Welcome to the comments, opinions and reflections of an 8th year Health, PE and OUED teacher. I have taught in Auckland, Adelaide and mid 2023 sees the move to Levin. Feel free to comment or contact me through Twitter, always keen to connect and share!
Because Marryatville courses are currently only one semester long (aside from Y12s), this means that we are about to have a change in timetable with a bunch of new classes. I know that I will be keeping my 12Health and getting a new 9OUED, otherwise I'm not sure! Nevertheless, I thought that this was a good opportunity to get some feedback on the courses and my teaching in general, to help shape next semester. Unfortunately, time has raced away from me so I didn't get as much feedback or as detailed responses as I would have liked, but anything is better than nothing, right?! I am a little gutted though, that there wasn't much for me to analyse.
However, to keep the surveys simple for the kids I asked then to rank each topic from 1 to 5 related to their engagement and enjoyment, and then justify their response. Unsurprisingly, there were lots of different opinions because students clearly have different interests. What did surprise me though (positively) was a greater interest (generally) in the Health units. Historically, many students see Health as a 'theory lesson' and a lesson they would prefer to be 'doing PE'. I am very honest that I believe this directly stems from the language that teachers use and how they refer to the subjects. I have always been frustrated when the words theory and practical are used, as these insinuate to students that learning only occurs when in the classroom. This language has been used in both schools I've taught in Adelaide and I loathe it! So, to get some more positive feedback about engagement and learning in Health topics, was a great surprise!
Please see below some of the key themes that were present throughout the feedback I gained from students (Year 7-Year 12). I have briefly reflected on most of these themes and what they may mean moving forward. Here's to the next semester!
Last week I ran my first camp (well actually 2 back to back camps because of 2 classes!). I have been on a few camps as an extra pair of hands and eyes before, but I have never been the teacher in charge. There's certainly a lot more responsibility.... and a tonne more paperwork! Preparing for these camps took a lot of admin from phone calls to bookings to rebookings to emails to RAMS forms to supermarket stops. I've always known how much was needed to prep for a camp, and I've planned a day trip before, but I don't think I've actually ever fully understood or empathised how time consuming everything is! My mind is blown that there is never additional time given for camp prep.
Not only was there a lot of prep I needed to do behind the scenes, but I obviously needed to prepare the students in the weeks leading up to camp too. There was a lot of being one step ahead of the kids throughout because there were skills/knowledge that were new to me too! Here are some of the key things we covered in class:
Why bushwalk?
This is the question I was expecting many students to ask, so we started with a big brainstorm and discussion around the varieties of reasons why people bushwalk. It baffles me when people have never bushwalked before, particularly when it's free and reasonably accessible - especially in Adelaide! There are HEAPS of reasons; exercise, mindfulness, able to disconnect, social time or self-care time, increase mood, environmental awareness, the opportunity to see wildlife and so much more!
Basic navigation
Navigation certainly isn't my strength, but I do find it interesting! It has been great to learn a little more about compasses and map reading (but I certainly am not super comfortable yet!). On camp the students were thrown into the deep end as they were given the task to navigate the group using their navigational skills. I was happy to see that some of the things we covered in class the students were able to apply into a real life setting. Key skills; - How to read a compass - Getting red in the shed - Taking a bearing - How to orient a map - How to use a compass with a map
How to cook on a trangia
Before moving to Australia I had never heard the word 'trangia' before, and now it's well and truly embedded in my day to day chat! When I move back NZ I will definitely be suggesting purchasing trangias because they are easy to carry and set up (let's not talk about the cleaning though!). During class we had a practice cook to discuss nutrition, what to pack and the safety considerations. This created great discussion and reflection for the kids to think about what they were actually going to take on camp. I've created a little checklist alongside for others who may not have used a trangia before and for me to refer to in the future.
How to pack your bag
Carrying a pack with all of your food, water, clothes, sleeping bag, tent etc can be a big challenge if you haven't experienced it before (and actually every time after your first time!). I remember the first time I went on a multi-day hike and my pack (here they call it a rucksack) was about 18kg! That's a lot of extra weight to be carrying for hours of walking. I think I managed to get this down to 14kg and now I aim for about 11kg (but some people have much less than this!). To help with the comfort of carrying a full hiking bag, you need to consider how you are packing it. There are several videos and articles out there, but I liked the below one the best. I think it helps with creating an equipment list and she breaks down why she is putting each item in a particular place.
