Many a times when you ask the grown up people, Which were your best days in life? and school days is the maximum time you get the answer. So, why only the school and not any other academic period of life? I guess the innocence of age which allows you to learn unhesitant many things. You are hardly bothered when you skid while trying for gymnastics or you fall while playing on the grounds, what you all concerned is winning the race, learning something better that the other and this helps you enjoy all that learning making everything most memorable period of life.

School play a very important role in developing such attributes in our personality, the sense of learning, togetherness, sharing, healthy competition and more all we get through those extra academic activities that the schools arrange for an all round development of children.

Earlier those activities too had patterned way which used to be annual or biannual occasions where students were allowed to display their talent apart from the regular academics. But today the pattern is completely different private schools in Australia prefer to have something or the other activity on monthly basis to keep children occupied with extra learning which are activity based.

The attachment of marks as performance by the children in such activities in the final score sheet of the whole year gives them a hype of grade even if they are a little less in core academic subjects. The overall grading method has helped children know their qualities apart from the subject knowledge.

Participation of children in these out of class activities helps them specifically develop the following skills:

Time management

Critical thinking skills

Intellectual competence

Academic competence

Social involvement and interaction

Discussion and relationship formation

Sense of appreciation

Self confidence

Leadership and interpersonal skills

Understanding of abilities, goals and talents

Research has shown that students involved in extracurricular develop higher educational ambitions as compared to those who are remain uninvolved. This versatile development is possible through this initiative of schools for out of class exposure.

Seeing such positive impacts on students even the public schools in Geelong are following the pattern and making certain mandatory time for extracurricular activities in the schools. Schools now also indulge in foreign exchange programmes to allow students go beyond borders of their home ground and learn the diversity of culture and education in other countries as well.

Such is the role of the out of class learning methodology.