Foreign country experience confirms that children who are allowed to participate in realistic activities and games are able to try and learn new things. Using nature in place of the classroom for studies of the environment and experiential education has shown extremely large benefits towards a child’s development. In recent years, our country strove toward educational reform. In Taiwan's 83rd year, the WEGO Elementary School started the WEGO Mountain Program in long term plans as one of the new educational programs to set the standard for outdoor education.
WEGO Mountain Program is located in Zhuzihu, Yangmingshan Naitonal Park. The program's philosophy is founded in the fusion of both Euro-USA outdoor environmental education principles and USA's modern educator Joseph Cornell's nature education philosophy. In 1921, A.S. Neill founded the Summerhill School. The school used an open minded education approach to give the children a positive environment to learn. By running it, the school developed an outdoor education plan suitable for Taiwanese youth.
Historical Timeline
Stage 1: 1994 – 1995
In the long term planning of the WEGO Mountain Program, the buildings were officially built and classes began in July. Founders of the program travelled to the USA, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan to do research and gain experience on how to run an outdoor experiential education program. The first foreign teachers are hired from abroad. In the beginning, the limited resources only allowed K-12 children to visit the program once per semester for 1 day trips only. The physical training classes were run by the foreign teachers. Chinese Cultural University's forestry department's supervisor Hu Da Wei led the nature classes. Children immediately gave positive feedback from the fun and energetic outdoor classes. The WEGO Mountain Program hosts open house presentations and talks with parents periodically to share its values, philosophies, and goals.
Stage 2: 1996 – 1997
The results of the experimental program showed that the plans were successful and that the program was heading in the right direction. Camping area, indoor rock climbing wall, and animal areas are constructed. Children are able to spend more than one day at the program. Overnight camping classes are offered for secondary students (Grades 7 – Grade 12). Academically excelling grade 9 students are able to visit the WEGO Mountain Program once per week as part of the Select Class. Grade 12 students who successfully passed the college entrance exams are provided with a special outdoor spring and summer program (similar to a Counselor in Training program). Classes are taught throughout Yangmingshan National Park including the weather station, mountains, visitor centers, and gardens. Horseback riding and rappelling classes begin, which is a groundbreaking step forward for Taiwanese education and the first time its offered for K-12 students in Taiwan. WEGO News and website offered in both Chinese and English so that classes, theories, and achievements can be passed on efficiently. The WEGO Mountain Program is unanimously supported by parents, students, and WEGO Schools.
Stage 3: 1998 – 1999
Students are enjoying the program and becoming more comfortable being in nature. Affected by the children, the parents are more interested in the program. More resources are provided to the program, ie animals and plants. Academic teachers in Taiwan and abroad recognize the positive work done by the program. Lesson plans are modified, new materials are used to build new facilities for activities, and more staff are hired. Summer classes start with golf programs for K-6 students. Environmental protection and education become more challenging. Teachers and students reduce the amount of trash produced and start recycling habits. In the future, the program should be reorganized to be a more widely inclusive outdoor education program.
Stage 4: 2000 and Beyond
With so many years of running the program, the classes are very stable. The program adopts a new look with more professional software and hardware. More passion and spirit are utilized to invent new classes. Horseback riding classes are relocated to take place at a horse corral in Tamsui. New classes are designed for locations like Tamsui and Bali and K-6 students begin seashore and ocean environmental classes. High school students begin bike and ecosystem classes. In the summer, the fifth and sixth grade students have an opportunity to visit Japan to experience another outdoor education program. In the summer of 2007, the WEGO Mountain Program went to Taihu to start a new chapter in developing outdoor education in Asia.
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