Outdoor Education and Adventure: The Hows and Whys

by Chad Massie

A Journal Article Presented to The Graduate Faculty of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Education - Professional Development

Outdoor Education and Adventure: The Hows and Whys

Does your physical education program need more excitement? Does participation in an experience where the students have an opportunity to improve their problem-solving, communication, trust and decision-making intrigue you? If so, you are in the same boat that many Physical Education teachers are in. Students of today look for anything exciting and challenging. Traditional Physical Education classes offer many curriculums involving team sports, life sports, fitness, etc. For the most part, students enjoy and benefit from these course offerings. But after six or seven years of exposure to the same sports, many students become numb. Non-athletes sometimes then accept their short-comings, lay low in Physical Education, and just put in the required amount of time to get the amount of credits needed to graduate. Outdoor Education may be the nugget of gold that provides the adventure many of us are looking for. Taking advantage of the resources that you have around you and enjoy them to the fullest is key. A setting such as Wisconsin lends itself to a variety of opportunities that can provide many adventurous and educational activities. A curriculum of this nature can be implemented in most any setting and at every level of education. In this article I plan to explain the process that could make your dream become a reality.

Much research had to be done before beginning to plan the course. Consideration of other points of view--especially the school board and administration--was key. "How can an Outdoor Adventure course benefit our school district?" A critical question that needed to be answered with certainty.

The benefits of outdoor education were obvious for the author. Many experts have researched this topic as well and come up with similar conclusions. John Dewey (1938) was an early promoter of learning through direct experience by action and reflection. While researching this topic, it became evident that many outdoor adventure classes also incorporated an environmental aspect. Matthews and Riley (1995) discovered that environmental responsibility is best developed outdoors; that outdoor activities stimulate interest in the outdoors, which? motivates students to learn about the natural environment.

Zuberbuhler (1995), "A willingness to challenge oneself physically and emotionally are integral components of outdoor programs, because pushing oneself this way can enhance self-reliance, confidence, self-esteem, and communication skills. Schools also hope that students will have fun, build a core support group of friends, take responsibility, and transfer their newly acquired wilderness skills and ideas to the school setting." (p. 20)

Getting a feeling for what the attitudes and opinions of the school system and community were was the next step. The author approached his high school principal first. Being an outdoors person and an ex-physical education teacher himself, he fell in love with the idea and has long wanted such a course in the high school and felt that students who didn't fit in to the athletic mold would greatly benefit.

Another opportunity the author took advantage of was to advertise at Parent-Teacher Conferences with a sign saying, "Ask Me About Outdoor Adventures". Almost every conference that night ended up with discussions about the possibility of adding this course. Many parents showed great interest and stated that they wished they had had opportunities like this when they were in high school. Some parents would say, "My child would LOVE this!"

It was then necessary to find out if the students and staff would be interested in starting this course. Surveys were developed for the students and staff. In the survey to the staff, the author described his vision for the course and listed the possible units that could be offered. The units included: archery, ice fishing, fly fishing, canoeing, camping, orienteering, survival, challenge courses, hiking, rock climbing, cross country skiing, downhill skiing, hunter/gun safety. Within the survey, there were also questions pertaining to each staff members personal interest in the course and if there might be other units that could be integrated. Eighty-five percent of the staff responded. Ninety percent of the teachers thought that this would be a great addition to the district. Seventy percent of the staff thought that they could integrate with one or more of the units that had been suggested. Fifty-two percent of the staff thought that unit integration would be possible. Finally, forty-two percent considered themselves to be an expert in one or more of the units and would be willing to share some of their knowledge with the students. Some of the quotes from the staff were as follows:

• "These units all sound like life skills that can be taken with them beyond High School. We need more activities to help our non-active people in society."
• " I think the students would love it!"
• " There is an over-emphasis on sports and it is just for a few. These activities get away from the competitive side of sports."

The student survey included a list of all the possible units that might be offered an? they were asked to rank them according to interest. Obviously the more adventurous the unit the higher the rank that it got.

This was not unexpected and even encouraged; because as Stevens and Richards (1992) state,

"Adventure is one form of experiential education that is highly effective in developing team and group skills in both students and adults. Adventure activities help develop listening skills, recognize individual strengths and promote mutual support. These benefits apply equally well to academic problem-solving or to school-wide improvement efforts."

