The Art of Outdoor Education: Orienteering North

Course details

Ask any student about their Outdoor Education experience and chances are, they would talk about the exhilarating Flying Fox and Rock-climbing experiences. Outdoor Education is beyond just the games and Challenge Course activities. It is a mean to explore oneself, others, as well as the natural and urban environment through engaging and purposefully-designed activities.

A simple activity that can be used to surface the outcomes and learning for Outdoor Education is orienteering. Given the perse ways the activity can be designed and conducted, it enables participants to develop their cognition, skills and attitude towards challenges. The equipment is relatively affordable and easy to carry around. It provides a foundation for safe participation in many outdoor activities, thereby facilitating a lifelong pursuit of outdoor physical recreation. The multi-dimensional aspects of the activity offer immerse metaphorical values to life. Combined with place-based pedagogy, it allows participants to see familiar landscapes with renewed senses, and to learn how to be safe and comfortable in the unfamiliar ones.

COURSE SYNOPSIS

The course introduces the concept of Outdoor Education and Place-based Learning. It serves to showcase how orienteering activities can be creatively designed and used to deliver the cognitive, physical and affective (emotional and social) outcomes of an Outdoor Education programme, and how it can be used to enhance the place-responsiveness of participants. The emphasis is on the use of orienteering as a means to achieve Outdoor Education outcomes and learning.

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

The program will be conducted using principles of experiential learning. Through hands-on activities, participants will have the opportunities to experience how the 

various aspects of orienteering can be used for intra- and interpersonal development, empathy and place-based learning. Participants will also be invited to design and develop ideas of their own activities.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Teachers, Outdoor Practitioners, Facilitators, Academic Leaders, Program designers.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Nil

CERTIFICATION

Participants will be awarded the Certificate in Attendance issued by Republic Polytechnic upon meeting 80% of attendance requirement and attempting all assignments.