A two day residential course for
students and their teachers.
2015
Thursday October 22 – Saturday October 24 2015
How to leave school successfully using the
Learning Wedge
Gartan OETC in
partnership with
Consilium Education
10/22/2015
The aim of this new course
Gartan OETC and Consilium Education have teamed up to offer a unique
course for students and their teachers. The primary aim of this course is to
support teachers in pursuit of excellence while helping young people leave
school ready for the expectations of university and employment. The key to
what we call “The Learning Wedge” lies in combining the resilience developed
by outdoor education with key ideas that promote the habit of working
independently.
The Learning Wedge©
It’s all about the Wedge. Students are at the thin end of a Learning Wedge©
when they start Leaving Cert or A Level. Moving to the thick end of the Wedge
means they will have the necessary skills and confidence to cope with whatever
comes next. We think of the last two years at school like this:
DEPENDENCE
Year 1
INDEPENDENCE
Year 2
Year 1
Leaving school successfully is therefore about getting to the thick end of the
Learning Wedge©. During this short residential course, students will learn how this
process works, while teachers will have the opportunity to find out more about the
theory behind the Learning Wedge© in special professional development sessions.
Back at school, students and teachers can put what they have learned into practice.
Gartan OETC and the Learning Wedge©
Outdoor education is widely acknowledged
as having the potential to influence not only
social and emotional development, but also
cognitive growth. Gartan OETC has over 30
years’ experience developing innovative
and adventurous courses. Its beautiful setting in the Donegal hills is the
perfect place for staff and students to reflect on the process of learning.
Consilium Education and the Learning Wedge©
Consilium Education offers training and consultancy to schools around the
world and is delighted to be working in partnership with Gartan OETC on this
project. The academic side of The Learning Wedge© is the perfect complement
to Gartan’s programme of outdoor activities and will focus on the
development of key academic skills explicitly to extend vocabulary, develop
independent writing and build a secure body of meaningful knowledge.
Course outline
Academic skills (Consilium Education)
1
Developing a wider general and academic vocabulary. Academic analysis.
2
Planning for writing: academic synthesis. Extended and exam writing.
3
Building a body of knowledge; effective revision & assessment techniques
Outdoor Learning (Gartan OETC)
1
2
3
4
5
Icebreakers / teambuilding / trust
Land based activity: Gorge walk; Rock climbing
Water based activity: Kayaking; coasteering
Evening outdoor team challenge
Indoor team challenge and problem solving
Professional development for teachers
Teachers attend the academic and outdoor learning sessions with students, while
also having the opportunity to complete a significant professional development
programme:
PD 1
PD 2
PD 3
PD 4
PD 5
Developing an independent student mind-set
Building student vocabulary across the curriculum
Developing independent student writing
Building a body of knowledge and preparing for exams
Outdoor leadership taster
COURSE LOGISTICS
Arrival and departure
Participants are asked to be at the Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre at
18.00 on Thursday, 22nd October 2015. Departure is at 13.30 on Saturday,
24th October 2015.
Cost of the course
€250 per participant. This covers accommodation, meals on a full board basis, on site
Public Liability insurance, the use of all equipment and provision of academic
materials. Transport to and from the Centre is not included.
Location
On the shore of Gartan Lough, 2km from Church Hill village, 18 km from the gateway
town of Letterkenny and adjacent to Glenveagh National Park, Gartan OETC is easily
accessible on good roads that by-pass most towns. We can arrange transport for
groups, and occasionally individuals arriving by public transport into Letterkenny, or
into Donegal and City of Derry airports. Our website has full details about how to get
here. Directions can also be e-mailed.
Google Map Location: http://tinyurl.com/pafmuq9
Insurance
Gartan OETC has full Public Liability Insurance. We can also offer advice on Personal
Accident Insurance policies if required for more specialist and advanced level
courses. Please note: All adventure activity by its nature has an element of risk
particularly, but not solely, at more advanced levels of practice. However, Gartan
OETC operates to the very highest levels of safety and care, without diminishing the
potential for learning, discovery and personal development through adventure and
challenge.
Contact
While most questions can be answered with information from our website
www. gartan.com, please e-mail office@gartan.com or phone +353 (0)74 9137032 to
discuss your requirements.