Latest! Release of SPEA Newsletter 2025 Jubilee Edition

Singapore Physical Education Association

2024 PAT Recipient feature:
Interpreting Outdoor Education
in Physical Education
by Shang Thian Huat

Gratitude

There are many school leaders, fellow teachers and students who have contributed to my professional growth as a teacher. I am forever grateful to Ms Grace Ng, my first principal. She entrusted and encouraged me, a beginning teacher, to embark on a school-wide Outdoor Education (OE) program that benefited many cohorts. Teachers and students who lived through the unique Juying Secondary OE program still reminisce the precious outdoor experiences in camps and expeditions whenever they meet. I am also grateful to Mr Tay Kim Seng, my leader at OE Unit, who introduced me to the rich theory and practice of experiential education. He inspired me to apply experiential education pedagogy creatively when conducting professional development courses for teachers. He also constantly gave me feedback and advice on keeping OE relevant to the Singapore context.

A brief on Experiential Education

“Experiential education should be enjoyable and open doors to new experiences”. Steven Simpson (2011, p.9)

Students’ learning cannot be narrowly defined by a grade or a pre-determined outcome. Ministry of Education (MOE) recognizes this by supporting schools to create multiple opportunities and different pathways to grow our students holistically. MOE schools “play a key role in providing a rich diversity of learning experiences for our students and ensuring a strong foundation for learning in a variety of domains.” (MOE, 2023, p.10) In this light, MOE supports experiential education.

Experiential education is not limited to outdoor activities such as camping, sport climbing and service learning. Experiential education can take place inside the classroom too. It is helpful to understand that experiential education

is not simply learning by doing.
does not always include physical activity.

Across MOE, experiential education can be found in both the curriculum and co-curriculum. OE is an appropriate curriculum where experiential education can be applied. Within MOE, there is an increasing awareness and advocacy for the infusion of social constructivism in our teaching and learning – that knowledge construction is a social process that involves interaction and active engagement with others. The theory and practice of experiential education is underpinned by social constructivism. Hence experiential education is an appropriate pedagogy in OE.

How can we keep OE enjoyable and motivate students to take ownership of their own learning? While planning OE lesson with an end in mind, can we be open to other learning outcomes?

Broad adventure can take place during an outdoor journey.

Broad adventure can also take place during an OE lesson.

This section will present three points to unpack the theory and practice of experiential education. It will also discuss its relevance in the teaching of OE.

1. Understand that there are different ways of learning
(Greenaway, 2008; Nicol, 2003)

“If the lessons to be learned from an experience can be listed before the experience has taken place, and thus independently of the learners’ experience, it seems misleading to call the learning ‘experiential’.” Hovelynck (2001, p.7)

Assumption 1:

Direct teaching is but one of the many ways to educate students and help them learn.

Assumption 2:

Direct experience is key to students’ learning,

If we believe that

direct teaching is but one of the many ways to educate students and help them learn, then we should go beyond direct teaching and intentionally infuse different pedagogical approaches to facilitate students’ learning.
direct experience is key to students’ learning, then we should intentionally create meaningful and embodied learning experiences for students from which to facilitate their learning.

2. Create experiences that make students take ownership of their learning
(Rubens, 1999; Simpson, 2011)

In his research, Rubens (1999) found that effort and responsibility are keys to students’ learning in the outdoors. He recommended the use of “broad adventure” to encourage the mastery orientation of learning (pp.73-74).

“Broad adventure” can take place during an outdoor journey as well as during an OE lesson. Nature journalling is an example of “broad adventure”.

While nature journalling is not inherently or physically challenging, it

can be cultivated as a habit or skill for students to master (long time scale of experience).
activates curiosity, focus and attention to details (some or much effort involved).
activates student agency (responsibilities devolved to students)

I hope Rubens’ (1999) framework encourages us to introduce experiential education pedagogy in our OE lessons as we create “broad adventure” experiences for our students.

3. Be Open to Outcomes
(Jacobson & Ruddy, 2015)

If we truly believe that students learn differently from their own experience, then we have to accept that students who undergo a common experience will take away different learning points.

For example, through a common OE lesson where students experience nature journaling, different students will make personal connections while developing a sense of place with the school’s garden. Student A may be fascinated by the Singapore Daisy while Student B is intrigued by the Arrowhead Plant. Student C may be awed by the Carpenter Bee and Student D drawn to the Javan Myna. These 4 students develop a sense of place with the school’s garden in different ways.

Jacobson and Ruddy (2015) opined that when the teacher, acting as a facilitator, shows genuine curiosity about the students and their experience, authentic and profound learning will emerge. They remind teachers that real learning is really about the drawing out from students, not the pumping in. The drawing out from students based on a concrete learning experience has to be an intentional teaching practice.

Students actively engaged in nature journaling.

Student’s reflection from nature journaling.

Nature journaling as a means to develop sense of place.

Encouragement

“Teacher guidance and significant student accomplishment are not mutually exclusive.” Steven Simpson (2003, p.4)

“Finding the balance between teacher-driven education and student-driven education is not easy. There is no single correct position. The center of balance shifts continuously and is very seldom dead center. Yet while maintaining the proper balance is difficult, it is basic to success.” Steven Simpson (2003, p.2)

Experiential education does not devoid the teacher’s role nor minimize the teacher’s responsibility. Neither is it a laissez-faire approach. Experiential education has boundaries and involves subject matter content. It requires the teacher to constantly evaluate the dynamic interaction taking place between students, content, learning processes and environment so as to make intentional decisions to facilitate students’ learning. In a way, experiential education grows the teacher and affords flexibility in teaching. I hope this discussion encourages us to experiment with using experiential education in our teaching, especially in OE.

References

Greenaway, R. (2008). A View into the Future: The Value of Other Ways of Learning and Development. In Becker, P. and Schirp, J. (Eds)., Other Ways of Learning (pp 347-367). The European Institute for Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiential Learning.
Hovelynck, J. (2001). Beyond Didactics: A reconnaissance of experiential learning. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 6(1), 4-15
Jacobson, M., & Ruddy, M. (2015). Open to outcome: A practical guide for facilitating & teaching experiential reflection (2nd ed.). Wood N Barnes Publishing.
Ministry of Education (2023). Pathways and Possibilities: Singapore’s Education Journey, https://www.moe.gov.sg/-/media/files/about-us/moe-corporate-brochure.pdf
Nicol, R. (2003). Outdoor education: Research topic or universal value? Part three. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 3(1), 11–27
Rubens, D. (1999). Effort or performance: Keys to motivated learners in the outdoors. Horizons, 4, 26-28.
Simpson, S. (2003). The leader who is hardly known: Self-less teaching from the Chinese tradition. Wood'N'Barnes Publishing.
Simpson, S. (2011). Rediscovering Dewey: A reflection on independent thinking. Wood'N'Barnes Publishing.

Article contributed by:

Name : Mr Shang Thian Huat
Designation : HOD (PE/CCA)
School : Blangah Rise Primary School

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