Outdoors Teaching 1 on 1
At my current school, i have three teaching areas: A tiny gym, a tiny classroom and a medium-size outdoor football pitch. Of course these aren't the ideal conditions for teaching but it's not an excuse for not being able to deliver quality PE lessons. Over the past years, i've taught in many empty or small rooms, cafeterias with basketball nets, outside in parks or parking lots, on small fields. At the moment, because i'm teaching lower elementary; while my colleague teaches upper elementary and middle school, i try to take my students as much as poossible because the gym is not very big and normally my classes are big-sized (around 20 students per class)
During my experiences teaching outdoors, I've learned many valuable lessons that can be transferred to any situation related to teaching. Little things like dealing with insects or birds to the most unexpected surprises are not uncommon for most of us, PE teachers. So, i would like to share some key elements that i've learned through the many years i've spent teaching outdoors.
NO EXCUSES
Sometimes i have to teach outdoors in a diverse range of weather conditions. For example, here in Japan during winter, we may be outside in 5-degree weather. During summer and spring, we may be outside in hot and humid temperatures. We may also be outside on grass still wet from dew or rain. Teaching under these unexpected conditions has taught me that there shouldn't be any excuses for not doing your job or to not give your best. Your students depend on you. If you anticipate bad days, or indoor days, then you should have a plan B called for action if necessary. This means having a folder prepared for lessons that fall under those situations.
BE FLEXIBLE
This means to quickly adapt to new situations. Things are going to occur that are out of our control, and we need to be flexible. Rigidity is great for routines and procedures that create structure. That can be transferred to and put in use during a situation that calls for flexibility. Being flexible is not just for the big unexpected moments, it is also for small moments. Perhaps one student suddenly has an accident. You have to be ready to adjust your plan on the moment. How will you deal with the other students who may laugh at that student? How will you get him help while not abandoning the class? How will you get the accident cleaned up? You can have a variety of plans and procedures, but when it happens, you have to be willing to change things up to adapt on the spot. This is key when teaching as things change quickly under these environments, especially when working with children.
TEACHABLE MOMENTS
When teaching outdoors, sometimes you will have unavoidable distractions. And these distractions sometimes can be turned into teachable moments. A few weeks ago, we were doing tag games as part of our chasing and fleeing unit, and a big hawk just landed in the middle of the pitch. At that time, i've decided to use it a teaching moment, by explaining them some aerodinamics and even decided to do a tag game using birds, When the planes fly, we look in amazement and guess where they be going and why.
BE THANKFUL AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
Whatever is the situation you are facing, appreciate what you have and start by focusing on your students. Dwelling on what you don't have just makes teaching and learning harder. A few days ago, snow fell in Tokyo and we decided to take kids outside to play in the snow and throw-in some unusual PE activities, like snowball fight, or snowman relay. We should appreciate and jump at opportunities to do this. It will make our day a little brighter, and it teaches children that life is about those little moments. Most of my students were amazed by the fact it was the first time i was actually touching snow.
SELF-PROTECTION
Being outdoors always requires extra precaution. This means hats, bottled water, sunscreen, etc. Without preparation, you might get some really "inconvenients" like sunburnts, thirst, dehydration, etc. It is important that we protect ourselves just as much as our students. That means sometimes we also may need to remove branches, debris, rocks and similar things away from the playing area, so that we and our students stay safe.
Protecting yourself means following standard operating procedures. Document behavioral issues and what you are doing to address them. Communicate with parents and staff as an issue that they need to be made aware of arises. Consider safety concerns and address them. Do what you need to do so that you and your students are safe from any physical or perceived risks that may come out of left field.
USE IT OR LOSE IT
One of the great joys of teaching outdoors is the fact that there are so many natural and not natural objects to incorporate into our lessons. For example, when teaching my students how to follow directions, they run to a tree line and stop along the way when they hear the whistle. The line makes for a great natural barrier. In addition, there is a tree stump that acts as a great gathering place for activity transitions.
Find natural barriers within your teaching space and use them. Whether using small hills for getting a different warm-up or practice rolling underhand so that the ball naturally comes back down are always good ways for using what surrounds your teaching area.
THE ACTIVITY MATTERS
Children engaged in activities are on task and so less prone to distractions. Being outdoors means distractions come in all sort of ways. That includes other classes nearby, or even bright sunshine. What i've found is that activity matters. When engaged in appropriate activities, the distractions become just a mere background.
But if they aren't engaged, then students will get distracted, and getting them refocus on the task will be much harder. Plan fun and engaging activities in order to find off-task behaviors disappear.
