Tag Archives: OBS

Evaluation

Bound for Discovery, Changed for Life!

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G’day Internet!

“Onward, Singapore!”

That is the title of the Singaporean national anthem. It is also the nations motto (By the way, when did countries start having mottos? Do we Australians have one?! I’m calling Tony and throwing up some ideas..)

In comparing and contrasting Singapore and Australia’s approaches to Outdoor Environmental Education (OEE), even looking at the lyrics of our national anthems we can find similarities.

“Come, fellow Singaporeans Let us progress towards happiness together”

“With courage let us all combine, to Advance Australia Fair” (If these lyrics don’t look familiar, it’s because it’s from the second verse of our anthem)

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Reflections

Bounded By Land, Bonded By Culture

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Singapore! Wow – what a proud and resilient country. It doesn’t take long to see the multiculturalism everywhere you look. Singaporean, Malayan, Chinese, Japanese, Indian and the list goes on.  I was quickly swept up into a whirlwind of new knowledge and relationships, particularly over such a short period of time. Simply by walking through a Hawkers Centre or a local market you can see everyone working together in sync. The importance of relationships with others cannot be overstated. Yet, I found myself wondering how is this possible? How is a society so culturally differing function and communicate so effectively? Then it hit me. There seems to be a tacit willingness to make it work. The first barrier they faced was language and because of this there seems to be a universal adoption of english for the majority of people. It allows relationships with others to firstly exist and secondly flourish. I know if this wasn’t the case I would have encountered many more issues as I travelled.

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Reflections

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success!

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Over my time here spent in Singapore, I can’t help but notice how much new knowledge, relationships and connections I have gained over such a short amount of time.

I have meet new people, visited different places, gained a wealth of knowledge about myself, others, nature and the culture of Singapore. But none of this could of happened without the support and guidance of others. How I see it is that when you gather a groups of people from around the world who both share such passion for the Outdoor Environment and the Outdoor Education outcomes, something magical happens. We begin to grow and flourish our ideas together to make something wonderful happen.

Continue reading Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success! →

Reflections

We may be small in size, but we are large in character

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The fact that Singapore stretches a tiny 42km across and 20km from top to bottom may appear like a limiting factor in terms of utilising the environment as a platform to build a stronger mentality, but you would be wrong! From what I have seen Singapore has high values in regards to developing a strong and resilient society. They understand the significance of developing self and how crucial the character traits are in directing the country into the future. However, in saying this you may wonder how they aim to achieve this? Surely it doesn’t just occur on it’s own?

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Reflections

Wait… Did we just become best friends??

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Ni hao Internet!

Coming to a close of our Singapore experience, time for one last reflective blog! Many have already written on the community aspect of Singapore, the country and how their people develop this through Outdoor Ed! For further reading, check out Lulu, Mathew, Lachy and Monica’s fantastic work.

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Reflections

A smile is the same in every language

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I heard this saying a long time ago. But recently I saw it come into play during my time in Singapore.

I was standing on the train the other day and I glanced at an old lady sitting down. We both smiled. A couple of stops later, she stood up to leave and smiled and waved me goodbye. I’d never met this person but I returned the kind gesture.

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Reflections

Get up! But don’t ever give up – Michael Irvin

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Buongiorno Internet!

I’d like to share a quote with you that I came across whilst visiting Raffles Institution. It reads:

“Being a Singaporean is not a matter of ancestry. It is a conviction and a choice”

“Conviction and a choice” Wow. I’m sitting here so inspired by this quote and how accurately it describes my interactions with Singaporeans since I arrived over a week ago. This quote gets my adrenalin going much like when I visited Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) and saw their motto, shared by all Outward Bound centres worldwide:

“To Serve, to Strive, and to not Yield”

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Reflections

A bunch of people in an elevator

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 Learning with and about others…

Recently I created a portfolio of teaching resources and information that aimed to answer the question, ‘Does innovative classroom design contribute to student learning?’ It was one of the more interesting assessment tasks I’ve completed whilst at university. I found that that the classroom environment has a large part to play in student learning. If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, don’t be alarmed, it will all become apparent soon.

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Reflections

Students, Parents & Non-outdoor Educators Attitudinize A Challenge

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After speaking to the Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) team today I found we face many similar challenges. However, participation seems to be at the top of their list especially with new students to the programs. Alvin, Q and R were able to give Stace and myself some insight into why this may be the case. The three instructors found that throughout their time at OBS they have had many students questioning why they are participating in these activities making the boy’s job very hard. Other discussions included understanding the full extent of Outdoor Education (OE), how it is defined and what it looks like. The OBS facilitator thought this might have something to do with how outdoor education is framed in schools before attending the activities if it even gets to that point. I have come to the conclusion that OE in Singapore is seen as a second class citizen subject when in reality it could achieve the objectives their government is trying to achieve through mandatory National Service.

Continue reading Students, Parents & Non-outdoor Educators Attitudinize A Challenge →