How well do you know you and your students know your local area, state or country?
With uncertainty currently surrounding international travel, it’s time to discover our own backyard – learning from what it has to offer. The oldest living culture in the world to name just one thing! There’s never been a better time to engage with indigenous culture, farming and agriculture, nature, STEM, literature and language, the arts and history – all available right here.
Australia is a land abundant in learning opportunities. Living in such a diverse country, students have the ability to extend classroom learning with world-class opportunities, programs, destinations and industry experts around every corner.
While a great number school tours have historically been hosted in overseas destinations, current international border closures have afforded our Australian programs the opportunity to shine.
In 2021, consider the incredible benefits Australian-based educational tours and programs can offer to your students.
1. Increase student participation
Offering an Australian-based program to your students, can open educational opportunities to a wider cohort of the school. When you remove an international airfare from the equation, the price of a quality educational program becomes realistic for a wider range of students. In turn, this affords these students with the same opportunities as their peers who would have participated in an international program. Not only does this increase overall school morale and engagement in subjects, but it empowers those students who may not have been able to participate in international tours, to continue to pursue their goals, passions and aspirations.
2. Real career options, not pipe dreams
During international travel programs, students meet incredible people across the globe. While this may inspire students toward becoming global citizens with international aspirations, there may be a disconnect – it may be perceived as unattainable or seem out of reach. Sure, that person has done well, but they’re not in my shoes. They haven’t been raised in Australia, gone to my school etc.
When students’ meet and observe successful people working here in Australia, it’s more relatable and it can spark a passion to achieve similar goals. The Australian employment landscape is also unique. What better way to understand future prospects and make connections than by getting out there and witnessing it first hand!
3. Increase student engagement
Participating in relevant curriculum-linked experiential learning activities can improve student engagement within the classroom. When students are given the opportunity to apply theories in real-life situations, greater learning outcomes can be achieved. Flow-on effects from this can also include a reignited or newly sparked passion for your subject.
4. Complement your tour plan with domestic options
Many schools have significant international tour programs, but few have a really comprehensive range of locally based tour options. Tours based locally can be a great stepping stone into touring for the lower year levels, prior to a more involved international tour in senior years. They can help engage students in their studies at a younger age and provide relevant educational experiences in their subjects.
As mentioned above, they can also provide a more realistic financial option to some families. Including a range of exceptional local tours in your overall programs is a great way to complement your schools offering to parents (prospective and current) – even beyond the current environment.
5. Support local businesses and industry
Last, but certainly not least, is the positive impact that staying local will have on our national economy. With the effects of 2020 and COVID-19 still being felt around the nation, what better way to support local industry, than with a local tour that achieves the same or similar learning outcomes to that of an international one.
Australia has some of the world’s most dramatic natural landscapes, biodiverse ecosystems, multicultural and vibrant cities and forward-thinking corporations. From its incredible history and heritage to an unapologetic appreciation of the Arts, Australia offers an incredible breadth of educational and experiential opportunities to your students.
Explore our full suite of Australian-based tours, programs and excursions to learn more.
We look forward to connecting you and your students to the exciting, real-world learning outcomes that await.
– The Latitude Group Travel Team