School Excursions - What is interpretation? And how is it different to teaching?

Interpretation is a method of communication aimed at provoking audiences into discovering personal meaning and connections with events, people and places.

People act according to the environment or situation they are in. In the classroom, students have the expectation that they are there to learn. However, on a school excursion, with the buzz of a busy city, surrounded by landmarks, locals and crowds of tourists, students may well feel like visitors.

Interpretation as an approach to learning is at the heart of every walking tour led by Sydney Walks. Going beyond the facts and figures, they capture the students’ attention with interesting and engaging stories of people and events from another time, all within the context of Sydney’s fantastic historical surroundings.

Sydney Walks most popular tour, Early Sydney Before and After Colonisation utilizes interpretation through individual character cards. Each student becomes a character in the story of the First Fleets' arrival, and they identify with their character and their actions in the context of the story and their surroundings. These are all very powerful tools to not only gain the students attention, but to make them think!

Hassle free bookings

Sydney Walks provides historical walking tours for stage 2 and 3 students in and around The Rocks. Their booking calendar is available online, with walks scheduled right throughout the 2019 school year. Bookings are flexible, no deposit is required, and risk assessments are available for all walks. All staff are qualified, trained professional guides with WWC checks and First Aid training. Reserving a place has never been easier – visit www.sydneywalks.com.au or phone (02) 9188 7885 to start planning your next school excursion.