Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
SEL is the process through which people understand and manage emotions, set and achieve goals, deal and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. These skills are increasingly understood to be central to success in school and in professional life and beyond! To build social and emotional learning it involves students gaining the opportunities to learn and practice social skills such as; cooperation, resilience, recognising feelings and managing conflicts. School camps are set out to explicitly promote these skills. Therefore, school camps can ultimately provide community building, goal-setting and problem-solving skills in classrooms which can in turn boost student achievements.
Learn in non-school environments
School camps have the ability to support the school curriculum and add a practical element to student learning in an outdoor environment. Offering an alternative classroom and learning setting to students, school camps provide the opportunity to explore and develop interests and abilities. In a fun, engaging and encouraging setting, it can advance students educational interests and skills. Studies even suggest that 98% of campers develop improved problem solving and memory skills. This suggests that even after a school camp, the experience gained of learning outside of the traditional teaching environment could enhance students overall learning abilities.
Break down Student-Teacher barriers
School camps also hold the ability to break down walls and barriers between students and teachers. School camps provide an engaging and relaxed environment away from the classroom where students feel at ease to communicate and relaxed enough to build on their relationships with their teachers and peers. Building positive and personal relationships between students and teachers can increase a student’s confidence and supported when communicating to the teacher. It gives students the confidence to confront teachers and vocalise questions if they need help in the classroom. Participating in school camps removes the barriers which then opens communication, which can in turn increase student learning abilities.
There are many benefits of incorporating school camps into a school curriculum. Camps promote a safe and supportive environment where students can build lifelong interpersonal skills and attributes such as confidence and problem-solving abilities. Camps can enhance student engagement and overall their learning capabilities and grades so they are a valuable event to hold in a school curriculum.
