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NEWSLETTER: January – December 2015 RADIANT CAMPS FOR SCHOOLS Leadership . Competence . Courage . Grace 2015 Newsle+er Highlights Geography Camp Science Camps & Field Trips
Leadership & Prefect Camps
Annual School Camps Scouts, Cubs & Beavers Pre-­‐school & Family Camps Marine Camps
Geoneer™ Programme For the Educators Community Outreach New in 2016 ~ Maths Camp
Pg 2&3 Pg 4&5 Pg 6&7 Pg 8&9 Pg 10 Pg 11 Pg 12 Pg 13 Pg 14 Pg 15 Pg 16 Dear Teachers and Parents, 2015 was our 3rd year of running Radiant Camps, Radiant Retreat’s poraolio of nature and leadership camps for schools and youths. Happily, it was our busiest and most successful year to-­‐
date! We welcomed back many schools and Radiant campers, and were privileged to host many newcomers as well. Currently, around 20 internaconal schools choose to come to Radiant Camps! We are also proud to have experienced zero safety-­‐
related incidents, a testament to the importance we place on concnuous risk assessments, staff training and a rigorous operacng protocol. We hope you enjoy reading about the 2015 leg of the Radiant Camps journey, and hope to see you here in 2016! The Radiant Retreats Management Team Web Pages: www.radiant-­‐retreats.com. www.facebook.com/radiant.retreats. Contacts: info@radiant-­‐retreats.com. 0133697460 (Hanis). 012 2810877 (Hana). GEOGRAPHY CAMP In December 2015, we hosted Year 10s and 11s from AusGn Heights InternaGonal School, Johor Bahru for a 4 day Geography Camp in Melaka and Janda Baik, Pahang. Working closely with their Geography Department, the trip’s icnerary was carefully aligned to IGCSE curriculum, and designed to give the students as much pracccal exposure as possible to the different topics they were studying, in order to deepen their comprehension. These topics included Rural Se+lements, Economy in TransiGon, Tourism, Forests, Rivers, High-­‐Tech Industry and Human Impact. Importantly, the trip not only helped the students to learn, it also helped them to LEARN HOW TO LEARN, including how to theorize, to collect data, to sample, to learn from doing, to evaluate, to discern beyond the obvious, to challenge their own percepcons and biases, to conclude, to think through pracccal applicacons, and to present their thoughts. This Geography Camp will not only boost their scores in the coming exams, it encourages them to develop into life-­‐long thinking, learning and involved members of the human race! CollecGng data to evaluate the pros and cons of different types of tourism. Surveying tourists in Melaka on “pull factors” Interviewing representa9ves of Berjaya Hills Touring Kampung Janda Baik, a rural seClement transi9oning from agriculture to eco-­‐tourism. Invaluable pracGcal exposure to textbook concepts. Learning about pastoral, dairy farming, from the perspec9ve of the farmer! Learning about features of highland rivers. Learning about the features of the rainforest, by climbing into it, walking around in it, and geIng their hands dirty! GEOGRAPHY CAMP Here’s what Michael Dives, Head of Geography at AHIS, said about the Geography Camp: “The objec9ves of the camp were completely met. Every student leL the camp with a prac5cal understanding of the work they had studied during their IGCSE course. The hands-­‐on experien9al learning is invaluable. Everyone had a wonderful 9me and we will be returning to Radiant Retreats in the future.” Learning about sampling, and the many pracGcal issues around scienGfic enquiry. Understanding real-­‐life applicaGons of geographical concepts, many of which challenge exisGng percepGons … … like different methods of sampling organisms, how to randomize the selec9on of plots, how to ….like how natural farming improve accuracy of readings, how to record can be more sustainable and data and how to represent findings. higher-­‐yielding than modern farming, simply by keeping the Nitrogen Cycle and the Carbon Cycle in balance… …and mee9ng “boomerang migrants” in Janda Baik, to understand why they returned from the ci9es as their kampungs developed … PracGcing the important so[-­‐skills around effecGve teamwork, leadership, posiGvity and problem-­‐solving. … and how high-­‐tech industries can be valuable to a rural economy, bringing skilled jobs and services, while staying gentle to the environment... … and how government policies, can directly shape different development paths in loca9ons which are just next to one another! "The purpose of educacon is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” Malcolm Forbes SCIENCE CAMPS & FIELD TRIPS 2015 saw us running a number of science-­‐themed camps and field trips for top