| Izah Azahari |
STUDENTS of International School Brunei’s (ISB) Year 7 classes, which included Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim ibni Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, had their first secondary school field trip – a Humanities faculty excursion to Tasek Lama and the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum.
The all-day outing was a cross-curricular one, with the Geography component taking place at Tasek Lama and the History component at the Maritime Museum in Kota Batu.
At 8am, a total of 85 Year 7 students, 13 accompanying staff and parent volunteers boarded three busses and set off for Tasek Lama for a two-part Geography field study excursion, the first of which was a 30-minute hike through the jungle, and the second, a brief introduction into river studies.
During the walk, students were instructed to take note of human and physical geography in the physical environment, taking particular note of the flora and fauna, and how human behaviour impacts this.
After making a range of notes and sketches, the classes then split into groups and conducted a river study in which they were required to investigate the physical features of the river, including the depth and width in different areas, as well as the speed of the current. This was the Year 7 group’s first experience with many of the tools geographers use in the industry, and was of particular value for students who will later choose Geography as an elective in Years 10 and 12.
After the river study was completed, the group got back onto the busses and after a short break for lunch, headed to the Maritime Museum in Kota Batu to learn about the Maritime history of Brunei Darussalam.
The museum, which features the famous Brunei shipwreck, was the perfect location to gain a deeper understanding of the role, trade played in Brunei’s early history.
For many students, this was their first visit to the museum, and as such were both impressed and enlightened at the importance of Brunei as a trading port along the Asian Maritime Silk Route.
During museum visit, students were given 30 minutes to complete a quiz about the features of Brunei’s trading activity, including who the country’s trading partners were, and what goods Brunei traded at the time.
For students and teachers, it was an educational experience that filled them with a deeper understanding of the unique relationships at play in the natural environment, Brunei’s rich history, and out door learning.