Challenges
Classroom Management
Managing student behaviours, educational assistant/admin support, and an unfamiliarity with students and the school environment add to the challenge of implementing OE.
Environmental Design
The learning environment and the lesson work together to facilitate understanding. If the environment does not match the topic, it is more challenging to adapt indoor lessons to the outdoors.
Student Routines
Daily plans, schedule changes, core subjects (e.g. gym and music), and school events affect when OE can happen throughout the day.
Learning Support
Pull-out learning support (e.g. ELL, LS, counsellors, or classroom teachers doing assessment), push-in lessons (e.g. librarian and STEM), scheduled guest speakers, and parent volunteers impact the daily schedule and lessons.
Weather
Whether it is rainy, sunny, windy, or cloudy, the weather affects how and what students learn outdoors.
Solutions
Relationships
Building relationships with students, outlining expectations, and adapting lessons based on students' interest is key to successful OE as a TOC.
Location Opportunities
Arriving early to scope out the natural environment around the school will make transitioning between indoor and outdoor lessons much easier. You can also start to brainstorm place-specific learning with local flora and fauna.
Collaboration
Working with other educators, such as fellow teachers or learning support teachers who typically pull-out students, will make implementing OE easier. Together you can make a schedule for when to be in the school and when to be outside.
Extra Supplies
Sit-upons, clipboards, whiteboards, shared pencils, laminated sheets, and weather appropriate gear will keep students (and teachers) engaged and comfortable outside. Lessons may have to be adapted depending on the weather. For example: if it is windy, avoid lessons that require paper, instead opt for an active activity.