Tag Archives: Education

Evaluation

Experience: the architecture of understanding

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During my first few days in Singapore, I struggled to see nature as I knew it. Let me take you on a short photo journey of my personal development and understanding of nature and Outdoor and Environmental Education (OEE) in Singapore and compare and contrast this with Australia.

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A view of the high ropes course at our accommodation

This is what I woke up to on day 1; beautiful! I was up and ready to explore. We went to Gardens By the Bay and visited the Cloud Forest, Flower Dome and Super Trees. I was blown away by the architecture, beauty and information provided not only at these locations, but at many others throughout the trip. However it was only when we got to week two that I actually thought to myself: ”Wait a minute…what do these places do for OEE in Singapore?”  

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Evaluation

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple

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“Sometimes the questions are COMPLICATED and the answers are SIMPLE” (Dr. Seuss, n.d)

Compare and contrast how Outdoor and Environmental Education (OEE) is run in Australia and Singapore. Focussing on an underlying theme and discuss in relation to the literature.. Sounds like a mouth full doesn’t it. And how does one even start to compare the two? I mean they are both so different right? It would be like comparing apples and oranges for lack of a better analogy. I mean Singapore can fit into Australia over 11,000 times.. and Australia has completely different ecosystems and environments to that found in Singapore. Therefore our Outdoor and Environmental Education has to be completely different right?…. wrong.

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Evaluation

Are we there yet?

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The reason as to why I have chosen this heading for this particular blog is because throughout the days in Singapore this question was running through my head at some points in the trip. It was a very jam packed, full on days that 23 individuals were involved in. There was a lot of ‘go go go!’ and it was sometimes hard to really soak up the place we were in, without feeling rushed.

During the preparation stage of the trip to Singapore, we were all randomly put into groups of about four members, which became our facilitation groups. I was lucky enough to work alongside Kelly, Georgie and Mooey. Upon reflecting my own experience of the day, I expressed in my facilitation blog that I learnt quite a lot about myself as an individual.

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Evaluation

Compare the pair…

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 I feel like my feet have hit the ground running since flying in to Tullamarine Airport at 5am. When I asked my peers about how they have been adapting back to the cold Melbourne weather, some of them said they were struggling (which I don’t blame them, it has been freezing!)

But isn’t it funny that the time spent in Singapore now just seems like a dream? … A dream that I will never forget.

Looking back at the two weeks that we spent in Singapore, I have gained a clearer understanding of how Outdoor Education can and has been incorporated in this country. Initially I had no idea what to expect to see in Singapore as it is geographically quite small and very urbanised. I was surprise to see some of the more natural spaces that had been captured in Singapore: these include: Labrador Nature Reserve, MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore Botanic Gardens, The Green Rail Corridor and The Central Catchment Nature Reserve. But I was also blown away by the ‘human made’ environments that was showcased and promoted sustainability, such as The Super Trees, Cloud Forest, Flower Dome which were displayed within the Gardens by the Bay. Within my blog about nature, I shared my views of the similarities and differences I discovered in regard to nature and the environments of both Australia and Singapore.

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Evaluation

Outdoor Education In Singapore….How Is It Looking So Far?

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Outdoor education….in Singapore?

I must admit that Singapore was not the first place that came to my mind when my university lecturers were talking about the possibility of an international outdoor education trip. With Singapore being such a small and urbanised country, I was puzzled as I thought about what outdoor education would look like, and the ways in which it would be conducted.

As much as this was puzzling in the weeks leading up to the trip, it was also intriguing and I was eager to learn and discover just how Singapore had included in outdoor education into their mainly urban society, and, after spending just 2 weeks in this wonderful country, I now know the answer to that question…

So what does outdoor education actually look like in Singapore?

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Evaluation

I am an outdoor educator…what do I do again?

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My recent adventure to Singapore has left me in a state of bewilderment. I am lost looking for the answer to the question that was raised in the comments of Joel Ward’s insightful post ‘The ferrari and the hawker centre‘ – what is the meaning of life?

Don’t be fooled though, I’m not in a depressive state where I am struggling to find the meaning of my own life. Rather I am experiencing a lack of direction in which to pursue my passion of teaching and learning in the outdoors.

With all the different views of outdoor education around the world, and after my recent experience in Singapore, I have found myself asking…what purpose do I serve as an outdoor educator?

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