Nepal Trip Video Instructions

Dear all

Please refer to this document for instructions on creating the group video for your trip Nepal.

Regards
Mr Tan

Outcomes

After going through a month of training and lessons, I hope you would now have a better understanding of what the trip is all about. At this point in time, I want you to seriously think what you really want to achieve from this trip and what are the outcomes you would like to see of yourself. 

Drop me a page on this and list at least 3 outcomes of yourself that you want to achieve at the end of the trip. Please list them in order of priority and explain why these outcomes are important to you.

"I do believe that when we face challenges in life that are far beyond our own power, it's an opportunity to build on our faith, inner strength, and courage. I've learned that how we face challenges plays a big role in the outcome of them."
                                                              Sasha Azevedo (American Actress, Athlete and Model)

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome.”
William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, Leader of the Philosophical Movement of Pragmatism, 1842 - 1910)

Reminders

For those of you who have not reflected on the experience and the learning of the whole day trek on 30 August Saturday, please do so. And for those that needs to improve, please add on to what you have written. Your log book are to be submitted when school reopens on 16 September Tuesday. Leave it in my pigeon hole.

Below is an adaptation taken from the website Inspired to Serve http://www.inspiredtoserve.org/reflect on how we better reflect our experiences.

Three Guiding Questions

Three questions can be helpful in thinking through the flow of a reflection process (whether written, verbal, or in another approach):

• What? Begin by articulating your experiences and your feelings about the activities. Examine what happened within and around themselves, as individuals and as a team. What were their thoughts, experiences, feelings, hopes, and concerns?
• So what? Interpret the experience and formulate new concepts out of that experience. During this phase, connect and make meaning of the experiences with your specific learning and development goals. This may also be a time when you invite others or research to inform your perspectives on the issues. 
• Now what? This final phase focuses on integrating learning so it affects future actions. It may involve individual, whole-group (or subgroup) commitments to follow through with the change and continue addressing the issues. It should also solidify how the knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Some Sample Reflection Questions

What?

• What did you do?
• What did you see, hear, smell, taste?
• What did you think?
• What did you feel?
• What happened?

So What?

• What does it mean?
• What difference did our actions make? For whom? How?
• Why do you think things are the way they are?
• What issues (personal, social, political, values system, life etc.) are involved in activity/incident?
• What stories in your tradition or personal history help us understand how we respond to these issues?
• What is unique and distinct about how we understand these issues in each of our traditions?

Now What?

• What changes will you make because of what you learned and experienced?
• How will you apply what you’ve learned to your everyday life and learning?
• How will you apply what you’ve learned to the broader issues that you care about?
• What implications does this experience have for future actions?

Please have these guiding questions in your notebook so that you can refer to them anytime.

Looking forward to your insights on the trek.

Reflection Question on Ekistic Relationship

Hi Trekkers,

Appended is the message and reflection question from Ms Pearl Huang.

I trust you have understood better the ekistic relationship we share with our surroundings and are holding up well after the trek about MacRitchie.  Can you write a reflection on the following question?

1. How can I contribute positively to the ekistic relationship when I am in Nepal?

Please respond to the question in your next reflection.

Thanks.

Be Prepared for 30 Aug Trek

Reminder for 30 Aug Trek from SST to MacRitchie Reservoir

Venue: Meet in School at 0800
Duration: 0800 - 2100 (Estimated)

Be prepared for:
1. Delay
2. Inclement Weather
3. Hunger and Thirst
4. Minor Injuries
5. Personal Medical Condition
6. Rugged Terrain
7. Getting Wet (Person and Belonging)
8. Bath
9. Unforeseen Situations
10. More Challenges

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back." 
                                                                               - Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Ms Prym

Have a good rest tonight. It would be a long trek tomorrow. See you !

Food for Thought (27 Aug 2014)

Thanks for staying awake for the outdoor training indoors last Tuesday. Here are the questions to tickle your brain.

Question 1

What are your thoughts and views on the quote below?

“Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!” Friedrich Nietzsche

Question 2

Do you have a motto for the Nepal trip? If you do not have, can you think of one and what would that be? Why did you choose this motto?

Question 3

What are your virtues and vices? When will virtues become vices and vice-versa?

Question 4

What do you value (value system) in life?

Question 5

Where do you stand in terms of your inclination towards being egocentric, anthropocentric (homocentric), biocentric and ecocentric?

Question 6

What are the 2 big ideas you learn? What do they mean to you?

Please leave your log book in my pigeon hole outside the staff room by 1 p.m. Thanks.

Reflection (Bukit Timah Trek 23 Aug 2014)

Good Morning, 

Hope everyone has a good rest. Below are the reflection questions.

Place Responsive Outdoor Education refers to the role places play in the programming of outdoor education. Developing the awareness of the importance of a place will help to foster the relationship with the place, thus strengthening the appreciation and attachment to the place.

(For Everybody)

1. What have you learnt during the trek? Are these learning useful to you? (Safety, Team Building, Place Responsive Outdoor Education, etc.) 

2. How do you feel about the trek?

3. Why do you think you were asked to count the number of steps at Rengas Path?

(For students who willingly counted the steps when the teacher asked how many steps were there)

4. Why did you willingly took the initiative to count the steps on your own?

5. How is this action/behaviour related to your personality, virtues, values or beliefs?

(For students who did not want to count the steps when the teacher asked how many steps were there until they were asked to do so)

6. Why did you not want to count the steps on your own but depends on others to count for you or even not bothered at all?

7. How is this action/behaviour related to your personality, virtues, values or beliefs?

When writing your reflection, please write down the questions too. Each day of reflection should start on a new page with the date. See you on Tuesday 26 Aug 2014. Log Book to be in by end of Monday 5 p.m., late submission will have consequences!!!