Powassan students hold classes outdoors with unique activities to enhance learning
Grade 7/8 students at St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Powassan have been taking time out of their day for outdoor learning sessions.
The sessions are run by the Canadian Ecology Centre, part of a program called ‘Outdoor Ways of Learning and Sharing,’ or OWLS for short.
“Outdoor experiential learning in general has been shown to be incredibly effective,” said Canadian Ecology Centre Outdoor educator Ian Byerley.
Grade 7/8 students at St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Powassan have been taking time out of their day for outdoor learning sessions. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
Tuesday afternoon, students had to work as a team to pull different strings to balance a small orange ball in the middle of it. It was meant to symbolize the ball as a resource and how stakeholders have to work together to keep the resource thriving in society for everyone to benefit.
"I think it's good to be outside a lot in the fresh air and not sitting inside the classroom all day," said Grade 8 Student Noah Green.
Noah said it’s a lot easier for him to learn in a hands-on way.
Being outdoors is not just a way for students to learn science or math. During the morning session, students were learning about the historical battles in the Seven Years’ War through a scavenger hunt using handheld GPS systems.
"It's been a lot of fun and a lot better than sitting inside a classroom,” said Grade 8 Student Kohen Aro.
“We did an outdoor scavenger hunt and learned a lot about history in the 1700s. We’ve learned the timeline and the expulsion of Acadia.”
The concept started at the school in the middle of October. The OWLS program launched as a pilot project before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
It's currently being run in more than a dozen schools in North Bay and surrounding area. Byerley said this model of teaching keeps students engaged, while helping them learn more efficiently.
"Just getting a hands-on experience and hands-on learning instead of more theoretical way really gives a different aspect to the education material," he said.
Grade 7/8 students at St. Gregory Catholic Elementary School in Powassan have been taking time out of their day for outdoor learning sessions. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
“Plus being outside, as we all know, has an immense benefit for our mental health.”
The program at the school alternates between regular in-class schedule and outdoor learning every two weeks.
“The teachers can do their own outdoor programming with the students and then they can communicate with us as to what they’ve done,” said Byerley.
“Then I come back after two weeks and then run another two sessions.”
Grade 7/8 Teacher Shanna Nodwell said her students have been very engaged and is very happy she can have the program running in her class.
"I'll take advantage of it for as long as the ecology centre is offering it,” Nodwell said.
“It's been extremely rewarding to have this opportunity where we could take part in this kind of learning."
The Canadian Ecology Centre’s OWLS program can also be taught in French. The centre is looking at expanding it to other willing schools in hopes of enhancing the way students learn.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It’s discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.