Often people view travel through a narrow lens; they see fun trips away to exotic destinations; they see relaxation and delicious food, or they simply see travel as being ‘anywhere but here’. But for young people, an educational tour is more than simply travelling somewhere new, it’s an opportunity to look inwards, develop skills and push boundaries. Moreover, it’s a chance to learn.
This week on the blog we discuss how social and emotional learning [SEL] is a part of every Educational Journey.
Social and emotional learning can be described in many ways, one example being the five key areas suggested by The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL): Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making. Effective integration of social and emotional learning into schools has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on connectedness to school, as well as improved academic outcomes.
So, how does SEL form part of every educational journey?
1. Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the ability of an individual to recognise their various emotions in addition to their personal characteristics. Travel can often provide the opportunity for students to not only share more about themselves with their peers, but also look inward and learn more about what makes them tick. When given the opportunity to experience a new environment in a group scenario, students often instinctively take on roles. This is based on the level of self-awareness that a student has, students are able to draw on their strengths and take on roles accordingly. Conversely, students can also be faced with a situation where they realise that they may not have the capacity to do as well as they like, and subsequently be faced with difficult emotions.
Identifying these emotions, for example recognising the warning signs of stress and anxiety, is an important part of the travel experience. Successfully managing these emotions assists students in building confidence so that when faced with a novel situation they have the capacity to deal with it. Additionally, part of a travel experience can focus on how best to recognise emotions that are being experienced and develop the confidence to share these emotions with others. For example, a student that is facing unknown terrain in the Australian outback, such as a hike around Kings Canyon, may feel wary about cliffs, but is able to identify and recognise that this comes from a concern about heights.
2. Self-management
Self-management is key to a successful travel experience and centres on the ability of an individual to regulate and express their own emotions, whilst also setting and persevering towards individual goals. Travel provides an amazing opportunity for students to take on challenges and engage in goal setting behaviour. Entering a new environment, however incredible, can still present challenges and potential stressors to young people. Self-management of emotions and individual motivation is an important part of travel and educational tours.
Often during travel, we are faced with challenges, either structured or unexpected, and it takes significant emotional regulation and self-management to meet these challenges head on. In the instance of the student who is concerned about heights in Kings Canyon, they have the self-awareness to recognise this feeling of anxiety and manage this by then seeking support from a peer or teacher, then building their confidence through taking on the challenge of a hike with support from someone. Whilst it is a challenge, completing the hike could become a huge personal achievement, a goal met.
Goal setting is an important part of an educational journey. Travel allows us to push our boundaries and try new things and experiences. Students have the opportunity to set individual, customised goals and monitor their progress towards those goals throughout the experience. Additionally, students can link their experience to academic goals, for example improving their field report skills or developing their intercultural capabilities.
Communication is also key to travel, whether it’s communication between group members on an educational tour, or communication with guides and locals. Being able to persevere in overcoming communication barriers, expressing emotion in a culturally appropriate manner and engaging in appropriate customs greatly assists young travellers in having the best experience possible
3. Social awareness
One of the greatest benefits of an educational tour is for students to be able to immerse themselves in a culture other than their own. A key part of social and emotional learning is the development of social awareness, the capacity to acknowledge and appreciate the diversity of individuals and groups and additionally empathise with those other than oneself.
Intercultural and social experiences during travel allows students to learn about a range of different people and the diverse nature of the human experience. For example, educational tours in Australia and New Zealand provide the opportunity for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Maori cultures. They can learn about their histories, their stories and their connection to the land. Through this, students have a firsthand opportunity to see the world through another perspective and consider events and histories from an alternative point of view. Furthermore, educators can use this travel experience to provide opportunities for students to practice engaging in perspective-taking, a key component of social and emotional learning. By learning more about groups through immersive experiences, students have the capacity to build their empathy skills and insight that allows them to imagine the world through the eyes of another.
4. Relationship skills
Group travel has many advantages, and the development of relationship skills is one of them. Relationship skills encompass the establishment of positive relationships through mutual respect, cooperation, effective negotiation, conflict resolution and help-seeking behaviours.
Conflict resolution, negotiation, and cooperation are skills that are central to all student tours. Students can be supported in building positive relationships based on trust and mutual respect of others. Travel provides the opportunity to establish group norms, or guiding principles by which to embark on the experience. Giving students agency in developing these principles allows students to set clear markers for what is expected of each other. It also provides a vehicle for effective conflict resolution through being able to reflect on these principles.
Formal and informal experiences on the tour allow students to build relationships with their peers, their teachers and those that they are travelling with. Small group activities, particularly those based on cooperation or a team effort, allow students to actively support each other and build on each other’s strengths. Conversely, it also can lead to disagreement, and thus also provides the opportunity for students to engage in conflict resolution, either self-directed, or alternatively scaffolded by a teacher. Whilst conflict is not a goal of small group activities, the ability to manage and resolve conflict, particularly in a new environment, is an incredibly beneficial skill for young people to have. Additionally, personal challenges and unstructured time also provide the chance for students to interact on a range of levels and form relationships that may not have otherwise presented themselves in the classroom environment.
5. Responsible decision making
Successful educational tours depend on responsible decision making, particularly when students are operating independently. Responsible decision making requires students to consider the consequences of a decision or action and to consider a range of factors before moving forward. Educational tours provide the opportunity for students to engage in active decision making in a range of environments. The consideration of a range of factors, and the link between cause and effect, is vital to students doing this successfully. A successful experience is often based on empowering students to make decisions related to their tour, whilst also providing scaffolded support to ensure that all facets of the tour are beneficial to the students.
The construction of an educational tour considers a range of factors, including sustainability, ethical considerations, safety and academic benefits for students. As much as possible, encouraging students to be involved in the planning process allows students to refine their decision-making skills. Furthermore, these skills can be actively developed whilst on the tour, with students needing to make decisions about their interactions with different cultures, environments, and consumer opportunities. A key part to developing responsible decision-making skills is supporting students in reflecting on their decision making, as well as supporting them in considering alternative avenues and possible outcomes.
Click here to find out more about our wide range of educational tour opportunities!