Playing with an unstoppable force: Paddling, river-places and outdoor education

Wattchow, Brian

doi:10.1007/bf03400843

Cited by 28 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Within the OE literature there has been fragmented discussion about the pedagogical approaches used to prepare outdoor educators. Some healthy debate has occurred around the over-reliance on traditional adventure activities imported from other cultures with different climates and contexts (Brown, 2009;Lugg, 2004;Wattchow, 2007;Wattchow & Brown, 2011). This use of adventure activities, which are not necessarily the best match for local environmental conditions or the full cohort of students could well be characterized as a form of pedagogical inertia, which is resistant to change.…”

Section: The Function Of Signature Pedagogiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signature pedagogies in outdoor education

Thomas

2015

Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education

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The new National health and physical education curriculum in Australia includes outdoor education activities as a viable way to achieve intended learning outcomes. However, most health and physical education teacher education courses do not provide a strong focus on the theories, skills and pedagogies that are unique to the effective use of outdoor education activities. In this paper, Shulman's concept of signature pedagogies is used to explore the types of teaching and learning that are fundamental to developing outdoor education teachers who are able to think, perform and act with integrity. Drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews with six experienced outdoor education teacher educators, this paper identifies practical fieldwork as the signature pedagogy for the outdoor education profession. The key characteristics of practical fieldwork, identified by the participants, include learner centeredness, the transition from participant to leader/teacher and the use of reflection to integrate theory and practice. The findings of this study will be helpful for health and physical education teacher educators who want to prepare their students for a more diverse health and physical education curriculum that capitalizes on the educative potential of outdoor education activities.

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Section: The Function Of Signature Pedagogiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signature pedagogies in outdoor education

Thomas

2015

Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education

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“…The purpose of this unit was twofold: first, for students to learn how to safely lead whitewater river trips; and second, for students to learn how to help their future students explore the cultural and environmental histories of river places. It is challenging to achieve these purposes simultaneously, because the excitement of paddling and leading on whitewater can become an all-consuming focus (Thomas, 2005;Thomas & Thomas, 2000;Wattchow, 2007). However, I believe it is possible to work with the tension that exists when trying to use adventure activities to achieve other educational objectives, and I have described some strategies to do so elsewhere (see Thomas, 2005;Thomas & Thomas, 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Facilitator, Teacher, or Leader? Managing Conflicting Roles in Outdoor Education

Thomas¹

2010

Journal of Experiential Education

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A facilitator is commonly defined as a substantively neutral person who manages the group process in order to help groups achieve identified goals or purposes. However, outdoor educators rarely experience the luxury of only managing the group process, because they are typically responsible for the provision of leadership, skill instruction, and safety management. Based on personal experience, the literature on facilitation, and my research on the theories and practices of facilitator educators providing facilitation training courses in Australia and New Zealand, I recommend strategies for managing the potentially conflicting facilitation roles that outdoor educators may be required to fulfill. The five facilitator roles identified by Schwarz (2002), which serve as a theoretical framework for this paper, are facilitator, facilitative leader, facilitative trainer, facilitative consultant, and facilitative coach. The similarities and differences between these roles are discussed, as are strategies that outdoor educators can apply to optimise their use of, and movement between, these roles.

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“…2. The work of Abram, which builds on that of Merleau-Ponty as well as Husserl, is sometimes cited in outdoor education (see, e.g., Cohn, 2011;Payne & Wattchow, 2008;Wattchow, 2007Wattchow, , 2008. However, it would be difficult to use Abram's work to prosecute my argument in this paper as he does not clarify the ontological difference, instead employing terms that more closely align with transaction, such as 'intertwined' and 'reciprocate' (Abram, 1996, p. 33), in attempts to convey a simple aesthetic whole.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

More than relations between self, others and nature: outdoor education and aesthetic experience

Quay

2013

Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning

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Playing with an unstoppable force: Paddling, river-places and outdoor education

Cited by 28 publications

References 12 publications

Signature pedagogies in outdoor education

Signature pedagogies in outdoor education

Facilitator, Teacher, or Leader? Managing Conflicting Roles in Outdoor Education

More than relations between self, others and nature: outdoor education and aesthetic experience

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