Outdoor Education
Through interaction with the natural world, Outdoor Education aims to develop an understanding of our relationships with the environment, others and ourselves. The Outdoor Education General course focuses on outdoor activities in a range of environments, including bushwalking, sailing, climbing and orienteering.
The Outdoor Education course provides students with an opportunity to develop essential life skills and physical activity skills, and an opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding of the environment and develop a positive relationship with nature. This course also provides students with opportunities to develop skills that will enable them to pursue personal interests and careers in outdoor pursuits, environmental management, or eco-tourism. |
Students enrolled in an ATAR course of study who wish to enrol in Outdoor Education General should consider that there are six days in the school calendar where they will be out of their normal classes on mandatory expeditions. For further information please contact the Head of Health and Physical Education.
- Outdoor Education General
WACE Breadth & Depth Requirement:
List B
Prerequisite
B grade in Year 9 or Year 10 Outdoor Education preferred.
Unit 1
Experiencing the Outdoors
Students are encouraged to engage in outdoor adventure activities. An experiential approach is used to discover what being active in the environment is all about. Students are introduced to outdoor adventure activities where they can develop and improve technical skills and apply appropriate practices to ensure safe participation. They understand basic planning and organisational requirements necessary for them to participate in safe, short duration excursions/expeditions in selected outdoor activities. They begin developing skills in roping and navigation. Students are introduced to personal skills and interpersonal skills, including self-awareness, communication and leadership. Features of natural environments and examples of local environmental management and ‘Leave No Trace’ principles are introduced.
Unit 2
Facing the Challenges of the Outdoors
This unit offers the opportunity to engage in a range of outdoor activities that pose challenges and encourage students to step outside their comfort zone. Students consider planning and resource requirements related to extended excursions/short-duration expeditions. They are introduced to simple risk assessment models to assist decision making and apply safe practices to cope with challenging situations and environments. They develop time management and goal setting skills to work with others and explore strategies for building group relationships. They understand the main styles of leadership and how to use strategies to promote effective groups. Features of natural environments and components of the weather are introduced. Conservation, biodiversity and environmental management plans are also introduced.