I started with a question: What if students didn’t just learn in a classroom, but co-created it?
That question became Basecamp.
I’m thrilled to share that the program I created and am pioneering at Dalton School Hong Kong is thriving. I designed Basecamp with a clear mission: to fuse academic rigor with authentic, student-led action. Every learning experience is a direct, hands-on extension of their Units of Inquiry.
Watching my vision come to life through the students is the ultimate reward.
Our Grade 5 students are becoming scientists, using hydroponics and preparing for a bioblitz as part of their community unit.
Grade 4 students are exploring their unit on conflict by creating harmony art from nature, using the outdoor environment as both inspiration and a space for reflection.
And our youngest learners in Reception are connecting with their senses through outdoor expeditions, creating their own community of “stickmen” as they explore, imagine and make meaning from the world around them.
To go from designing this program on paper to seeing it flourish, and now to be invited to share my work on the global stage at OFFSEAS 2027, is an incredible journey.
It reinforces something I have believed from the beginning: some of the most powerful learning happens when we empower students to be creators alongside us.
At Dalton School Hong Kong, we believe meaningful learning is not confined to four classroom walls.
Basecamp reflects our commitment to creating learning experiences that are purposeful, connected and grounded in the real world. By extending Units of Inquiry into outdoor environments, students have opportunities to observe, question, experiment, collaborate and create — bringing what they learn in the classroom into direct conversation with the world around them.
It is also an example of what happens when educators are empowered to innovate: ideas can grow into experiences that make learning more relevant, engaging and memorable for our students.
