As another school term starts, for millions of students it does not mean school doors are opening; but a return to distance learning, yet again. Latvia, however, has taken a different initiative as it is allowing outdoor classes in areas with low infection rates.
The government is encouraging schools in selective areas to hold all kinds of learning activities in the open air. The goal behind this initiative is to reduce the stress caused by online and distant learning which continued for months due to the pandemic.
Andriga Lozda is a Latvian theater teacher who is currently teaching her students in an outdoor environment. Andriga loves this diversion from traditional indoor or online classes and says:
“Outdoor classes have proven more productive than we thought before. I’m thinking of keeping them on my schedule even after the pandemic.”
Latvia takes her classes in the outskirts of Valmiera in northern Latvia. A group of 30 children aged 10 to 11 is seen taking theater lessons in magnificent natural landscapes.
Along with the surroundings, the methods of taking lessons have been changed too. Instead of classical and dry learning techniques, children run along a track and then calculate their average speed.
These outdoorsy classes, however, are permitted only in areas where the average coronavirus infection rate is less than 250 cases per 100,000 people.
According to Agija Karklina, another Latvian teacher, remote schooling during the pandemic has exhausted everybody; teachers, children, and their parents.
“I have been working 14 hours a day since September and feel burned out. I hope these outdoor classes are here to stay,” Karklina says.
Leave a Reply