Theme

The theme for the 4^th OE Conference is “The Curious Garden” - inspired by a book of the same name by Peter Brown. The story is about a curious boy who, whilst exploring the drab city he lives in, comes across a struggling garden. He decides to save the garden, which over time spreads across the city, turning it into a lush, green world; showing how the efforts of one small person can help change the world.

The theme was chosen to reflect the importance of inculcating curiosity in the young about Singapore (the Garden) and encouraging them to explore every corner of this Garden. Outdoor education (OE) presents itself as a potential platform for this by engaging the heart, head and hands of the young even as they explore. Consequently, the young can learn to be caring gardeners of this Garden. When well looked after, the Garden will blossom with diverse flora and fauna, inspiring other young, aspiring gardeners to explore and make this Garden an even more vibrant place.

Sub-Themes

• Leadership and character development
• Development of 21^st Century Competencies through OE
• Interdisciplinary learning
• Learning through expeditions
• Pedagogy, programming and evaluation
• Community-based learning
• Building communities and maintaining social ties
• Service learning
• Cultivating a culture of safety and responsibility
• Establishing and maintaining connections to place and Nature

The Organising Committee

The conference is organised by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.

The conference is proudly supported by:

• School of the Arts
• Outdoor Education Association (Singapore)

Other supporting partners include (in alphabetical order):

• National Parks Board
• Outward Bound Singapore
• Raffles Institute of Experiential Learning
• Republic Polytechnic