Camps are an essential part of the learning experience. They are often seen as a highlight or reward, but at DSM we believe that camps play an indispensable role in students’ development. Thus, we plan these carefully in conjunction with our academic and social curricula to support our students on their journey to becoming capable and confident global citizens.
Broadly, camps address two main goals: academic learning and personal learning - and will generally involve both through various activities.
Academic learning
Academic learning offers students to explore content knowledge in a different environment, usually through real-world experience or in situ exploration. Students apply the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to real world situations, participate in hand on activities or explore sites related to unit topics. In many ways this is similar to the role of excursions, but with greater scope in terms of the range and depth of activities.
Personal learning
Personal learning assists children to develop independence, responsibility and interpersonal skills. This is done through children needing to accept responsibility for keeping track of belongings and maintaining personal hygiene, participating in activities designed to promote cooperation and communication skills, and encouraging students to explore the boundaries of their comfort zones in a supportive environment. Except for Foundation, camps involve two-year levels. This allows students to forge friendships outside of their usual cohort, and also provides for natural social learning opportunities. The older students have been through the process before and so function as examples for the younger students, which has a comforting effect on them. For the older students, they benefit from the chance to develop leadership and empathy organically. Having a two-year cycle also allows students the time to develop and consolidate those personal skills before the next stage.
In order to achieve these goals, DSM has a camp program that is integrated at every year level and matches the social and academic needs of each age group. From Foundation to Year 2, camps are run on site, giving students the confidence to develop independence in a safe, known environment. From Year 3 onwards, students gradually venture further afield for longer periods of time. Camps for these students are on a two-year rotation to avoid students repeating content and activities. Please click here for a guide to the types of activities and learning goals at each year level.
Type on the line above then press the Enter/Return key to submit a new search query