The students were also given space to write in any other possible units that may have been overlooked. Some feasible responses included snowboarding, trap-shooting, and self-defense.

The author then posed the following question to the students, "How can students, staff and the district benefit from an outdoor education course?" Some of the students' responses follow:

• Opportunity to interact with and make new/more friends.
• New and challenging activities.
• Students and staff get to know each other on a more personal basis.
• Increase the interest in health and recreation.
• We would be receiving a well-rounded education.
• Get to be outside and would come to class more often.
• Fun!

Once interest in the course was determined, expert advice had to be sought out. The author interviewed some local experts that had been teaching similar courses in their schools. He interviewed Paul Newell from Chetek High School and Judy Hunt from Rice Lake High School. With a combined 21 years of experience between them, their insight was extremely helpful. The teachers shared class numbers, units taught, budget concerns, guest speakers, student assessment, and what the thoughts were of the students involved in the course. Mr. Newell really teaches to his strengths and interests. He tailors his Outdoor Education course for strictly Fall and Spring Quarters. So if an outdoor adventure teacher is not a "snow" person, it's nice to know that there are ways around that. Mr. Newell felt high student interest in Outdoor Adventure classes is due to the fact that, "The students get to take a class that they are genuinely interested in and get to build, experiment, and learn new things that will be with them for life. The 'hands on' is what really attracts them and I get to teach them skills that I am also interested in as my hobby. So it's a win-win situation. My co-worker can't wait until I retire so he can take over my courses. Judy Hunt, on the other hand, gears her courses more towards first-aid and safety in the outdoors. Ms. Hunt also is different in that she teaches outdoor education all day, everyday, all school year. This means that outdoor winter activities are also a strong part of her curriculum. Both instructors deal with shrinking budgets and contact agencies such as the Wisconsin DNR that offer free programs such as the Master Angler Program. They make much of their equipment and rely on experts within their school and community for guest speakers who really just enjoy sharing their valuable experiences for free. Both of these school districts run on a block schedule so that the class can have the time to really get involved with the activities before they have to clean up and get to their next class. The author asked a few of the students from these two districts why they chose this course instead of "team sports" and other physical education classes. They all agreed that 'hands on' was important, plus they got to be outside more. Just talking to these experts and seeing how successful an Outdoor Education program could be gave the author the fuel needed to present to the appropriate committees.

Armed with the evidence from the experts, the outdoor education teacher then needs to put his/her proposal to the Curriculum Advisory Committee, which is the first step in having a new course become reality. With only a few scheduling questions, the author's proposal was accepted and was then brought before the school board for approval. The school board enthusiastically accepted the proposal and it was then submitted to the guidance department to be added to the high school course catalog. Due to scheduling constraints, the author was only able to offer this course to seniors. In a perfect world, he would have the time to teach outdoor education all day every day.

Even though his journey has just begun, this author feels like he has come so far with the goal of being able to add such a worthwhile course to his Physical Education Curriculum. The key to getting this course added was to get the students, staff, and community involved by asking pertinent questions about interest levels and unit possibilities and to turn over some of the ownership of shaping this course to them as well. Teachers in the High School setting are excited that they may be able to share their hobbies and students can see them in a different role. This is also an exciting opportunity for students and teachers to share common.

Karl Power (1993) summed it up well when he said, "We, as adults, have the responsibility to educate the youth of America and what it has to offer," (p. 16).

REFERENCES

CRCA. Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association's website located at www.paddlingcanada.com.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience in Education. New York. Collier Books.

Hunt, Judy. Rice Lake High School Physical Education Teacher.

Matthews, B. E., & Riley, C. K. (1995). Teaching and evaluating outdoor ethics education programs. Vienna, VA. National Wildlife Federation. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 401 097)

Newell, Paul. Chetek High School Physical Education Teacher.

Power, Karl J. (Sep/Oct93) Kids and Fishing--foundation for a better life. Single Parent, Vol.36 Issue 4, p16,2p,1bw.

Stevens, Peggy Walker, & Richards, Anthony (March 1, 1992). Changing Schools through Experiential Education. ERIC Digest.

Zuberbuhler, J. (Fall 1995). Outdoors the rules are different. Independent School, Vol. 55, Issue 1.