schools. Obviously, the longer the trip, the more the students learn, but even a day field trip can yield so much value. Kudos to the forward-­‐thinking teachers who recognize how much pracGcal experience amplifies learning! Students miss depth in their learning, when relying on textbooks alone. Take Biodiversity Sampling, a biology topic for both IGCSE and Form 6. In class, students would have learned the theory of why they need to sample, why randomize their sample, what quadrats and transects are, and what informacon they can expect to capture. However, by coming to a forest seong and actually using the transects and quadrats under the guidance of experienced field scienGsts, they addiconally understand: -­‐
how not randomizing the seleccon of their plots can destroy the credibility of their data, -­‐
how to implement randomizaGon in pracGce, -­‐
how they accidentally introduce bias into their measurement (like stepping all over their plot), -­‐
how to create an accurate plot on the ground, with accurate right angles using bearings on a compass -­‐
how to adjust when uneven surfaces and other physical obstacles throw their measurements out, -­‐
how to determine what consGtutes one unit of populacon (e.g. one clump of grass), -­‐
how to idenGfy species correctly and what to do if they can't ID species correctly at the cme, -­‐
what parameters they need to set now, so that their data can be aggregated across groups, and with future measurements, -­‐
how to represent their data correctly in tables and graph, and how to use keys / legends. This depth of understanding is clearly superior to what can be gained in the classroom alone. Epsom College 6th Form Biology Fieldwork Excursion Opening a plot to sample flora diversity using quadrats, under the guidance of field scien9sts. Led by a forester, choosing plots along a transect line, to conduct a census on individual trees. Sekolah Sri Tenby Form 2 Science Field Trip In a program closely developed with their teachers and Elite Edutainment, students learned about fish anatomy, characteris9cs of insects, func9ons of the rainforest and animal kingdom classifica9on. SCIENCE CAMPS & FIELD TRIPS Succession is another good example. Succession is “the observed process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over cme”, somecmes over years and decades. As it’s not something we see happening, this IGCSE topic is very difficult to really grasp. Under the guidance of foresters, the students can trek through forest areas undergoing succession, and observe Pioneer CommuniGes, Early Succession, Mid-­‐Level Succession and Climax CommuniGes first hand. The addiconal understanding they gain versus the Epsom 6th Formers inves9ga9ng different classroom includes: models of succession in the rainforest. -­‐ Names of species that dominate at the different stages of Nexus InternaGonal School succession within a rainforest seong (a breath of fresh air th
for the examiners ater seeing endless textbook 6 Form Science Camp, Penyabong regurgitacons!) -­‐ How succession progresses within a large event area, versus a small /localized event area. -­‐ How succession progresses ater human intervenGon (e.g. land clearing) versus natural events (e.g. when a large Dipterocarp dies, and opens up the forest canopy). -­‐ How pioneer organisms adapt to hosGle environments, and prepare the ground for the subsequent species to thrive. -­‐ The on-­‐going symbioGc relaGonships between the 5 Kingdoms (Procsta, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia and Monera) as succession progresses. -­‐ What a forest actually looks like, feels like (e.g. level of light, temperature), and even smells like when it’s at the different stages of succession. -­‐ And not to mencon the chance to observe and interact with related lessons such as the Carbon Cycle, Food Web, Structure and FuncGons of the Rainforest etc. Clearly, just a day of experiencal learning adds so much RICHNESS and DEPTH of understanding for the students. “Understanding” is a worthy prize in itself, but addiconally, as exam formats embrace essays and higher order thinking, there is increasing room for students who “really get it” to differencate themselves from those who “just memorized the textbook”. Hopefully parents and teachers will champion more experienGal learning opportuniGes for our Malaysian students. They spend way too much cme at their desks, at the expense of quality learning! LEADERSHIP & PREFECTS CAMPS The Radiant Camps vision is to develop youths with strong qualiGes of leadership, competence, courage and grace, and these are the values we focus on during leadership camps. Outdoor challenges are