At the Saint-Joachim du Bellay school in Montrelais, in Loire-Atlantique, almost every week, Marina, Gwenaëlle and Aurélie teach outside the classroom. A year and a half later, the results are very positive. The students, teachers, parents and town hall support and love it.
At the Saint-Joachim du Bellay school in Montrelais, in Loire-Atlantique, with the two other teachers, Marina and Aurélie, Gwenaëlle, the director and teacher has been teaching outside since the start of the 2022 school year, one outing per week or every two weeks depending on the levels.
It’s only positive, in terms of investment and learning
Gwenaëlle Leroux
Director and teacher
“Little ones are becoming more and more observant. They roll on the ground without problem and throw themselves into puddles whereas before, they did not dareunderlines Aurélie, who manages the nursery schools. There is also more mutual assistance, because several people work together to carry a large branch. They really cooperate.” For her part, Marina notes that in CM1, even the girls try to build cabins using all the resources they can find on the ground. Everyone gains confidence.
Class outside in Montrelais in Loire-Atlantique • © Atlantic Télévision by Mstream Studios
The outdoor classroom is a pedagogy close to the Freinet method which is an educational, participatory and child-centered approach.
“We have to calculate with leaves, grass, pieces of wood, says Lucas, eight years old, who prefers to work like that“.
I also like learning outside because we learn differently
Outdoor learningis beneficial for children who are less academic, who may be in more difficulty, because we will rework skills seen in class, but in another way” adds Marina.
Doing class outside cannot be improvised. If the activity is widespread in Scandinavian countries in particular, it has gradually appeared in French schools, but still remains on the fringes. It is often up to teachers to provide the impetus. In Montrelais, the project was made possible because the three teachers of this small rural school were motivated and had the support of the town hall which lent them land. “We worked with the Central Office of Cooperation at the School (OCCE)”, explains Gwenaëlle. The teachers invested a lot, documented, trained themselves with the support of a colleague who had been practicing for three years.
Doing school outside means going out in all weathers. “The children had to be equipped. There is no bad weather, only bad equipment“, smiles Marina who, with Gwenaëlle and Aurélie, had prepared the ground with the parents before embarking on the adventure. “We had the unanimous support of parents and they are delighted“, just like the children.
To do class outside, you need to equip yourself! • © Atlantic Television by Mstream Studios
The enthusiasm of the teachers has spread and is giving ideas to others. “This year, for the first time, the Ancenis district organized a training session on outdoor schooling which took place in our establishment.” rejoices Gwenaëlle.
Who hasn’t dreamed, as a child, of running to find the words for a dictation or of adding with sticks?
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2024-01-07 07:46:30
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