Goals

• provide students with opportunities to learn outside the classroom, in all curriculum areas;

• promote appreciation of our heritages – local, national and global;

• increase students’ awareness and understanding of the traditions and values of their own, the tangata whenua and other cultural groups;

• increase students’ understanding of different perspectives on land, natural resources and the environment, and of the need for conservation management; • provide students with opportunities for enjoyment, adventure and challenge, both close to home and far away;

• provide students with opportunities to enhance spiritual, physical and mental well-being

through uplifting experiences in a natural environment;

• develop students’ skills so they can move with confidence and safety in urban, rural, and

wilderness settings;

• help students develop respect for themselves and others, by providing them with

opportunities for personal and social development;

• enable students to take increased responsibility for their own development and to regard learning as enjoyable, continuous, and lifelong;

• provide students with opportunities to develop in many diverse ways.

EOTC outcomes

· In the course of their EOTC experiences, students will gain new knowledge and under-standings, skills and abilities, and attitudes, as well as building on those they already have.

Knowledge and understandings

• knowledge of the world;

• knowledge of culture and traditions;

• aesthetic awareness;

• awareness and understanding of issues for tangata whenua and other cultural groups;

• awareness of environmental issues;

• knowledge of how outdoor activities can benefit personal fitness, health and spiritual well-being;

• knowledge and understanding of safe practices in the outdoors;

• awareness of recreational opportunities;

• awareness that all aspects of learning are interrelated;

• specific new knowledge, for example, knowing the names of some animals after a zoo visit, or how to respond after being welcomed onto a marae.

Skills and abilities

• make decisions;

• solve problems;

• take responsibility for self and others;

• evaluate their own learning;

• apply learning to new situations;

• develop independence and interdependence;

• work as team members;

• maintain good relationships with family, peers and others, as well as many more specific skills related to their particular EOTC experiences.

Attitudes

• enjoying the challenge and excitement of new experiences;

• having self-esteem and the confidence that goes with it;

• having the motivation to learn;

• being sensitive to, and positive about, issues for tangata whenua and other cultural groups;

• being sensitive to, and positive about, environmental issues;

• sensitivity to, and respect for, the strengths and weaknesses of self and others;

• readiness for major steps – starting school, moving to a new school, starting tertiary

education and starting work.