perfect vehicles for delivering real learning and growth opportunices in effeccve leadership and team-­‐working. Epsom College 6th Form Leadership Camp “The three day, two night programme that our students par9cipated in at Janda Baik leL them brimming with enthusiasm and gave them valuable lessons that they can apply to all aspects of their lives. So much more than just an outdoor pursuits trip; the camp gave the students genuine opportuni5es to develop their team working and leadership skills and to push their comfort zones in a variety of situa9ons. All ac9vi9es included a thorough debrief and it was the manner in which Hanis and her team carried out these sessions that allowed the students to truly benefit from their experiences. Hanis expertly delivered these sessions and the students showed real signs of cri5cal and deep reflec5on. Radiant Retreats is one of, if not the most professional company I have had the pleasure of working with in Malaysia and I would highly recommend them.” Ben Davey Teacher of Maths. CAS Co-­‐ordinator. KDU Interna5onal School “As the Head of Sixth Form, one of my primary aims is to develop the leadership poten9al in my students. The program designed by Radiant Retreats to challenge our students was pitched perfectly. As each ac9vity was introduced the leadership opportuni5es for each student were highlighted. ALer each ac9vity the analysis of the leadership skills displayed by the students was comprehensive and effec9ve. By the third day the students were able to predict areas of conflict prior to ac9vi9es and respond as situa5ons were unfolding. The change in the students was tangible and impressive. In future, I would like to use the comprehensive programs the centre provides from the youngest years up to the Sixth Form. I cannot recommend Radiant Retreats enough.” Dr Nicola Brown Head of Sixth Form Epsom College KDU InternaGonal 6th Form Leadership Camp LEADERSHIP & PREFECTS CAMPS Eaton InternaGonal School Prefects Camp “As a school that has challenged itself to make a difference to the lives of all of the children we are educa9ng, we are always on the lookout for programmes and centres to help us to achieve this goal. REAL InternaGonal School Prefects Camp We recently spent 2 days in the Shah Alam centre where the young school leaders were guided in team building and leadership skills, which they are now puOng into ac5on as they lead our student community. I would recommend a camp or day trip with Radiant Retreats to anyone involved in educa9on and looking to challenge their students outside of their comfort zone.” Wendy Teo Principal Eaton Interna5onal School Radiant Camps’ HolisGc Approach to Developing Key So[ Skills ANNUAL CAMP PROGRAMMES The annual school camp is an established tradicon of many leading schools worldwide, and we are delighted to note their increasing adopcon amongst Malaysian schools. A structured and progressive school camp programme, with clear goals in outdoor competency-­‐building and sot-­‐skills development, is clear proof that a school embraces holisGc learning and character development for their students! BEACONHOUSE Sri Inai InternaGonal School ~ 3rd year with Radiant Camps ~ ~ Years 7 & 10 ~ ITQAN Integrated School ~ 2nd year with Radiant Camps ~ ~ Whole School ~ ANNUAL CAMP PROGRAMMES EATON InternaGonal School ~ 1st year with Radiant Camps ~ ~ Whole school ~ Radiant Camps’ Structured and Progressive Framework for Annual School Camp and Award Programmes HCGEI*&?*J*?&
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SCOUTS, CUBS & BEAVERS It is always a delight to host Scouts, Cubs and Beavers groups at Radiant Camps. With their love for the outdoors , their focus on independence and pioneering skills and their caring aetude towards nature and one another, they are our kindred spirits! Cubs and Scouts of Alice Smith InternaGonal School Beavers and Cubs of Garden InternaGonal School “I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your staff for the amazing 9me the children had on Saturday. We were very impressed with the organiza9on and level of care we were given; we felt looked aLer the whole way through. I will definitely be recommending your facili9es to others. Thank you once again.” Mairi Clare 2nd Kuala Lumpur Beaver Leader Beavers Scouts GIS PRE-­‐SCHOOL & FAMILY CAMPS Our facilitators always jostle to be in charge of the kindergarten camps, because it’s 2 or 3 days of laughter and adorableness which is simply good for the soul! Kudos to these pre-­‐school principals and parents who champion out-­‐of-­‐classroom learning at such an early age. Experiencing the excitement and wonder of these pre-­‐schoolers, as