What's new

Working with essays by eight students at a semi-rural New Zealand primary school, the authors examined the nature and value of outdoor education within Health and Physical Education. Students' essays and school documents were the data. The inquiry linked students' experiences to the school's underpinning philosophy and created composite stories about a three-day residential camp. Students' writing revealed their emotions and feelings and the impact of their experiences. The authors suggest that tangible outdoor experiences can be an entry point into affective learning and into literacy and learning in other subjects.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

This is a New Zealand primary example of linking camp experiences to both the school's philosophy and curriculum learning beyond HPE, especially writing.

Putting it into practice

After camp, ask students to write about their experiences. Use the writing both as literacy learning and as a way to understand what the camp meant to them.

How strong is the evidence

The authors describe this as a small, circumscribed study of eight students' essays at one school. It offers illustrative insight and its findings cannot be generalised.

What to read

The composite stories and the discussion of pedagogical insights.

Who it's for