Calwell High on Country Learning program: A case study in improving student engagement, wellbeing, and whole school culture.
Details:
11:00 – 11:50 am
6th of December
Room: 1S-211
Tomas Rodriguez Lovibond & Grant Lukins
Early in 2022 schools around Canberra were experiencing the ongoing disruptions caused by the COVID19 pandemic. This broader context was felt acutely at Calwell High School and contributed to the school experiencing a concerning increase in negative behaviour incidents, with a core group of students feeling disconnected from the school and its environment. At the time, as an initial response, Calwell High’s leadership team created a bespoke outdoor learning program for this core group of students. This then evolved into the program now runs.
This case study intends to explore the impact of the partnership between Calwell High School and Birrigai Outdoor School to develop an On Country Learning Program where Outdoor Education was the driving curriculum and pedagogical approach. This program had the explicit intent of developing students’ self-confidence, resilience, and sense of belonging within the wider school community. This presentation will describe the story of how Calwell High School, driven by a commitment to fostering a sense of belonging and cultural connection, connected with Ngunnawal country and used that connection to create a nurturing and inclusive learning environment. Through the lens of this program’s development and implementation, we explore the impact it had on the students, the school community, and the broader educational landscape, offering valuable insights into the transformative potential of culturally responsive outdoor education initiatives.
About the Presenters
Born in the Canary Islands of Spain and moved to Australia when I was 8. I didn’t grow up doing many outdoorsy things with my family. My first real introduction to outdoor adventures was during high school with two teachers I’ll never forget. It was these outdoor experiences that helped shape who I am and unknowingly guided me to where I sit within my career now.
Grant Lukins is an Outdoor Educator based in Canberra, ACT, with a passion for helping people to learn about themselves and their place. With a lifelong affinity with adventure, it was not a matter of if but when his school-based teaching would move to the Outdoor Education space. That opportunity came in 2009 while working within Melrose High School’s (ACT) Outdoor Ed program to deliver deep learning through adventure settings and has been the focus of his teaching career since.
With the move to Birrigai Outdoor School in 2020 came the opportunity to work regularly with smaller groups of students, particularly those who are disengaged, under resourced or require an alternative setting for education. The program’s focus on personal discovery, leadership, and connection, to each other, the greater community, and the places around them.
It also occasionally provides the opportunity to work with the next generation of Outdoor Educators through providing training courses in passion areas such as High Ropes, Flat Water paddling and Snorkelling.