they discover our remarkable world, is a true privilege! Radiant Camps offers 3 types of Pre-­‐school / Family Camps: “Krau” for rainforest ecology, “Penyabong” for marine ecology and “Farms” for agriculture. AVONNE CHEE Founder and Principal of Premier Montessori, Melaka, shares her beliefs on the importance of providing rich and diverse exposure to nature for young children. These gorgeous photos are from the Marine Ecology camp, their second family summer camp with Radiant Retreats! “The word “kindergarten” is German in origin, and it means “children’s garden”. Coined by Froebel, kindergarten is used extensively by educators and parents alike, to describe the first school for young children aged 4 to 6 years. Compounding these two words is not a coincidence but a recogni9on of the importance of the garden and in extension, Mother Nature, in the earliest learning experiences. Nature is a great teacher and the best classroom. Lessons in Science, Language, Arts, Numeracy and Crea9ve Arts can all be found in a natural space such as a school’s garden or a natural landscape such as the seaside or the tall hills. Children build body coordina9on, mental and physical strength and discipline during daily adventures in the great outdoors. Premier Montessori is a kindergarten prac9cing pure Montessori philosophies in Melaka. Nature is an important component in our school. Working with Hanis and her team in Radiant Retreats has thus far been a good experience. We have spent two summers with them, Janda Baik (2014) and Penyabong, (2015). RR’s list of ac9vi9es during the two camps were vastly different, providing good explora9on plagorms and learning experiences for our campers. Thank you, Hanis and RR team. We will be back for more! Lab 9me at the EKOMAR research center. Beach-­‐combing with marine biologists. Learning from local fishermen, night crabbing, mangrove replan9ng … and lots of interac9ve games and lessons! MARINE CAMPS A major development in 2015 was the launch of our marine programmes in Penyabong, Mersing, Johor. This region is perfect for school camps due to its safe and shallow coastal waters, a strong network of highly qualified army-­‐trained facilitators and rich biodiversity in varied ecosystems within an unspoilt, scenic environment. The launch of two brand new 3 star resorts adds to the variety of good accommodacon opcons available to us, and the food is simply … awesome! Marine Adventure Camps! Kayaking expedi9ons, raL-­‐building, Survival Explorace, Kampung Orienteering, cliff abseiling, coasteering, hiking and much more! Marine Ecology Camps! Camps led by expert marine scien9sts from UKM’s marine research center to discover the rich ecology of rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, mudflats and mangrove forests of the region. GEONEER™ ~ YOUTH ECO EMPOWERMENT Geoneer™ was developed by Radiant Retreats together with the Internaconal Green Training Center (IGTC), and launched in July 2015. The Geoneer™ Program aims to engage, educate and empower youths to undertake inicacves which will have a significant impact on our carbon footprint, and the sustainability of our planet. Uniquely, Geoneer focuses on concnuity and effeccveness of green inicacves by youths, and this is seen in the program’s three complementary thrusts: A Technical Curriculum, A Core AbiliGes Curriculum, PracGcal Exposure & Projects. Geoneer™ was presented to the Ministry of Educacon (Schools of Excellence Unit) in November 2015, to a highly favourable response. Watch this space to see how we will be creacng a culture of sustainability, and preparing youths for what is now the world’s TOP TREND, in 2016! Our 2nd presenta9on to the Ministry of Educa9on on the Geoneer™ program. Sustainability includes championing green technology, like the rainwater harves9ng system here, donated to Radiant Retreats by AuraLite. www.aura-­‐lite.com.my The Mission of the Geoneer Program™ is to systematically build
the technical knowledge on green subjects, necessary core abilities and attitudes, and the
practical field experience to ensure Geoneers are at the leading edge of the green
movement.
A .Technical Geoneering
Curriculum
B. Core Geoneering Abilities
1
Self Leadership
2
Team Working
3
Team Leadership
4
Developing Others
Waste management
5
Communication Skills
6
Water management
6
Organization Skills
7
Transportation
7
Advocacy Skills
8
Air quality
9
Ecology
10
Carbon sequestration & sink
11
Green procurement
12
Green culture
1
Climate change
2
Carbon footprint
3
Energy
4
Green buildings
5
+
C. Practical Geoneering
+
1
Geoneer™ Center Visits
2
Geoneer™ Projects
3
Volunteerism Placements
and Youth Exchange.
