Getting to Know Sri Lanka Intimately: The Overseas School of Colombo’s Week Without Walls Programme
Last week was a quiet week at OSC, as the secondary school students and teachers fanned out across the length and breadth of the country as part of the Week Without Walls (WWW) experiential education program. Groups of students were learning underwater, visiting geographic high points, participating in service learning, interacting with other children, riding white water, cycling arid roads and much more during the week. This is the 8th year of the program and once again students and teachers returned with animated stories of their adventures in learning across this very special island.
OSC’s WWW has several unique aspects that make it an exemplar program in experiential education. To start with, the learning experiences are rooted in the school’s mission statement and emphasize learning rather than simply visiting exotic places. All of the WWW groups have articulated learning goals that link to one or more aspect of the MYP and DP curriculums. Many international schools send students on trips outside of their host nations. This is an admirable goal, but one that can be expensive and not necessarily most appropriate for deepening learning. At OSC we see the WWW program as an opportunity to strengthen our links to and understanding of our host nation Sri Lanka. Our small island home offers a diverse culture with friendly people, a rich and complex history and varied physical geography to plan the learning around. Each class has teachers and students who have Sinhala and Tamil language skills to help us build bridges with local communities. Tourist infrastructure is good but OSC’s WWW program consciously tries to avoid large scale package tourist spots. In contrast we seek out the smaller- scale, lesser-known locations where learning can be more authentic. The different experiences also provide opportunities for service learning and outdoor education-both of which have been key learning areas for OSC for many, many years.
When looking at the different grade levels and trips there is a spectrum of diverse learning activities. In the younger MYP 1,2, 3 & 4 grade levels students participate in whole-class trips that focus on specific learning themes. The MYP1 (Grade 6) class spent four days in and around Kandy exploring themes of culture and history in this former capital of ancient Sri Lanka. MYP 2 (Grade 7) visited Galle to look at themes of history and land use while also spending time doing service work in a tsunami-affected school. MYP 3 (Grade 8) continued its tradition of conducting an interdisciplinary study of coral reefs and socio-economic aspects of beach tourism in Hikkaduwa. The classroom went underwater as divers and snorkelers practiced using quadrats to survey coral populations. MYP 4 (Grade) spent five days doing outdoor education and personal leadership at the Borderland’s camp at Kitulgala.
The older groups- MYP5 and DP1 (Grades 10& 11) choose from four programs that emphasize different aspects of the Creativity Action and Service (CAS) part of the DP curriculum. For the third year in a row a group of OSC teacher and students visited the Jaffna peninsula to learn more about this conflictaffected part of the island. This year the group spent time with the SOS Children’s Village that we have a long standing service learning program with. The Cultural Triangle was the destination of a modest sized group that explored and interacted with the area’s art and history. The Coast to Coast group took 17 students on a cycling trip form Colombo to Arugam Bay and back. The group clocked in 200 kilometers of riding- a new record for OSC. Finally a group circumnavigated and explored into the Central Highlands. They stayed in Horton Plains National Park and climbed the island’s 2nd highest peak Kirigalpotta (2,390m). The focus was on the unique cloud forest ecology (and especially birds) of the highlands. A surprise highlight was taking a morning visit up to Pidurutalagala (2,524m), Sri Lanka’s highest mountain that has been off limits for the last 30 years or more. By all accounts this is the first group ever of OSC student to make the visit!
OSC will be celebrating and sharing the learning experiences from the WWW program on February 18th when we host the annual WWW Exhibition in school. Visit and learn more about this important aspect of learning at our school.
OSC is regarded the most prestigious international school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1957, OSC remains Sri Lanka’s oldest internationally accredited educational institution. It is the only school in Sri Lanka to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme from Pre- school to Grade 12. At OSC parents and teachers partner in working together to create the kind of environment where children not only learn, but thrive. OSC develops the whole person as a responsible learner striving for personal excellence within a culturally diverse school.