What about outdoor classrooms?

[DearLiza]

Just a thought, please don't flame me..

So I was thinking, perhaps secondary schools could hire large marquees of the sort used for weddings, fairs etc. to use as temporary teaching spaces. These would be set up on playing fields with the sides left off for fresh air. Pupils could be instructed to wrap up warm. With individual desks spaced out well surely this would be a lot healthier than a bunch of teenagers all squashed into some sweaty classroom.

Obviously this could only work for subjects not dependent on technology, perhaps English or Maths. Teachers would rotate between tents with pupils staying in situ.

Depends upon space availability in grounds. Kids will need all their stuff with them . Plus need WiFi if registers are being taken or support staff come round with a bit of paper. And lots of whiteboards - there would be a meltdown in our maths dept if they did not have two whiteboards per teacher 😂

Where will the money come from to buy said marquees for each school in the UK? If they have space!

Think about it- all the door handles, toilet locks etc. touched by dozens of grimy hands throughout the day. Then desks and chairs,

How does a marquee help that though?

They’ll still touch the toilet doors, locks, taps. Still touch desks, chairs, equipment, etc.

I assume when I return I will use worksheets and books less (because of needing to be handed out) and PowerPoints/videos more, ie I will need access to ICT more not less.
I love the idea of rows of biddable teenagers hanging on my every word while I read Tennyson to them, but it's only a dream.

It would be more like Glastonbury

I've never worked in secondary but primary and nursery are definitely filthy!

Cleaning budgets are cut to the bone, minimal agency cleaning staff have enough time for a quick hoover and surface wipe down. Some schools have dropped to cleaners only every other day.
Desks, chairs, drawers, computers, toys and manipulatives are all generally filthy.

If it rains come in

Doesn't that defeat the object? On showery days they'd be in and out like a fart in a colander. Of course they'd need toilets - if a whole school is in swathes of children will want to use it at the same time. Would some schools have playing fields big enough for the whole school to be socially distanced.

It's a good idea with some tweaks though.

How many marquees are there in the U.K.? There weren’t enough portaloos during the summer of 2012 when the olympics added to the festival season and since we can’t even organise sufficient scrubs for NHS staff I doubt we can rustle up enough tents.

I think one of the biggest issues with this as an idea is that our education system is heavily skewed towards teaching using technology. Pupils are not used to listening and taking notes or working on exercises etc in the way some countries educate. We use lots of slides and videos etc.
The other major issue would be space; most schools have very limited outdoor space; not enough for this to happen for more than a couple of classes. You would still need to space kids out more, chances are that they wouldn't be able to see a normal whiteboard from the back etc etc.

Aside from problems others have mentions... I think it would be hugely distracting to be able to see and hear all the other pupils and teachers at once. Behaviour could be very tricky to manage - how would your exclude from the lesson if you had to? The 2-3 pupils who thrive of audience attention would be loving the potential for attention and I can imagine it would quickly escalate into a scene.

Also, I would think that chairs and table would need to be brought in each day due to weather. That would require a huge amount of man power to do.

I'm posting this a lot at the moment as I think as teachers we all need to read it to understand the risks. What OP is proposing isn't that wild when you consider how particles can build up and the importance of air flow. It's written by an American associate professor of biology:

www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them