What’s So Good About School Residential Trips Anyway? 学校拓展旅行的好处

I have just returned from spending a day with our Year 6 students and staff on their residential trip in the northern hills. I arrived at the Shimisen Outdoor Base, which is close to the Great Wall, at 8am, in time to join the group for a very delicious breakfast whilst enjoying the children’s recounts of their exciting first night whilst on residential. Although ‘hard beds’ was mentioned frequently, it was clear that the children were already having fun and enjoying their adventure away from home and school.

School residential trips play a vital role in the development of students from Primary pupils right up to those in IB. Whether it be a simple day of outdoor activities or a trip to a foreign country the residential trip is proven to boost learning and self confidence in children and young adults.

Everyone agrees that the following are the very obvious benefits of residential trips:

- Improves and enhances student-teacher relationships

- Builds friendships and resilience

- Enriches the regular curriculum

- Engages and motivates all students

- Personal, emotional and social development

- Children unplug from technology

Independence and empowerment

Mental stimulation and physical activity

But most of all – the children have fun, are interacting with each other and their supervising adults as well as being gently pushed out of their comfort zone all day long. As I hiked along with the group through the very beautiful Yunmengshan Park – several kilometers and several hundred, felt like thousands, steps – conversations were taking place all around. Children were laughing, talking, helping and encouraging each other. It was not an easy walk; in fact, it was a challenging few hours. However, the students were amazing in their resilience, positivity and ability to rise to the challenge. Many said it was one of the most difficult things they had accomplished; all were proud of their efforts at the end of the hike and all certainly deserved the delicious lunch we then enjoyed.

As teachers we know that we need to find ways to develop more than just the traditional three ‘Rs’ – reading, writing and arithmetic – in students in our schools today. We also need to encourage and find opportunities through which to develop the skills of collaboration, team-building and problem-solving and the attributes of resilience, positivity and reflection. All of this can be accomplished over the course of one residential trip.

Ms. Nonie Adams

Head of Primary

我和6年级的学生及教职工刚刚结束在北部山区进行的为期一天的拓展旅行。 早上8点到达长城附近的Shimisen户外基地，正是大家吃早饭的时候，我们一起享用了非常美味的早餐，同时聆听学生们分享第一晚拓展旅行的精彩故事。 虽然大家经常提到“床很硬”，但很明显孩子们玩得很开心，十分享受远离家庭和学校的冒险。

学校拓展旅行在小学生至IB学生的成长过程中起着至关重要的作用。无论是简简单单的户外活动，还是出国旅行，都可以提高儿童和年轻人的学习和自信心。

大家一致认为拓展旅行有下列明显的益处：

- 改善和加强师生关系

- 培养友谊和适应力

- 丰富常规课程

- 让所有学生参与进来，提高学生积极性

- 个人、情感和社会发展

- 让学生远离电子设备

- 独立和赋能

- 精神激励和体育活动

但最重要的是 - 孩子们玩得开心，大家相互交流，还和带队老师互动。这一整天，他们渐渐地走出舒适区。 当我和他们一起徒步穿过美丽的云梦山公园 - 走了几公里，几千步 – 我们一直在交谈。孩子们一路上都在说笑，互相帮助，互相鼓励。 这段路并不轻松; 事实上，这几个小时的步行对大家来说都是一种考验。然而，学生们展示了惊人的适应力、积极性和应对挑战的能力。许多人说这是他们所完成的最困难的事情之一; 在徒步结束时，所有人都感到自豪，并享用了他们应得的午餐。

作为教师，我们知道我们需要找到方法，不仅要开发学生的三种传统能力——阅读，写作和算术，还要创造机会，发展学生的合作、团队建设和解决问题的技能以及适应力、积极性和反思能力。所有这一切都可以在一次住宿旅行中实现。

Ms. Nonie Adams

小学校长