By Admin
Change is inevitable for evolution. Today with the ever changing trends and technology it is
important to keep ourselves updated all the time. Education, being the core element of a society,
is no different. Teaching has now become student-centric. The end goal of teachers today is to
prepare global citizens who are responsible, aware and most importantly humane. In such a
scenario our education system needs to make efforts to bring the world to the classroom and
beyond. Today many educational institutes are opting for experiential learning. Teachers now
days are getting equipped with new age strategies like Active learning and Meta-cognition in
order to tap into their young learners’ minds. Outdoor education can prove beneficial in not only
teaching the concepts but also to learn life skills.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
Outdoor activities like camping or river rafting can prove beneficial in developing their social
skills. Like-mindedness can help them build a community. Sharing of ideas, creativity can boost
confidence amongst students. A simple game of tennis can alleviate all the stress and tension of
the day.
Imbibing qualities like empathy and kindness
The ability to view situations from another person’s perspective plays an important role in
shaping a child’s character. The simple act of kindness can be better taught when students are
taken to visit an animal rescue shelter. With the world becoming a grimmer place, where hatred
and cruelty is spreading at a faster pace it is important that we nuture our young minds to be
kind and empathetic towards each other. This will secure our tomorrow with a compassionate
generation leading the world.
Creating awareness
Outdoor education helps in generating awareness. Unlike the earlier generations children today
need to be made aware of the wide ranging choice that they have as far as shaping their careers
is concerned. Visits to work place such IT companies, factories help in role play stimulation.
Being the torch bearers of tomorrow it is important to include students in campaigns related to
cleanliness or saving the environment. This will also ignite a sense of responsibility amongst
them.
Developing life skills
In order to survive in the world it is important to know how to deal with unexpected
circumstances or sudden crisis. Taking students outdoor helps in building core life skills. Concepts
of problem solving, decision making, critical thinking can be taught much better in real life
scenarios. When student work in teams they are able to hone their inter-personal skills.
Outdoor education proves beneficial as it helps towards making students more assertive. It
facilitates positive thinking amongst students and thus making them life-long learners.
Amruta Dhavlikar
English Language Coordinator,
Daffodil International School, Pune.
One Comment
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Application now closed, for Edustar 2019
very well said ma’am. A wide range of skills can be developed in students by using outdoor education as a medium. I, as a teacher, will try to inculcate this practice for better development of my students.