Focus Area 3: Personal and social growth and development

Learning experiences in natural environments promote students’ personal growth and development of social skills. Experiential learning in nature impacts positively on students’ health and well-being and fosters a lifelong connection with nature and a commitment to responsible activity in natural environments.

Through learning in natural environments, students develop personal meaning, and an appreciation of the role of natural environments in providing life perspective. Learning experiences in natural environments enable students to evaluate and reflect on their own learning progression and skills development, and their collaboration with and leadership of others, as well as their relationship with and connection to nature.

Suggested learning activities

The following learning activities are suggestions only. Teachers may select suitable activities from this list, adapt these activities, or design their own:

• plan and participate in outdoor activities and journeys that develop safe and positive health-enhancing experiences
• develop and implement strategies in natural environments to promote health, safety, and well-being
• analyse, evaluate and reflect on the impact of outdoor activities and journeys on personal health, safety, and well-being
• reflect on the balance between modern lifestyles and opportunities to spend time in nature to support physical, social, and emotional well-being.
• collect evidence of and apply reflective practice to self-assess personal learning progression and skills development
• develop and extend social skills in communicating and working with others
• collect evidence of and reflect on group dynamics, and collaboration with and leadership of others
• evaluate the role of experiences in natural environments in changing thinking and promoting lifelong connections with nature.