The Green Classroom

When educational pioneer Margaret McMillan commented, almost a century ago, that “the best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky,” she could have easily have been referring to the benefits of the Australian Army Cadet (AAC) program. These benefits were realised at St Hilda’s this year by the first ever Cadets unit of eighteen eager Year 10 students.

In 2016, the Australian Army sought to “modernise, professionalise and grow” Australian Army Cadets (AAC) via the Transformation Program. One of the primary objectives of the Transformation Program was to grow cadet and cadet staff numbers, as well as to address some of the Australian Army’s diversity objectives. St Hilda’s

Anglican School Cadet Unit (SHASCU) is the first all-female cadet unit in WA and was raised as part of the AAC Transformation Program.

SHASCU ran their inaugural field training weekend of 16-17 June at the Bindoon Training Area. The weekend was planned and executed by staff member, Old Scholar and ADF Liaison and Australian Army Reserve officer, Captain Diana Boswarva. Upon completion of the weekend, the Cadets graduated from the rank of Recruit to Cadet.

“It was a chance to test the skills we’ve learnt on Friday afternoons during parades,” Year 10 student Prianka Behari said.

“We took part in activities such as navigation, the radio and phonetic alphabet, field signals, camouflage and disguise, and kneeling and walking without making noise. Leading up we were taught how to keep warm, and applied that knowledge at the camp as it was cold overnight!”

Captain Boswarva works alongside Mrs Angie Ranson (Head of Curriculum Services and a Defence Approved Helper) to implement the Army Cadet co-curricular program, which includes a Friday afternoon training, a field weekend once a term and an annual nine day combined training exercise in the September school holidays.

“Coming from an inclusive learning difficulties background, I am a firm believer in how the learning opportunities presented to Australian Army Cadets can translate into a mainstream classroom and inevitably correlate with enhanced student learning and performance,” Captain Boswarva said.

“The AAC program offers levels of planning, leadership, risk-taking and personal development that have not previously been made available to students at the School.”

The benefits of student participation in Australian Army Cadets as a school co-curricular option are vast, as indicated by current pedagogical literature which heavily advocates the correlation between exposure to the natural environment and an increase in the intellectual and creative abilities of students. The outdoor classroom, a central theme of Army Cadets, is essential for developing capacities for creativity, problem solving and intellectual development. The opportunity to plan and execute scenarios, that are subject to unexpected outdoor events, such as the consequences of an unexpected thunderstorm, is a key point of difference between the learning opportunities available in a conventional classroom and the outdoors. Uncertainty breeds creativity and resilience.

Alexandra Hughes (Year 10) said it was an information evening last year that convinced her to join the St Hilda’s Unit.

“When I found out we would be learning all sorts of challenging and fun skills, then putting them to use, I could not wait to be a part of Cadets,” she said.

Australian Army Cadets are offered an integrated curriculum opportunity that allows them to utilise outdoor classrooms to support significant student gains in Humanities, Science, Literacy and Maths.

For example, whilst students are taught the fundamentals of mapping in Australian Curriculum (Geography) it is not until they implement those skills in the practical learning environment, such as a navigation exercise in the Bindoon Training Area, that students truly learn to appreciate concepts such as contour lines, gradients and scale.

The outdoor learning environment helps to create sustainable relationships between cadets and their environment. It is important for adolescents to

appreciate where resources, such as food or wood for shelter are drawn from. The curriculum offered by the AAC helps cadets to build connections between themselves and the natural environment and, in turn, helps to promote a sense of respect and duty of care for the world in which they live.

One of the greatest areas of development for Army Cadets is the opportunity to enhance personal and social communication skills. The Cadet Development Curriculum encourages cadets to take personal responsibility, cooperate and respect the needs of others. The program also trains cadets to extend their

personal horizons through a greater appreciation and understanding of the world the people around them. A 2005 study by Burdette and Whitaker found that “Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for learning in the out-of-doors.”

For Amelia Beck, also Year 10, Army Cadets has helped her overcome challenges and reinforced St Hilda’s values, such as respect.

“I had a really sore back, but I was able to push through in the fitness testing and overcome that,” she said.

“Another challenge I faced at first was remembering to call the Captains and Lieutenants ‘Ma’am’ and ‘Sir’, but I’m now getting used to it. I like that Cadets teaches respect. I now call my teachers that sometimes because I’m so used to it!”

Australian Army Cadets offers a wonderful cocurricular and pedagogical opportunity with the benefits of learning and peer leadership in the natural environment, as well as a sense of purpose, self-reliance and community. SHASCU aims to complement and enhance the learning opportunities already well established at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls.

“The Australian Defence Force considers Cadets a very important part of their future, and it is brilliant that girls are becoming more and more involved,” Mrs Ranson said.

“We look forward to continuing this is 2019 and beyond.”