Basic knot tying
This is also an area that I don't know too well (but I am less interested in, so I guess that's why this knowledge hasn't stuck over the years!). I gave the students some rope, and videos and step by step pictures of how to do the figure 8, the clove hitch and the double fisherman's knot. Although they may not be specifically needed to bushwalk, they may be needed to create shelters, to secure a tent, to hang up washing and so on. I also knew that these knots are beneficial for students to learn for their rock climbing unit. I personally underestimate how knot tying can be useful in so many settings (which became apparent during my remote first aid course as well as camp last week).
To practice using the knots straight away though, students got into small groups, were given ropes and a tarp and headed outside to create a little shelter. While creating this shelter they needed to think about which knots would hold, how their shelter would protect against the elements and the positioning/location of their shelter. This activity created great discussion and reminded me of a Junior Outdoor Ed unit I co-taught a few years ago.
I was feeling a little nervous about going away and being responsible for this bunch of kids, but I knew that I had dotted my i's and crossed my t's and I was excited to actually get out there! Coming off the three-day course last week and then a long weekend where I was camping with my friends probably didn't help with feeling a little frazzled, but I was grateful I had my colleague Sam come along with me for the first overnight to get my confidence up a little. Aside from a couple of aches and pains, and a LOT of rain, I feel the camps ran smoothly and majority of the students enjoyed the opportunity. The kids had a genuine experience of getting 'lost', seeing wildlife, picking and cooking wild mushrooms (the guide had incredible experience and knowledge), basic first aid, weather changes and new social interactions. The best decision I made was making this camp phone free!
To encourage the students to reflect on their experiences and surroundings, I asked students to complete this journal before, during and after camp. We even had a 20 minute silent walk where students were not allowed to speak at all! Many noticed smells, sights and sounds they hadn't previously - I think this was a powerful 20 minutes for many of them. Overall, I am looking forward to giving this a crack again next semester with a new bunch of students and to continue to learn more about EOTC! Can't wait to hopefully have a Senior class in a few years when camps are more student-led.
Over the last three days I was fortunate to complete a Remote Area First Aid course facilitated by St John Australia. Because I have started teaching my own Outdoor Ed classes this year, I thought this would be valuable, especially for camps. When I arrived I quickly realised most of the other participants were freelance outdoor instructors or tradies working in remote areas. I felt a little inexperienced and out of place as a result, but knew to get experience you need to start somewhere!
Across the three days there was some repetitiveness across basic first aid courses, which is never a bad thing! I liked that most of the second half of the course were hands-on practical demonstrations and practice runs of a variety of scenarios that we could be faced with though to mix it up. Although the scenarios were as realistic as they could be in an office space, I do think that the course would be much more beneficial, rewarding and enjoyable if they were actually based in an outdoor setting. I was hoping that I would go on a course like this and actually be camping / in a remote area.
The most lifelike experience was a fake arm with an open wound that water could be pumped through to replicate blood gushing out. On this we needed to practice stuffing the wound to slow the bleeding and encourage a clot and then place a tourniquet. It was incredible how many gauze pads needed to be stuffed into the wound to even slow down the 'bleeding'. I can only imagine if you had to do that for real for someone!
There is an array of evidence to show that the more people know, the more confident they feel and the more empowered they feel to respond to a medical emergency. As described by First Aid Melbourne, "a study conducted by the Red Cross showed that a staggering 59% of deaths from injuries could have been prevented if only first aid had been given in the first few minutes of the incident before an ambulance arrived". So, even though I feel I still know very little there is to know about first aid in the grand scheme of things, every little bit helps. I've been lucky to only have been involved in a couple of responses that would be considered mild, and hope I never have to respond to someone in a critical or dangerous scenario. Therefore, I encourage everyone to complete at least a basic first aid course - please don't hesitate!
I do hope to get the opportunity in the future to learn about more preventative strategies, as the last few days have mostly had a focus on responses. I have heard about a course based around preventing fatalities in the outdoors that I may try go to - watch this space! Finally, as I have previously blogged about, first aid is more than a broken leg - mental health first aid is another great course to complete.
