Experiential Learning
Axel's campus in the Gorbhonga forest is not incidental — it is a teaching tool. The organic farm, butterfly park, forest trails and proximity to Kaziranga are part of the curriculum. Some of the most important lessons at Axel happen well away from a whiteboard.
Classes KG–XII · Structured outdoor sessions every term · Annual class trips
per week (Classes I–IV)
programmes
trips per year
hours logged
Learning outside the classroom
Every class from KG to Class XII has at least one structured experiential learning programme per term. Theory follows experience — not the other way around.
Field trips by class
KG–Class II: Seasonal nature walks in the Gorbhonga forest, organic farm visits, Guwahati Zoo.
Class III–V: Kamakhya Temple, Umananda Island, Navagraha Observatory, Guwahati Planetarium.
Class VI–VIII: Kaziranga National Park (annual), Manas National Park (biennial), tea garden visit in upper Assam, Sivasagar archaeological sites.
Class IX–X: Industry visits to local manufacturing facilities, Gauhati High Court, Gauhati Medical College.
Class XI–XII: National trips — Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru — combining university visits with cultural and heritage experiences.
The Organic Farm
Fresh vegetables are grown on campus by the Karbi community and served in the school dining hall. Every student from Class III to Class VIII spends at least two sessions per term working in the farm as part of their Environmental Studies curriculum — planting, weeding, harvesting and learning about soil, water and the food cycle through direct experience. Students track seasonal growth patterns and maintain a farm diary. Several have gone on to choose Agriculture or Environmental Science at university.
Guest speakers & career visits
A programme of alumni and industry speakers runs throughout the year for Class VIII to XII — medicine, engineering, law, civil services, entrepreneurship, arts, sport. Students submit questions in advance and one-to-one follow-up conversations are arranged. In 2024–25, notable sessions included an interactive visit to IIT Guwahati for Class XII Science, a Career Fair for Classes XI and XII, and an in-school session with Pierre-Marie Buffe — a professional working with the United Nations — giving students a direct window into international public service careers. The annual Career Orientation Week in February brings 12–15 professionals to campus across five days.
Project-based learning units
At each level, at least one subject per term runs a project-based unit — a real-world problem that requires applying multiple subjects to solve it. Class VI students designed a flood-warning communication system for their Science and Social Science project unit. Class IX students ran a mock constitutional assembly as part of their Political Science coursework. Results are presented to faculty panels and, in some cases, to external stakeholders.
Signature programmes
Axel Forest School (Class I–IV)
One afternoon per week, younger students leave the classroom for a structured outdoor session in the Gorbhonga forest. Activities are curriculum-linked: measuring rainfall, identifying plant species, soil texture tests, soundscape recording for music appreciation. Nature is not a field trip — it is an everyday classroom.
Watershed Science (Class VII–VIII)
A term-long interdisciplinary project studying the Gorbhonga forest ecosystem — biodiversity, water quality, soil health and human impact. Students produce a research paper, a data visualisation and a recommendation report. The best paper each year is submitted to a regional student science journal.
Entrepreneurship Week (Class X–XII)
An annual five-day intensive in March where senior students form venture teams, research a market opportunity, develop a business model and pitch to a panel of local entrepreneurs and alumni. Three ventures launched by Axel alumni have their roots in this week. No business background required — teachers facilitate, students lead.
Community Teaching Programme
Class IX and X students spend one Saturday per month teaching at a partner government school in the Kamrup district. Sessions cover English communication, basic mathematics and computer literacy. This programme was started by students in 2019 and is now one of Axel's most sustained community initiatives, logging over 300 of the school's 749 total service hours.
Kaziranga Field Study
The annual Class VII residential trip to Kaziranga National Park spans three days and includes park safaris, a session with wildlife researchers and an independent observation assignment. Students maintain a species log and submit an illustrated field report as part of their Science assessment for that term. The trip has been running every year since 2009.
National University Tour (Class XII)
Every Class XII batch visits at least two national-level institutions — IIT, IIM, AIIMS, NLU or equivalent — as part of the Career Orientation programme. Students attend lectures, meet current undergraduates and tour the facilities. Guided by alumni at each institution wherever possible. The tour has shaped the choices of generations of Axel graduates.
RIDS Global Connections
Through the British Council's RIDS (Reciprocal International Digital Sharing) programme, Axel students engage in live classroom exchanges and joint projects with schools abroad. In 2024–25, students collaborated with schools in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Egypt — covering farming technology comparisons, World English Day interactive sessions, a medicinal plant exhibition and virtual cultural exchanges. Students from Axel visited Sualkuchi as part of the RIDS programme, documenting Assam's silk weaving heritage for an international audience.
Learning that sticks.
Students who do things remember things. At Axel, every class has structured experiential learning built into the term — not as an extra, but as part of how we teach.