Marvelling, learning and discovering new things together
What do you remember when you think back to your school days? The adventures on school trips and camps are the first formative experiences that come to mind. I would like to give my pupils the same opportunities. As a teacher, I regularly plan learning opportunities outside of the classroom into my lessons.
Visiting exhibitions, taking part in snow sports days or making a fire together with snake bread in the forest are highlights of the school year that all pupils look forward to. These experiences allow me as a teacher to get to know the pupils in a different environment. I often discover special skills and interests in them that don't come to the fore in the classroom.
The direct encounter with the thing itself is of great importance, because thinking emerges from acting.
Extracurricular educational programmes act as a bridge between the complexity of the environment, the world of experience of children and young people and the classroom. There are basically two different types of extracurricular learning: On the one hand, there are programmes that are didactically prepared, such as interactive exhibitions in museums, cultural education events or learning trails in nature. On the other hand, there are places of learning that offer a variety of insights into the real world, such as an excursion to a pond, a visit to an observatory or a farm, or a guided tour of various places of work, for example in a hotel.
How does extracurricular learning work?
Extracurricular learning is part of a modern understanding of learning, but it is anything but new. Around four hundred years ago, the Moravian pedagogue Johann Amos Comenius (1592-1670) asked: «Why shouldn't teaching begin with an observation of real things rather than a description in words?»
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi adopted the idea with his basic pedagogical principle of «head, heart and hand». This principle still applies today. From a learning psychology perspective, the direct encounter with the subject itself is of great importance, because thinking emerges from action.
A sense of community is developed at class camps and on excursions. This gives the children stability and security.
In Curriculum 21, school is seen as a space for shaping, learning and living: «The central task of school is to enable pupils to gain cultural and subject-related experiences while imparting basic subject-related and interdisciplinary skills.» Encounters with real-life situations are important in order to establish a connection to life, space and time.
For example, the topic of biodiversity can be conveyed in a vivid, lively and real-life way on a guided tour of the Swiss National Park and then explored in greater depth during a subsequent visit to a museum. Or a village or town tour can provide a practical introduction to a historical topic - complemented by a visit to historical buildings and exciting stories.
A deep connection to the subject matter is created through exploratory and research-based activities under professional guidance. Emotions generate a particularly lasting learning effect.
Effects on health and social skills
Extracurricular activities enable shared experiences that have a positive impact on physical and mental health. Pupils experience themselves and the class community in an extended and active environment combined with exciting challenges. The school is transformed from a learning space into a living space. The social skills required in the curriculum, particularly with regard to dealing with diversity and teamwork, are developed and strengthened.
Class trips or camps lasting several days contribute in particular to the development of important social skills. Cohesion is strengthened and relationship building is promoted in the long term. This also develops a sense of community, which gives the children and young people support and security and also strengthens their self-efficacy. School performance takes a back seat. Back in the classroom, extracurricular activities have a positive effect on the class atmosphere and lay a good foundation for learning success.
Spend lots of time in nature with your children, let them cook or repair their bikes.
Another point is that children's living environments have changed considerably. Today, many of them have hardly any direct access to nature and the real world. They increasingly spend their everyday lives in the substitute world of digital media. Experts in science and psychology are increasingly warning of the negative consequences for children and young people if they spend too much time in front of screens.
Our schools have clear regulations regarding the use of such devices. In the wake of this criticism from experts, extracurricular activities are becoming increasingly important. After all, neither machines nor algorithms can replace practical and creative action and experience.
Activities to inspire families
Ideally, the children and young people carry their experience from extracurricular activities into family life. For example, when pupils attend cultural activities, I point out to them that they can also use this opportunity with their family and, as experts, pass on or deepen the knowledge they have gained. This enables the children and young people to pass on what they have learnt and thus consolidate it, while at the same time gaining self-confidence.
As a parent or guardian, you may have specific expertise or have a connection to a place that is of interest to the pupils. Do not hesitate to approach us teachers. Encourage your child to discover and explore things for themselves. Spend a lot of time in nature with your children, let them cook or repair their bikes. Have fun experiencing and learning together!
