The Great Outdoors 2024
Mark Haebich
Teacher - Outdoor Education
As another year of learning in the outdoors
comes to an end, Ms Blair and Mr Haebich are reflecting on what a fantastic year it was for Outdoor Education at BSC.
Bushwhacked - Year 9
The two Bushwhacked classes this year completed learning programs in the Cathedral Ranges, the Yarra Valley, the Merri Creek and Wilsons Promontory. We were so impressed with how all of these students engaged in the Bushwhacked curriculum with such enthusiasm. Programs were linked to three main units; in the Cathedral Ranges we focused on Character Strengths, in the Yarra Valley the focus shifted to Collaboration and finally at Wilsons Promontory, students used their Decision-making skills.
Many of the Bushwhacked students have also been working towards their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award this year, and have been logging hours for the Physical Recreation, Skill and Service sections in their own time. Human Nature Relationships is the fourth unit that underpins the whole of the year, and it was great to witness students building their own connections with, and understandings of, the special places we visited and studied.
Something that struck class teachers and the other staff that helped out on programs this year, was the genuine kindness, support and inclusiveness that these Bushwhacked classes exemplified. Many of these students are picking up VCE Outdoor & Environmental Studies (Units 1&2) as an Early Start subject for 2025. Importantly, many students are also dreaming of planning their own personal trips - a great tradition of ex-Bushwhacked students over the years. As always, we will be on hand as a sounding board for these extra curricula adventures!
VCE Outdoor & Environmental Studies
An exciting new study design for Outdoor & Environmental Studies (Units 1–4) was successfully rolled out to our Units 1&2 and Units 3&4 classes this year. Students adapted to the updated content very well and linked their outdoor experiences to the key knowledge and skills effectively.
Ms Blair’s Units 1&2 class scored some of the best conditions of the snow season with a program at Falls Creek - assisted by the Outdoor School, Bogong Campus. They also explored a man-made surfing experience at Urbnsurf Tullamarine and finished off the year with a bushwalk at Mt Stirling.
Mr Haebich’s Units 3&4 class started off at Wilsons Promontory and used this environment as a case study for many parts of the study design. They also paddled down the Yarra River to Docklands and finished off catching the last of the early melting snowpack at Mt Stirling for a cross-country skiing program in Term 3.
Both classes showed a diligent approach to their VCE studies – completing practice SACs, providing and receiving feedback from peers as well as their teachers. They also completed past exam questions throughout the year and, as is becoming another Outdoor Ed tradition, the Unit 3&4 students achieved some amazing results with a mean study score of 35 - putting the class as a whole in the top 26% of the state.
At the end of their Brunswick Outdoor Education journey, students often reflect that the friendships, personal growth and understanding, and care for specific environments that are part of the journey are what really matters, and getting a study score is a bonus.
Congratulations to all of the students involved in Outdoor Education at Brunswick this year. On each program we acknowledge Traditional Owners, and to finish this reflection we would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri, Taungurung, Gunaikurnai, Bunurong, Jaithmathang and Duduroa peoples as the custodians of the lands on which our learning programs were based in this year.
The care and connection of these First Nations groups over countless generations means that we have so many unique and precious outdoor environments in Victoria to explore and from which to learn.