From local museum visits to international expeditions to Barcelona, Overseas Family School shares how its students benefit from these outdoor learning opportunities.
Learning has just got a whole lot more exciting at Overseas Family School (OFS)! After a two-year hiatus, the school has resumed its local field trips and international expeditions to the joy of all its students. Field trips have always been an integral part of the learning experience, so let’s take a peek at some of the cool journeys OFS’ students undertook in the past year, and discover how these experiences are turning their education into a vibrant adventure.
1. A visit to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum
Known for housing three rare almost-complete sauropod dinosaur fossils and over 2,000 natural history specimens, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is one of the best places to learn about biodiversity. Naturally, it was the field trip destination of choice for OFS’ Grade 12 Environmental Systems and Societies students. During the visit, the students got to learn from experts and see textbook topics come to life, especially in the areas of biological evolution, homologous and analogous features, convergent evolution, and speciation.
2. Collecting data and testing hypotheses in Barcelona
Grade 11 students made a trip to Barcelona to carry out part of their International Baccalaureate (IB) Geography coursework. At Sitges, a coastal settlement located forty minutes outside Barcelona, OFS’ students had a taste of what it’s like to work in the geographical field. They spent a few days by the Tordera River, collecting primary data from a number of sites with varying land uses, and testing hypotheses for their coursework and worked on their internal assessments. It was also a great location for the students to examine case studies relating to urban deprivation, regeneration, and sustainability. Besides these, the students had the chance to see sustainable city management strategies, including how it’s possible to build an energy-efficient building like Edificio Media-TIC, firsthand.
3. Learning from friends all over the world in Washington, D. C.
Teamwork and collaboration took centre stage at the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) held in Washington, D.C. A delegation of 22 OFS students attended and joined a community of 3,000 students from 20 countries, the largest student-run Model United Nations conference in the world. The delegation attended a talk given by Admiral John Kirby (Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council), and had an informal session with Dr. David Ucko (Professor and Department Chair at College of International Security Affairs of the National Defense University; Adjunct Professor at John Hopkins University). OFS’ delegation also debated, negotiated, and shared ideas with student attendees from all over the world on global issues.
4. Giving back through community services locally and internationally
OFS students don’t just learn from their field trips, they give back to society too. The school regularly organises community service projects to raise awareness about pressing issues and foster a sense of social responsibility among its students. Service learning is also a part of the IB Diploma Programme’s (DP) Creativity, Activity, Service component.
Locally, OFS students have participated in community service with the Red Cross, Ocean Project, local elderly care homes, Riding for the Disabled, and Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. Internationally, its high school students have recently visited Cambodia to work with the Opportunity for Development of Art (ODA) schools. They painted and installed tyres for the schools’ playgrounds, and facilitated English lessons to young ODA students. The trip was also complemented with an eye-opening visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre (also known as the Killing Fields), where students learned an important part of Cambodia’s history and how it still affects our world today.
OFS students can look forward to more field trips this year!
From Singapore to Cambodia, Barcelona, and even Washington, D. C. – the opportunities for field learning are endless for students at OFS. The school strongly believes that experiences beyond the classroom such as these make textbook concepts more memorable and impactful. Moreover, students may even make their own discoveries, or acquire new knowledge about their academic subjects that can’t be conveyed through classroom teachings.
Sounds like the kind of vibrant education your child deserves! Reach out to OFS’ Admissions team today. Let the adventures begin!
This post is in partnership with Overseas Family School.
