outdoor education can testify that it is worth the effort. And it is supported by research: increased creativity, better collaboration, increased academic performance and greater self-confidence . It is not trivial!

Of course, the classroom also offers several advantages. To not deprive yourself of them, the ideal is to vary between indoors and outdoors. In this way, you get the most out of what each environment has to offer.

If I'm talking to you about it today, it's to light sparks. Quebec education needs a boost from society to propel it forward. Imagine that our children no longer worry about being evaluated and, what's more, that they actually remember what they learn. It's possible! I'm already seeing it on a small scale. But school is political. Teachers therefore need the population for the movement to gain momentum. We must collectively be humble enough to accept that we can do better and passionate enough to proclaim that education needs fresh air!

Would you like to have the chance to consult all the content published in the Magazine each month in preview, and to have access to our Toolbox including among other things free downloads as practical as they are fun? Subscribe to the Belles Combines Magazine now!