Understanding Foundation Skills in Outdoor Education: Paving the pathway to learning

Activity: Outdoor experiences on campus and in Singapore

Regular opportunities are intentionally provided for students to explore the natural, growing, creative and social spaces of the outdoor environments on both campuses. Students are regularly given opportunities to observe and investigate the natural world around them while safely challenging their own capabilities, both independently and in collaboration with others.

All our K1 classrooms have direct access to outdoor learning spaces and students naturally move between indoor and outdoor learning spaces each day. This also means exploring the campus gardens and other natural spaces as part of their school day, in support of their learning in the academic curriculum as well as the personal and social education programme.

On-campus activity is then extended through a range of field trips that encourage students to form connections in meaningful contexts within the wider Singapore landscape. 

Activity: Overnight camp at Singapore Zoo

Students are presented with exciting learning opportunities and fun and appropriate group challenges. With the support of teaching staff and their peers, they develop their confidence as they are guided through a programme designed to develop resilience, self-awareness and self-management skills.

With the support of their peers and teachers, it is a great pleasure to see them develop new skills in a novel context away from home and family.

Activity: Five-day adventure camp in Gopeng, Malaysia

This adventure takes place in the Kampar district, surrounded by majestic limestone hills with the Titiwangsa Mountains clearly visible in the distance. The expedition provides students with a chance to extend their learning opportunities far beyond the classroom as they take on experiential challenges that build resilience, collaboration and leadership. It provides an avenue for them to explore the natural environment in a safe setting, learn from mistakes and develop perseverance.

The camp is focused around adventure, enriched with team-building and team-bonding activities throughout. Our experienced partner provides facilitators at the Nomad Adventure Earth Camp who help guide our Grade 5 students through experiences ranging from tackling grade 1 rapids in a raft through to making the leap of faith at the Mountain School.

Activity: Five-day sea kayaking trip to Pulau Sibu, Malaysia

Students participate in foundational sea kayaking training in Singapore with UWCSEA’s Outdoor Education instructors, equipping them for their upcoming expedition, a five-day expedition on Pulau Sibu in Malaysia. On the trip, the first day is spent reviewing expectations and familiarising themselves with equipment, including a review of the 1 Star kayak skills learned in Singapore. They also start developing the 2 Star skills that will be refined on their two-night kayaking journey. The next three days are spent paddling to a different campsite each morning, arriving before lunch in order to set up camp.

Students are guided through a mix of free time, group activities and exploration before they prepare dinner and enjoy an evening activity and reflection time. On the final morning, they paddle back to the start point to clean and pack the equipment away before a debrief on the final evening. 

Activity: Students join at least one of over 20 expeditions during a school holiday

The trips provides tremendous opportunities for students to develop across all aspects of our learner profile. Given a vast array of options, students have an opportunity to specialise or explore further to find their passion. Students consider their previous experiences, their interests and their strengths before nominating three or four preferred trips. They are then allocated to one of their nominated trips, and we ask them to honour their choices, by committing to their allocated trip and to fully participate in trip preparation. This includes training on one or two weekends in the month prior to departure, which is during school holidays.

For the first time, students do not travel with their mentor group and mentor, but with other Grade 9 students from both campuses, an Outdoor Education trip leader and other staff from across the College.

Activity: Project Week—independent trips by small groups of students

Project Week is an integral part of Grade 11 and a unique opportunity for students to learn more about themselves, different cultures and their ability to work effectively with others outside the classroom. Travelling in small groups of 4 or 5 to a destination of their choice in Southeast Asia (such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand or Indonesia), most trips include a mixture of service-based activities combined with an adventurous component, such as a hiking, sailing, diving, surfing, and/or a creative activity such as a cooking school.

Guided through a carefully planned process by a Project Week team that includes our Outdoor Education staff, students must demonstrate skills such as first aid, risk assessment, itinerary planning and budgeting.

We believe the learning objectives are best achieved by doing an independent, responsible, ethical and low-cost project, which challenges their resourcefulness and initiative thus demands greater self-reliance.