DRAFT CURRICULUM FOR A POSSIBLE OPTION IN Outdoor Education: Levels 7 – 10
Rationale and Aims
Rationale
Outdoor Education enables students to develop positive relationships with self, others and outdoor environments through participation in outdoor experiences. These relationships support students’ investigation and articulation of their place in the world, and their development of strategies, such as resilience, that help promote personal and environmental wellbeing.
In Outdoor Education, students examine a range of human-nature relationships, including those of Indigenous peoples’ communities. They consider how humans have, currently, and will in the future, interact responsibly with outdoor environments. As a foundation for current and future relationships, students evaluate the sustainability of various relationships with outdoor environments held by individuals and groups. They analyse how changing human lifestyles have impacted upon natural systems and make recommendations for current and future relationships.
Four interrelated propositions underpin the Outdoor Education curriculum.
Relationships with Self, Others and the Environment
Within Outdoor Education, students learn about and through relationships with self, others and the environment. Through doing so, they consider how direct experiences within the outdoors help to build their resilience and ability to work as part of a group in various outdoor contexts. Students develop both individual and group relationships with outdoor environments by engaging in responsible use of outdoor environments.
Healthy outdoor environments
The health of outdoor environments is intrinsically linked to the health of people and society. In Outdoor Education, students learn about the interrelationship between people and the outdoors. They evaluate the impact of past, current and possible future interactions of people with the outdoors and participate in activities to help protect the health of outdoor environments visited. They participate in and analyse different minimal impact strategies during outdoor experiences. See: Parks Victoria Minimal Impact Strategies
Outdoor experiences
Outdoor experiences suited to this curriculum are a range of guided activities in areas such as school grounds, local environments, farms, interpretation centres, coastal areas, rivers, mountains, bushlands, forests, urban parks, cultural and historical sites, and state or national parks. Adventure activities undertaken could include bushwalking, cross-country skiing, canoe touring, cycle touring, and marine exploration, along with other activities such as conservation and restoration activities, and participation in community projects. Outdoor experiences that use weapons or motorised devices to replace human effort are not suitable for this study. The duration and breadth of outdoor experiences will vary depending on the school context and learning level. During all outdoor experiences, schools have a duty of care to their students and the outdoor environments visited. They must follow all relevant guidelines and rules and other legal obligations.
Adventure activities
Safe participation in adventure activities is essential for teaching outdoor education. Adventure activities can refer to various outdoor activities that fall within the Department of Education’s Adventure Activity Guidelines. This includes all aquatic activities, along with camping, bushwalking and other camp craft activities, as well as more adventurous pursuits (e.g., rockclimbing, kayaking, scuba diving, etc.). Schools must follow all relevant department policies when including adventure activities within their curriculum.
Models of delivery
Outdoor Education can be delivered in various school contexts and curriculum structures. Some programs may be more local, whereas others might include extended time away from school. Teaching could be structured in a range of ways, and as this curriculum is optional, teaching might include units that cover some or all of the content. Possible unit and program structures include:
– Residential programs using both journey-based and residential settings, including annual year level outdoor experience.
– Units within the school timetable, e.g., a term long Outdoor Education class blocked for a term against other areas of the curriculum (Arts, Technology, etc.) that students rotate through for all year 8 students with timetabled classes and outdoor experiences.
– Stand-alone electives and other units that have timetabled classes and outdoor experiences, typically, undertaken at year 9 and 10.
Links to other areas
Outdoor Education is a unique learning area within HPE that can have strong links to other areas of the curriculum—particularly Science, History, Geography and the Capabilities. The aims and focus of Outdoor Education curriculum should not be confused with Outdoor Learning, a pedagogical approach that may be used to deliver any curriculum in the outdoors.
Links to the VCE
Outdoor Education helps prepare students to undertake VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies, along with VCE VET Sport and Recreation and VCE VET Outdoor Recreation.
