Teachers can still conduct outside classes virtually for their students
Virtual learning has skyrocketed after the coronavirus has closed many schools down. This gives students a way to learn with flexibility. For young children and students who must learn about natural sciences, it has proven difficult to keep them engaged. But some solutions have been made to make up for in-person learning.
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Context
COVID-19 (coronavirus) broke out in China during December 2019. In January 2020, the virus spread to other countries like Thailand and Japan. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. The virus continues to gain new cases presently. After the coronavirus became a pandemic, many states, cities, and countries have enforced the closing of public places, including schools. This has made teachers have to implement digital and virtual learning.
The Argument
The coronavirus has shut down schools. To contain the spread of the virus, schools and institutions have had to make their classes virtual. Tests are online, homework is online, and some classes communicate through video conference. Some classes, though, function because of outside activities, such as ecology, biology, or a per-school science class. But these classes can very well adapt.
In order not to lose the idea of learning outside, teachers can literally have a virtual class outside. They can go through their backyard and collect samples for their students while the students watch. They can talk about how the environment works while showing organisms in their natural habitat. This is one way outside learning can still be achieved.
Another way outside learning can be achieved is if teachers give students material that will help them get an idea of how nature works. There are nature videos out there where scientists explore. Three are online books that expound on scientific concepts. This way students will still have a class setting while learning about the outside world.
Outside learning won’t be lost over time. Virtual and digital learning can be used to help it stay relevant as society is isolated. Teachers can make the learning experience flexible. Learning outside in the future isn’t impossible.
Counter arguments
Virtually learning outside isn’t going to be very easy. Quarantine has made going outside restricted in some parts of the world. If a teacher doesn’t have a backyard, they won’t be able to go outside and teach. It makes learning outside literally impractical.
If teachers were to offer alternative learning materials for learning about nature, it would only encourage students to stay indoors even more. Learning about nature in a book or a computer screen doesn’t not have the same stimuli as if an individual interacted with nature.[1] The more students that learn about nature and the environment in this way will become detrimental to future students. They won’t be encouraged to learn outside.
If quarantine is still in place, there will be a boundary for truly learning outside. Teaching students via books and videos is what people are concerned with already. It defeats the purpose of keeping students excited and motivated about learning outside. There needs to be an alternative solution, otherwise future outside classes will diminish.
Proponents
Premises
[P1] Teachers can go outside and conduct a virtual class, or offer extra learning material to learn about natural sciences.
[P2] Outside learning isn't impossible.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Not all teachers have a backyard to conduct a class, and having other learning material defeats the purpose of learning outside.
[Rejecting P2] Outside learning is still discouraged if not impossible.