2023 Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom

from 2023 Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom

2023 Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom

By Sarah Davison, Industry Reporter

Looking for fresh EOTC ideas? In this supplement, School News has curated a list of some of the country’s best EOTC programs and providers.

Education outside the classroom (EOTC) is a core part of schooling across Aotearoa New Zealand. As much as 96 percent of NZ schools consider EOTC very or extremely important, according to a recent report by the Ara Institute of Canterbury, undertaken in conjunction with Education Outdoors New Zealand and the Ministry of Education. This report found that for teachers, curriculum enrichment is the central goal of valued EOTC. Specifically, teachers said “when students were able to

see and experience the learning in authentic settings”, they “developed a deeper understanding of the purpose of the learning, were able to place it in a wider context and recalled information more easily at a later date”.

What EOTC experiences are prevalent in schools?

Students respond well when learning is re-contextualised, and this can take many shapes. For instance, an EOTC experience could mean ten minutes spent exploring the school grounds, or a half-day visit to the ocean, a local art gallery or a national museum. It could mean visiting a nature reserve, playing regional sport, or performing in a dance competition. It could mean a week-long camping trip, a sailing lesson, or even a language trip overseas. Whatever the experience, EOTC provides

students with the opportunity to do and learn new things, and this opportunity is recognised by teachers as an important way to develop key competencies.

Targeted EOTC experiences connected to specific learning areas are already prominent in schools, particularly those connected to Health and Physical Education, as the Ara report findings show. EOTC activities connected to Science, Social Science, and the Arts are also popular, with the most common local and national excursions for schools including Marae field trips, visits to museums, zoos and wildlife centres, art galleries, historical sites and camps, as well as other activities like water sports and outdoor recreation activities, attending competitions and sporting events, ticketed theatre productions, music festivals, and science talks.

Getting support for teachers planning EOTC

The benefits of EOTC are clear to most teachers, so how can school leaders support them better to integrate EOTC into the school year?

Set aside clear days each term for EOTC activities, or schedule regular periods in the timetable to deliver EOTC sessions. Balancing EOTC loaded subjects with in-class subjects is crucial to minimise additional workload. Regular ETOC planned in advance of the school year or term can minimise workload demands while increasing benefits to students, Moreover, EOTC providers are increasingly adept at being able to assist schools in the planning stage, staying up-to-date on changes in government guidelines and restrictions.

**Watch their leadership potential soar on the high ropes.**
Image courtesy of Kokako Lodge.

Schools can also facilitate EOTC around assessment periods to ease anxiety for students. Advance timetabling means schools can plan activities earlier, saving money on bookings.

For most schools, particularly primary schools travelling locally, the cost of EOTC experiences is usually covered by school or grant funding and/or passed on to caregivers, according to the Ara survey. However, fundraising may be an option for larger or more specialised EOTC experiences.

Boards of Trustees and school leadership should also prioritise EOTC at their schools by supporting staff with paperwork and by tackling concerns around health and safety legislation. Schools should be aware that the Ministry of Education has rigorous health and safety guidelines in place for EOTC as well as opportunities for professional development on safety management available to teachers and school staff. Schools can support teachers by facilitating these types of professional development and making sure they have enough time and resources to complete paperwork during the planning stages of any trip.

The benefits of EOTC are clear to most teachers, so how can school leaders support them better to integrate EOTC into the school year?

Building relationships

To ensure any EOTC is culturally sensitive, the Ministry of Education encourages schools to establish connections with Iwi and hapū in their local area, and in The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, schools are encouraged to develop learning programmes that have meaning for students because the learning relates to their lives.

EOTC has also been found to promote greater social ties for students. With excursions often requiring small group work, students are given an opportunity to socialise with peers they may not ordinarily interact with outside of the classroom setting. The importance of fostering these social connections may be additionally relevant after the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Fresh EOTC ideas to get your class outside

Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park

Only a ten-minute drive from Rotorua, Blue Lake Top 10 is the ideal base for schools looking to plan a camping trip and would be an ideal location to tie in with science and geography curriculum, thanks to its prime position on Blue Lake. One of New Zealand’s most colourful volcanic parks, Wai-O-Tapu is another nearby attraction as well as the Buried Village, NZ’s #1 visited working archaeological and heritage village.

Image Courtesy of Blue Lake TOP 10, Rotorua

Experience Wellington

The team at Experience Wellington provide curriculumlinked learning programmes led by staff, providing curriculumlinked LEOTC programmes centred around the arts, history, science and technology.

Perfect for a diverse range of curricula, Experience Wellintgon runs six iconic Wellington experiences and curates programs for students at City Gallery Wellington, Capital E, Wellington Museum, Space Place at Carter Observatory, Nairn Street Cottage, the Cable Car Museum and the New Zealand Cricket Museum.

**Histories, sciences collide spectacularly at Wellington Museum.**
Image courtesy of Experience Wellington.

Kokako Lodge

With a long history of providing schools with exhilarating EOTC experiences, Kokako Lodge is geared to instil a love of exercise and healthy eating.

Nestled alongside the majestic Hunua Falls on the western side of the Hunua Ranges Regional Park, at around 17,000 hectares, Hunua Ranges Regional Park is the largest piece of indigenous bush in the Auckland Region.

As they say on their website, Kokako Lodge strives for “authentic cross-curricular learning opportunities”, and this means “taking what they have learned in the classroom (from maths to science to art) and applying it in a practical way that not only cements that learning but gives greater practical advantage to it.”

Orana Wildlife Park

Home to New Zealand’s only gorillas, Orana is internationally renowned for its involvement in zoo-based breeding programmes for endangered exotic and native species.

The centre’s Zoo School gives students an opportunity to meet animals in an open-air environment and learn more about conservation. Orana says it’s able to curate a curriculum aligned with a number of subjects: “We can work with most themes, so teachers just need to tell us the general theme or specific learning strand(s) and we will do the rest.

“We’ve made planning the trip easier for teachers as we have our own RAMS documents which they can use, and therefore they don’t need to complete an additional onsite risk assessment.”

Christian Youth Camps

Located between the Waipa River and the Hakarimata Scenic Reserve, Christian Youth Camp consists of 38 hectares of native bush, pastures, and camp facilities. From bush walking to BMX bike riding, activities at CYC can be tailored to suit a wide range of ages. Particularly for Christian schools, CYC provides a fun camping atmosphere to foster personal growth and development paired with a Christian ethos.

Butterfly Creek and Rocket Ropes

Grow young learners into born leaders by mixing and match activities to suit your preferred EOTC experience at Butterfly Creek and Rocket Ropes.

Staff and students can visit New Zealand’s only saltwater crocodiles just two minutes from Auckland International Airport.

Students can learn from keepers, visit the bird aviary and see more than 700 butterflies in Butterfly Creek, duck into the Dinosaur Kingdom and try to name all 60 moving dinos, then scale the high ropes at Rocket Ropes, building confidence and camaraderie on more than 90 arial activities.

With conference facilities and catering options to boot, this is the ideal place to take larger school groups.

Combo activities across both venues as well as optional addons like keeper talks and train rides enable schools to build an EOTC experience that balances elation with education.