Aims
Outdoor Education aims to develop students:
• relationships with outdoor environments, others and self,
• skills and understandings to participate safely and competently in a range of outdoor activities,
• understanding of the value of outdoor environments, both currently and over time
• capacity to engage sustainably with outdoor environments,
• awareness of how outdoor experiences and environments shape individual and environmental health and well-being, and
• agency over their existing and future engagements with outdoor environments.
| DRAFT CURRICULUM FOR A POSSIBLE OPTION IN Outdoor Education: Levels 7 – 10 | |||
| Levels 7 and 8 | Levels 9 and 10 | ||
| Experiencing Outdoor Environments | |||
| Planning for Outdoor Experiences | |||
| Select and describe the required personal equipment and clothing to participate in outdoor experiences | Select and justify the suitability of personal and group equipment for participating in outdoor experiences | ||
| Interpret trip plans to prepare for outdoor experiences | Evaluate different outdoor environments to propose appropriate outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | ||
| Describe and practice the skills required for safe use of equipment required in outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | Analyse own and others‘ skills required for the safe use of equipment required in outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | ||
| Plan overnight outdoor experiences for specific purposes, including use of minimal impact strategies and relevant adventure activities | |||
| Learning through Outdoor Experiences | |||
| Demonstrate minimal impact practices during outdoor experiences | Improve understanding of minimal impact strategies through analysis of their application in practice | ||
| Manage personal and group equipment during outdoor experiences | Assess effective use and management of personal and group equipment required in outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | ||
| Apply personal safety procedures during outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | Recommend and implement a range of personal and group safety procedures during outdoor experiences, including adventure activities | ||
| Reflecting on Outdoor Experiences | |||
| Reflect on individual preparation, equipment use and management of safety procedures whilst in the outdoors to recommend improvements | Examine and assess individual and group preparation, equipment use and management of safety procedures whilst in the outdoors to recommend improvements | ||
| Reflect on outdoor experiences to recommend improvements to relationships involving self, others and environments | Examine and assess outdoor experiences to recommend improvements to relationships involving self, others and environments | ||
| Relationships with Outdoor Environments | |||
| Responsible Relationships | |||
| Describe Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples’ uses, over time, of outdoor environments explored during outdoor experiences | Investigate Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples’ uses, over time, of outdoor environments explored during outdoor experiences | ||
| Describe the health of outdoor environments explored during outdoor experiences | Evaluate the health of outdoor environments explored during outdoor experiences, including impacts of climate change | ||
| Influencing Relationships | |||
| Explain how outdoor experiences and technologies, impact the health of outdoor environments | Evaluate how technologies used during outdoor experiences impact the health of outdoor environments | ||
| Formulate reasons for the stewardship of outdoor environments, including use of minimal impact practices | Plan strategies for the stewardship of outdoor environments explored during outdoor experiences | ||
| Plan strategies to adapt outdoor experiences for a range of climate change impacts | |||
| Achievement Standard | |||
| By the end of Level 8, students select and describe the required personal equipment and clothing for outdoor experiences, interpreting trip plans to ensure thorough preparation. They demonstrate and practice the skills necessary for the safe use of equipment, including for adventure activities. During outdoor experiences, students implement minimal impact practices, effectively manage both personal and group equipment, and apply appropriate personal safety procedures.
Students reflect on their preparation, equipment usage, and safety management to identify areas for improvement. They also reflect on their outdoor experiences to suggest enhancements to their relationships with self, others, and the environment. They describe how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples have historically used the outdoor environments they encounter, and assess the health of these environments. Students explain how outdoor experiences and technologies impact on the health of outdoor environments and justify the importance of stewardship, including the use of minimal impact practices.
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By the end of Level 10, students select and justify the suitability of personal and group equipment for outdoor experiences, evaluating different outdoor environments to propose appropriate activities, including adventure activities. They analyse the skills required for the safe use of equipment for themselves and others, and plan overnight outdoor experiences with a focus on minimal impact strategies and relevant adventure activities.
Students enhance their understanding of minimal impact strategies through practical analysis, assess the effective use and management of personal and group equipment, and recommend and implement various safety procedures during outdoor experiences. They critically examine and assess individual and group preparation, equipment usage, and safety management to suggest improvements. Additionally, they reflect on outdoor experiences to recommend enhancements to relationships with self, others, and the environment. Students investigate how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples have historically used the outdoor environments they encounter and evaluate the health of these environments, considering the impacts of climate change. They evaluate how technologies used during outdoor experiences impact the health of outdoor environments and plan strategies for their stewardship. They also develop strategies to adapt outdoor experiences to various climate change impacts.
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