When learning is a journey of discovery on nature’s trail, it takes the entire concept to a different level altogether. It is this idea that Protégé, a training solutions firm, wants to introduce for the school students through a three-day ‘stay-on’ camp ‘Summer Adventura’ in the city. A concept based on a combination of David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and outbound training (adventure and nature based), the camp that will start from May 14 aims at integrating nature into the school curriculum with a series of activities including trekking, rappelling, rock climbing, low and high rope activities, flying fox (zip line), commando net and creative programmes like story-telling and start gazing.
A concept popular in the West and fast gaining grounds in India, experiential learning is a powerful pedagogical tool because the experiences are often more visceral than those in the classroom, thus inculcating a spirit of exploration and adventure in a child.
Explaining further about the first adventure-based experiential learning camp for school children in the city, Joel S. Godi, the founder and trainer of Protégé, said: “The theory of experiential learning, to put in simply, is to learn from direct experience and outbound training is to take that experience or development mission away from the regular (classroom) setting into an unfamiliar back-to-nature setting and placing unexpected challenges before the students, in the solving of which a whole new set of equations are thrown up.” Some of the key elements that the camp will focus on are team building, conflict management, critical thinking, cultivating leadership qualities and learning to adapt to unexpected changes through live experiments. The three-day-two-night ‘Summer Adventura’ camp is suitable for beginners and activities are designed at a ‘medium difficulty’ level. The base camp will be located at Catherine Public School in Bheemli. There will be a local pick up at YMCA on May 14 at 6 a.m. and the students will return to the same venue on May 16 at 6 p.m. after the camp. Those interested to participate in the camp may contact 7093092343.
