What Is The Role Of A Teacher Who Joins An InSOUL Programme

What is the Role of a Teacher on an InSOUL Programme?

Teachers often accompany students when schools sign up for an InSOUL Outdoor Experiential Learning Programme. What role do you play in this unique learning environment?

Not long ago, we had a teacher join us on an InSOUL Programme who, instead of enhancing the experience, unintentionally disrupted it. She projected her own fears onto the students, intervened at the wrong moments, offering snacks while they were pitching their own tents, and even brought school politics and drama into the outdoors. 

Rather than encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones, she loudly complained about the struggle of doing so. While the students themselves were eager to learn, her presence acted as a dampener rather than a source of support.

With facilitators, trek leaders, and safety experts handling different aspects, where do teachers fit into an InSOUL Programme?

Are you here solely to represent the school? To watch over students? Or is there something more?

A teacher’s role in the outdoors is far more than just observing. You, as a teacher, play a key part in shaping the learning experience. 

The first and foremost step in this is to understand that outdoor learning is not the same as classroom learning.

In this new learning environment, the four walls of the classroom dissolve, replaced by open skies and unpredictable weather conditions.

This physical shift alone plays a role in transforming the way students learn. 

It also changes the role of the teacher from that of an instructor to an enabler, someone who supports adaptability and helps build a genuine connection to the outdoors.

Let’s explore what that really means.

Support the Spirit of Adventure in Students 

As a teacher your instinct is to protect your students. 

In the outdoors however, learning happens when students take calculated risks. 

They must assess situations, make decisions, and face real consequences to their actions, all within safe limits.

Risk-assessment is a life skill. Children are built to exercise it. It is how they learn about the world around them and their own limits. It helps children build confidence in their own capabilities.

As a teacher, allow students to navigate challenges rather than stepping in too soon. Let them experience the joy of learning through trial and error.

If they want to pick up a millipede to observe the legs closely, let them. If they want to try climbing a tree, let them. We're always looking out for them, making sure they have a safe space to practice assessing risks on their own.

Embrace Adversity

In the outdoors, things don’t always go as planned. A sudden downpour. A detour. A steeper climb than expected.

When it drizzles, do you rush students to shelter? Or do you embrace the moment? 

We have seen that students on their own are not averse to a little shower or trekking in misty weather.

Every challenge is an opportunity to teach adaptability. 

When students see their teachers handling uncertainty with calmness and curiosity, they learn to do the same. Adversity becomes a lesson, not an obstacle. 

It is in such conditions that you see your students grow, adapt and rise to the challenge. As Namitha Thimmaiah (Teacher at Daffodils School, Bangalore) said “Students on a trek become very independent. For the first time they learn to do the simple work on their own. 

It really boosts their self confidence. I have practically seen how trekking instills values of empathy and generosity in them. 

Students are always very comfortable in their house and they get what they want. But when they come out and trek they face all kinds of hardship, such as sleeping in a sleeping bag on the hard floor, using minimal water, washing their own plates etc. 

They get to know each other at a much deeper level. Trekking really helps students in their overall development.”

Mindset makes all the difference. A little challenge here and there can be a lesson in adapting, and every setback is a chance to learn.

Model Curiosity – Learn Alongside Students

For teachers who join an InSOUL Programme, it is an opportunity to model curiosity. It is an opportunity to be more than passive observers and become active participants in the learning 

Don’t stand back as an observer. Engage with the environment. Ask questions. Explore.

When students see you excited about engaging learning, they ease into the experience too.

We’ve seen the opposite as well, with teachers clicking selfies or asking students to make reels. 

This takes away from the experience and it is disrespectful to the outdoor learning environment.

Instead, step in. Take part. Let your enthusiasm for the programme set the tone for students to follow.

Unlearn and Adapt to Outdoor Education

In the outdoors, the teacher’s role shifts from instruction and delivering information to facilitating exploration and reflections. 

 Refrain from too much focus on maintaining “discipline” or punishing students who are a little extra excited. 

Be open to the possibility that students who are known for being troublemakers in school or students who are not engaged, could be very different in the outdoors.

The InSOUL team of trek leaders and  facilitators will take care of the mental, physical and psychological safety of the students as well as their overall experience. 

As a teacher joining the programme, encourage exploration and reflection and allow them the space to discover how they feel about their new environment and themselves.

Teachers don’t need to lead the learning experience but they need to be present, supporting how students experience it. Their attitude can shape how students see the journey.

Many times, while trekking with schools, we’ve noticed a troubling pattern of teachers using ‘negative motivation’ to push students along the trail. 

It usually sounds something like this: “Aren’t you ashamed that a girl is trekking faster than you?”, or “You won’t get any cake if you don’t complete this,” or even, “You’re so slow, you’re completely useless here.” We’ve heard several variations of these taunts, intended to encourage, but often having the opposite impact.

What we’ve seen, time and again, is that this kind of motivation backfires. It leaves students feeling small, embarrassed, and discouraged. When other students notice a teacher teasing a fellow student, they are encouraged to laugh at them instead of helping them. And worst of all, it takes the joy and spirit out of the experience.

At the Indiahikes School of Outdoor Learning, we see trekking as a deeply personal journey, where every child finds their own pace, their own strength, their own story. 

We’ve found that when students are encouraged gently, when they’re trusted and supported, they often surprise us with how far they go. It’s this nurturing, respectful environment that builds confidence and resilience, not fear or shame.

Break Hierarchies 

On a trek and in the outdoors students start seeing their teachers beyond the “strict classroom authority” role. Trekking together removes barriers. It opens up conversations that don’t have space in the school setting. 

It is also an opportunity to see your students in a very different light and discover their skills and aptitudes outside of what you gauge in the classroom. 

Recently in Kodaikanal, a teacher who joined an overnight camping trek mentioned how one of the students who usually sleeps in class and is perpetually bored or distracted, came alive in the outdoors. 

He was always ready to help his friends, climbed confidently and was so immersed in all the natural elements he could find all along the trail. 

She said, "I have never seen him so engaged. I now know how to guide him in the future."

During a trek, students begin to see their teachers as approachable, relatable, even “cool.” And this dynamic often carries back into the school environment.

Final Thoughts

What we notice is that when teachers are onboard with the objectives of the outdoor learning programme, and are aligned with our approach to facilitation, the support makes a world of a difference in the success of the programme. 

An InSOUL Outdoor Experiential Learning Programme is full of opportunities, not just for students, but for everyone involved. 

As facilitators, each group we work with is unique, challenging us to grow in leadership and empathy. Likewise, teachers tell us how these experiences help them understand their students better and learn alongside them in a whole new setting.

As Renu Dimri Ma'am, Principal of DPS Bangalore West says "When children feel learning is in their own hands and not controlled by teachers, it makes a huge difference. They come back much more engaged. Learning imbibed through first-hand experience remains with you forever. A classroom provides only one type of atmosphere where the academically inclined tend to thrive. Children who are quiet in class often get overlooked. The same children come back more confident after trekking. The trek perhaps gave them opportunities to achieve something significant, such as helping others".

So, the next time you join an InSOUL trek, step in fully. Be present. Engage. The impact will stay with you long after you're back in the classroom.