School’s Out: The Benefits of Learning Outside
OP-ED
By Serena Losonczy, AIA, LEED AP
A profound lesson from the pandemic is the recognition that the deteriorating mental health of students can no longer be ignored. As our kids head back to school this fall, we must prioritize the well-being of students.
A year of school closings and remote classes have had an adverse effect on the mental health of students from the earliest grades through the college years. Besides disruptions in learning, many have experienced social isolation and trauma associated with illness or losing loved ones to COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the proportion of mental health-related emergency room visits for children aged 5–11 and 12–17 increased approximately 24% and 31% respectively during the pandemic. In a recent survey of faculty members at 12 colleges and universities across the U.S., 87% of faculty reported their students’ mental health has worsened over the past year.
Compelling as these figures are, research confirms that the mental health crisis in our schools predates the pandemic. Over the past three decades, there has been a steady narrowing of academic focus in our schools. The No Child Left Behind Act, with its emphasis on standardized testing, prompted many public schools to reduce or eliminate enrichment classes like art and music, which were seen as nonessential. At some schools, physical education and even recess became casualties along the way. A concurrent overcrowding in city schools resulted in a lack of physical space, and budget cuts in 2008 further exacerbated the problem. Gyms doubled as cafeterias, and more students meant more lunch shifts and fewer gym slots.
Simultaneously, on the home front, an overly protective approach to child-rearing meant that even children’s play was structured with “playdates” that were closely supervised by parents. Community playgrounds gradually became more sterile, as equipment like see-saws were deemed too dangerous for kids. This overprotectiveness permeated school recess, too. In my child’s elementary school, if the temperature dropped below 55 degrees Fahrenheit or there was the slightest hint of precipitation, recess was automatically cancelled. Instead, students were forced to sit indoors in a darkened auditorium to watch random scenes of a Disney movie.
Creating outdoor learning spaces is a goal that is achievable for all schools.
As kids were offered fewer avenues for creative self-expression and stress release in school, coupled with limited opportunities to learn from mistakes at home, they became less independent and less resilient. The mental health of kids has been continually eroding before our very eyes. Record numbers of our students are on anxiety medication. The pandemic has only served to bring these issues starkly to the forefront.
So what are we doing about it?
A recent letter jointly authored by the New York State Education Department and the New York State Office of Mental Health urged schools to prioritize the well-being of students, citing physical and emotional safety as a fundamental prerequisite to being able to learn. They suggested many links to resources, most referencing plans on how to approach difficult conversations with students. While these measures are important, most schools don’t have the means to provide meaningful psychological services to students, even with federal funding through the American Rescue Plan.
I would like to propose a much more basic first step: Let’s take our students outside.
Let’s make outdoor learning a regular part of the curriculum for every student by holding one class outside for each grade daily. We can create outdoor classrooms in schools and activate them into vibrant hubs that can profoundly shape students’ educational experience and positively impact their well-being.
We have already started to do this. During the push to reopen schools amidst the pandemic, lack of indoor space and increased ventilation requirements spurred some schools to move classes outside. The value of being outdoors extends far beyond providing safety from the virus, however. A vast body of research shows there are innumerable physical, psychological, educational, and social benefits to being exposed to nature.
The health benefits of being outside include getting a daily dose of Vitamin D the old-fashioned way, and allowing for greater freedom of movement compared to being in a chair all day. Exposure to greenery relieves stress, increases concentration and attention spans (an increasingly prevalent problem of our times), helps with anxiety and depression, and mitigates against obesity.
Academically, the change of pace, variety in surroundings, and richer natural context all help stimulate curiosity and increase productivity through mental refreshment. Being outdoors literally extends education beyond the classroom by providing a broader context as well as enabling direct observation and hands-on exploration. It can radically change one’s perspective about fields of study—something I can personally attest to as a parent of a teen who disliked biology throughout high school, only to fall in love with botany and ecology after a field internship studying local wetlands and forests.
Outdoor learning also provides a strong connection to nature and fosters a sense of compassion towards animals, while building an awareness of sustainability issues and the harmful impacts of climate change. In schools where working with plants or caring for the environment has been incorporated into the curriculum, students develop a sense of responsibility for maintaining green spaces and a feeling of empowerment through direct stewardship of their natural surroundings.
Socially, the more informal outdoor setting helps foster community by letting us see each other in a different light. It facilitates discussions and creates trust between teachers and students. Fewer instances of bullying have been reported in schools that have adopted outdoor classrooms.
In summary, learning outdoors enhances student well-being in the most holistic sense of the word.
Of course, real challenges must be addressed. Weather conditions will necessitate staying indoors on occasion. Teachers will require training to adapt their curricula to an outdoor learning environment. Students and teachers alike will need to develop greater tolerance for visual and acoustic distractions. It will be necessary to locate suitable spaces on or adjacent to campus to accommodate classes. But these are all navigable obstacles.
Open-air classrooms afford more freedom in terms of design as they are less formal. In its most basic form, an outdoor classroom requires shade (from a tree, building, or roof), seating (logs, tree stumps, benches, chairs, vinyl poufs), storage for supplies like paper and pens (small cabinet on wheels, or built-in under a wooden bench), access to restrooms (in-building or portable), and garden beds (raised or in-ground). Lighting may be included as well. Of course, different age groups have varying needs in terms of design that must be considered.
Creating outdoor learning spaces is a goal that is achievable for all schools. Urban schools can renovate their roofs or courtyards into vibrant outdoor classrooms. Temporary structures like tents and awnings, or more permanent ones like pavilions, trellises, gardens, green walls, and terraces, all provide an essential connection to nature. For city schools that are landlocked, closing off streets for part of the day is a viable solution that has been successfully implemented during the pandemic and can continue. Parklets or platforms on wheels are also feasible ways to create outdoor seating space. And we can always look to the proliferation of sidewalk restaurant structures for creative inspiration.
The pandemic can be used as a catalyst to promote a healthier approach to education. As architects, we need to educate our school clients about the design possibilities and benefits of outdoor classrooms. As citizens, we need to lobby our public officials for laws that mandate some outdoor learning as a regular part of every school day.
We owe it to our children.
Serena Losonczy, AIA, LEED AP, is an associate partner at PBDW Architects and leads the firm’s educational practice. For over 25 years, she has focused on designing innovative learning environments, often in historic contexts. She has served as lead architect for numerous K-12 schools and higher education institutions in the Northeast and her expertise spans from master planning and design of new buildings to intricate adaptive reuse projects.
