Topic: Are Outdoor Educators considered Teachers?
Over the years, Outdoor Education (OE) has proven to be a critical piece of development for young people. Many countries have mandated OE to be part of the educational curriculum schools have to design and provide.
What is OE?
Outdoor Education is learning taking place outside of the classroom, typically experiential in methodology and very often amongst nature.
Who provides OE?
While Outdoor Education is part of the Singapore education curriculum, not all the teachers are trained in it. With various factors in consideration, OE service providers such as CAMP CHALLENGE come into the picture with our expertise to run OE programmes and CAMPS.
While we know teachers refer to individuals who work in educational settings and hold formal teaching certifications, individuals who are trained in OE are referred to as “Outdoor Educators.”
These Outdoor Educators oversee the activities at camp, guiding the students through a variety of challenges and providing a debriefing to highlight the learning objectives. Outdoor Educators use a variety of learning methodologies such as problem-solving in practical settings, experiential learning, and nurturing a bond between students and the environment. Offering a comprehensive and engaging learning experience that goes beyond conventional classroom instruction is the aim here.
An Intrinsic Motivation
Amongst the many Outdoor Educators that we spoke to, most find satisfaction and fulfillment in their profession where they could make a difference and impact the young. Many of these unsung heroes feel underappreciated, with many opponents having the view that their work is simply just being there for 3 – 4 days conducting activities for students.
While this topic may not have a conclusive outcome on whether or not we should call Outdoor Educators teachers, we do acknowledge that Outdoor Educators have the same objectives as teachers except that they perform their work beyond their classrooms and use activities to achieve it.
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