Geoneer
BRONZE
Certificate™
Geoneer
SILVER
Certificate™
Geoneer
GOLD
Certificate™
FOR THE EDUCATORS: GROOMING LEADERS AND MENTORS For the second year running, Radiant Camps played host to R.E.A.L Kids’ annual retreat for its principals and supervisors. Being leaders in their own right, the staff of one of the largest and most established preschool chains in Malaysia certainly let an impression with their camaraderie, warmth and zany creacvity. However, it was the educators’ deep passion and commitment towards conGnuous, acGve learning that impressed the most. With ‘Smart Conflict Resolucon’ being the focus last year, this year’s edicon saw parccipants examining the true meaning of leadership while espousing the value of being mentored and mentoring others. COMMUNITY OUTREACH We were blessed to have hosted several groups of underprivileged kids for sponsored oucngs to Radiant Retreats in 2015, as well as to concnue sponsorship of 9 students nominated by Teach For Malaysia for our Radiant Award™ program. Dacn Intan Mastura concnues her terrific efforts on our behalf, as head of our Community Outreach efforts. May we be a posicve force in the lives of more children in 2016! Chow Kit Children’s Shelter Dear Hanis and the team at Radiant Retreats Thank you TCBY for the absolutely yummy frozen yoghurt!! Rumah Tunas Harapan by Amway Thank you so much for giving students from underprivileged backgrounds the opportunity to axend various outdoor camps at RR. The Teach for Malaysia (TFM) Fellows who recommended the students gave me very posicve feedback about them ater axending the camps. They nocced their students are more eager to accept challenges (both in studies and life in general) and are more confident speaking in English. It has helped to hone their leadership skills and equip them with the necessary life skills. One student, Lim, who has always been a natural leader, even led teenagers older than her, some from internaconal and private schools, during the camp. As a member of Persatuan Rakan Sebaya (PRS), she has become an even bexer leader in school ater her experience at RR. Anning Children’s Home, Ipoh Kala, also a member of PRS at school, has blossomed into an all-­‐rounded student, realizing that extra-­‐curricular accvices are just as important as her studies. Sic has improved tremendously in her self-­‐image. She is more confident and less hesitant to try out new things. She understands that she needs to take the first step out of her comfort zone in order to grow. You and your team are doing amazing work at these camps especially for the underprivileged students who may not otherwise get this kind of exposure. Thanks again and I hope more students will get the same opportunity in future. Intan Mastura Maulud NEW IN 2016 ~ MATHS CAMP! How oten have we heard this from children? “I’m just not good at Maths.”. “I knew this before, but then I forgot.”. “It’s so booooring!”. “What’s it all for anyway? Just use a computer!”. Oten, right? We guarantee you won’t hear this at Radiant’s MATHS CAMP! Take a look at some of the fun and challenging Maths puzzles we designed for Kingsley internaconal School, for a 3 day camp of maths-­‐in-­‐nature! Designed for their Year 8 students, the camp covers the full IGCSE Maths curriculum for Year 7, and part of year 8, and is run as an Interclass Compeccon! Radiant’s Maths Camps are all about creacng excitement for, and a deeper understanding of, mathemaGcal concepts through fun and engaging hands-­‐on applicaGon! Example of a Geometry Puzzle Sub-­‐topic: Volume Challenge: Desert Camp Your team needs to journey from Desert Camp A to Desert Camp B. During this journey, you have to carry 5 liters of water and 8,000 cm cubed of a precious mineral that you have painstakingly mined. As the journey is long and perilous, carrying more or less resources will cause your mission to fail. You only have these various containers provided in which to carry these resources; a colleccon of cylinders, cones, cubes and cuboids. Based on the dimensions of these containers and the volume you need to carry, choose up to 3 best containers for your purpose. Then, fashion contrapcons which will enable your team to conveniently carry these resources in these containers for a long trek, (e.g. backpack, stretcher, basket etc). When the facilitator says go, race the other teams to Desert Camp B! Points are awarded for accuracy of measurement, creacvity of contrapcon and speed of transport! Example of a Data-­‐Handling Puzzle Sub-­‐topics: Coordinates & Graphs Challenge: Tree Mapping Part 1: Coordinates Within the plot area given, accurately map all the trees that you see. In order to ensure the accuracy of your map, run gridlines along the x and y axis of your plot, and use coordinates to transpose your data to your map. Part 2: Graphs Then, measure the circumference of each tree, and escmate its height using the method demonstrated by the forester. Show the correlacon between tree circumference and height, in graph form. Example of a Numbers Puzzle Sub-­‐topic: Percentage Challenge: Night Market > Cookies Stall You have RM60 to spend to buy as much food and drink as you can for your team, from this night market, full of traders who are trying to cheat and confuse you! In front of you there are three boxes, labeled A, B and C. Inside Box A there are 14 packets of biscuits. Box A has 175% of the content of Box B and Box C has 25% more biscuit packets than Box B. For RM20, pick the deal that will give you the most packets of biscuits. DEAL 1: 75% of Box C × 25% of Box B ÷ 18.75% of Box B DEAL 2: Box A – Box C + 87.5% of Box B DEAL 3: 81.25% of Box B ÷ 125% of Box B × 187.5% of Box B RADIANT’S MATHS CAMP MAKES MATHS RELEVANT AND FUN! GET IN TOUCH!