For all students at Tapawera Area School, experiencing the wilderness on their doorstep is a priority. The age range at the school is 5 to 18, but even the new entrants have many opportunities to take part in outdoor learning, and the senior students get the chance to help protect a threatened species in the wild.
Principal Kelvin Woodley says for many of the students the outdoors is in their blood and they aren’t thrilled by being inside a classroom all the time. So having a slot in the week when they can get into the outdoors – for example, by kayaking – gives them a lift. Sport and outdoor education keeps them engaged in their other studies.
Kelvin says, "It is more than just fun – it’s a rich learning experience. Our focus is academic, not just practical, and there is no doubt that outdoor ed contributes to NCEA success as the students learn better when they have opportunities to use academic knowledge in a local context.
"Kahurangi National Park is close by, as are many tramping tracks. Groups of up to 20 students and teachers, as well as parents who provide support, tramp in the mountains for up to three days.
"When they are out there, the students are learning about the environment, map reading, contour lines, weather, science, geography, working as a team. They are picking up valuable skills such as how to build fires, cook meals and put tents up.
"[Tramping] also involves teamwork, decision making, following instructions and overcoming difficulties, and persistence. Those valuable skills can be taken through to the rest of their studies and the rest of their lives and relate to all of the key competencies: Managing Self, Thinking, Relating to Others, Using Language Symbols and Text, and Participating and Contributing."
Read the full article on the Education Gazette website