I can probably pin point at least one occasion in every class I have ever taken, from kindergarten all the way through my senior year of high school, when some individual in the classroom would suggest, "lets have class outside!"
As I'm sure many of my fellow students can attest to, this typically did not fly. But every once in awhile, you would come across that magical day, and the teacher would be totally on board, fully supporting the venture to the outdoors.
But unfortunately these days were few and far between. With excuses ranging from the lack of time and how it would be wasted on such an endeavor, to the lack of focus that would occur from leaving the classroom. While these excuses circulated, students would vouch for the claim that we are "cooped up all day" and might actually focus better with a little bit of fresh air.
As this idea of taking our schooling outdoors became ever so recurring, I began wondering if this was in fact true. Would students really be able to focus better outside than inside?
Unfortunately, I don't think that having math class outside would be very effective. But through the course of my first two years of college, I have had the wonderful experience of taking classes that practically require you to be outside.
Since my freshman year at Western State Colorado University, I have had the joy of taking a class every semester that is consistently held either outside on campus, or somewhere off in the mountains. Now I know this seems like playtime, and I will admit that sometimes it feels that way. But throughout the course of these classes I have learned more than I think I ever would have if these subjects were taught in a classroom. And with Western residing deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, this type of learning is made possible.
Most of the exploring I have done in this beautiful part of Colorado has, in fact, been with my school. My first week of college orientation was spent on a backpacking trip in the West Elk Wilderness area. Every semester since I started my education, I have been enrolled in a class that involves being fully immersed in the environment. I have done field studies on animal movement, I have studied how the quality of our air changes depending on your distance from a town. I have studied soil nutrients, sustainable agriculture and local renewable and sustainable energy techniques. And I have only been here for two years.
Not only did these these values in education hold true at the college, but are applied all across the Gunnison Valley. I have helped at local schools where they are teaching preschoolers how to plant and water their own garden. I have witnessed classes of third graders learning about solar ovens and wind power. I have seen teachers using adventure as a learning tool and instill an incredible aptitude to learn in students of all ages.
I'm not a psychologist. I am not a teacher or an academic advisor. And I am not, by any means, qualified to state any of this as fact. But my opinion on the matter of education still resides as this. If through education, we do not immerse our students in the environment in which they live, they will by no means grow up with the ability to make the changes they want to see.
