Learning – sugar coated with adventure

By Esther Williams

Being at the base camp at Belihuloya was an incredible experience for the 58 Royal College Prefects. They were attending a leadership training programme in preparation for the vital role they would play during the year in inspiring their juniors, maintaining discipline, and promoting a positive image of the school.

Learning to work as a team

Wild Drift that provides management training in the wilderness organised a series of real and simulated activities that included raft building, high rope walking, a treasure hunt and trekking. "Our focus is on learning – sugar coated with adventure," explains Course Director, Rukmal De Silva.

Away from it all, it was a totally different atmosphere for the students. "We discovered abilities that we had no idea we had," Feroze Ahmed says of the activities that provided plenty of challenges in working as a team. At a point, they were left in the middle of nowhere to find their way back to base. "We had to take initiatives and plan strategies ourselves to get out of challenging situations," he adds.

Bhagya Tennakoon found the aerial rope exercise thrilling. "It was initially scary as we were about 30 ft above the ground. But we discovered that nothing is impossible. "If we have the strength of mind we can do anything," he says of the confidence-building activity.

Inshard Naizer relates an experience when they had to balance intellectual and emotional aspects of learning. They had to build a boat with raw materials such as plants, ropes, barrels, etc. It required of them to plan, designate people to roles and work together to complete the task. "We were learning by experience and not through speeches."

While having fun the enthusiastic prefects had to learn to work as a team, their primary objective being to achieve a goal. "We were exposed to many experiences and we now have the knowledge to transfer our learning to real life experiences," Supun Kulathilaka recounts.

Jayath Jayaratne formed new friendships as they discovered new strengths and weaknesses in each other. "I realised that as a team we were very powerful. We could do anything!" The debriefing sessions at the end of each day was effective. Students evaluated their own performances – where they were right or wrong and how they would need to change to achieve a target.

Building a boat with raw materials such as ropes and barrels

Reflecting on the programme, the prefects realised that they should not judge anything at face value. There's a deeper meaning to what you see from the outside, they found. Collectively they realised they saw the world from a new perspective and that as a team they were very powerful.

Leadership is not about who you are but of what you can make of others. That said Royal College prefects are selected not only for excellence in academic and extra-curricular activities but also for demonstrating potential for leadership. During the year ahead of them they have a huge task ahead of them in taking their institution to greater heights.

The training included a series of experiential learning exercises that called for personal involvement, self initiated approach, self evaluation while persuasive effects on the learner.

Evidence shows that experiential learning is equivalent to personal change and growth. All human beings have a natural inclination to learn; the role of the teacher is merely to facilitate such learning by: setting a positive climate for learning, clarifying the purposes of the learners, organizing and making available learning resources, balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning, and sharing feelings and thoughts with learners but not dominating.

Wild Drift that organised a variety of custom made courses for the corporate sector has enabled this batch of Royalist prefects to change individual behaviour patterns and influence team culture to achieve better results. "We hope the students will be able to apply their learning both in school and their personal lives," Rukmal says.