Outdoor Learning and Adventure = Unique leadership opportunities

Dr. Duncan Picknoll

Head of Outdoor Learning and Adventure

In a rapidly changing world, young people are challenged with societal norms and consequently expectations set by themselves, their peers, family and school.

In addition, let us not forget the importance of developing strategies for student wellbeing and the declining connection of humans to the natural environment.

Participation in Outdoor Learning activities provides students with the opportunity to apply creative thinking to solve problems for themselves and others in the natural environment. Carefully sequenced programmes allow students unique space to learn critical life skills including social skills, resilience, and leadership. Quality support and feedback is essential to allow students to explore their leadership potential.

At Scotch College we are passionate and committed to providing these opportunities for all students. We create a learning environment to build confidence in our young people to allow them to discover and understand who they are, what they value and how these choices can contribute to their future lives.

Our Outdoor Learning and Adventure Programme includes essential elements of adventure to foster the understanding of risk and challenge designed to encourage learning through success and failure. Programmes allow for the students to develop and show innovation and creativity through skills, planning, implementation, art and storytelling. Service to the group, to Moray and to other environments where the learning takes place is vital as is the understanding of diversity and inclusion. We implement an array of activities to give our students the tools to develop skills in using quiet space and reflective processes in nature.

Our Programmes in Junior, Middle and Senior Schools have a foundation based upon experiential learning. A well-recognised model of experiential learning propounded by Joplin (1981) uses a five-stage model to highlight a strategy that combines elements of challenging activities and reflection. I strongly believe that feedback and support are the most critical components to student success. This model can also provide a framework for the introduction of leadership development in our young men.

Experimentation in Outdoor Learning Programmes is something that can be taken into everyday life and can positively influence active citizenship and foster students to be life-long learners in the community wherever their future may take them.

Our programmes offer unique opportunities that support and enhance other learning within the school environment. Students have many opportunities in sporting, arts, and co-curricular endeavours where leadership may be a focus. Fundamentally, not all students understand or know if they have the desire to lead nor find their potential leadership niche in mainstream classes. Opportunities in Outdoor Learning Programmes offer students new prospects to explore potential leadership. For example, setting up a campsite, designing and leading a bushwalk or paddling journey, preparing, and leading the evening meal or facilitating a debrief or reflection activity can provide many students with a pathway to shine.

Outdoor Learning and Adventure at Scotch College creates opportunities for students to set personal and group goals, build technical competence, communication and decisionmaking skills, collaboration, environmental stewardship, safety and risk management, adaptability, innovation, wellbeing, resilience and for many, the chance to understand, experiment and build their leadership potential. These skills are highly desired attributes in the working environment. With carefully designed programmes allowing students to learn through experience and with strong support and feedback, they can develop these skills and leverage them to become more effective in their chosen future endeavours.

“The Outdoor Education Programme allows you to find out what type of leader you are by putting you in situations that are for the most part unknown. This challenges you to find different approaches especially when it comes to communicating with others. When on camps, we are usually out of our comfort zone and under a bit of strain so it’s important to know how to approach a conversation as everyone responds differently under stress. This is a lesson that I think has really elevated my leadership this year and which I have taken back to the Boarding House where there can be similar stress such as home sickness and fatigue.”

Oliver Wandell, Year 12