Mike Schreiner wants classrooms to go back to the basics.
The Ontario Green Party leader has been advocating for outdoor classrooms and says the idea seems to be picking up steam at Queen’s Park.
Earlier this summer, the province announced a hybrid model in which students will partially return to classrooms and then be expected to learn remotely online.
Schreiner says the hybrid model is bad for epidemiological, psychological and economic reasons.
Schreiner says learning in natural settings has many psychological and physical benefits, and time spent in nature also breeds an appreciation for the environment.
In fact, outdoor education during health crisis isn’t a new idea. When tuberculosis ravaged North American cities in the early 20th century, students learned in open-air classrooms. They stayed warm with wearable blankets and heated soapstones at their feet.
