Abstract
In the UK historically, the learner’s voice has not been used as a pedagogical tool in the context of outdoor education. This paper examines the views of the learners retrospectively to illuminate the discussion surrounding the value of learning in outdoor education, and to consider what the participants remembered and learnt from over 47 years ago, and how that learning has impacted on their lives today. Written feedback using open-ended questions were collected from 9 adult’s retrospective who attended and participated in residential adventurous activities between the years 1968 and 1980. Responses were analysed, categorized, and themed within three areas of learning. The analysis arrived at some potential benefits to the learner as articulated by the participants themselves and within the learning domains of cognitive, socio-emotional and physical/behavioural. The idea is that by conceptualizing residential outdoor adventurous education as experiential learning, it could help support its consideration in fulfilling a more central role in the UK school’s curriculum, such are the long-term benefits articulated by the participants retrospectively in this research. At the very least it was shown to be a powerful learning experience. This study attempts to add new and fresh voices by including the learners in the discussion surrounding their own learning, and how learning that took place over forty-seven years ago has continued into adulthood and looks set to last a lifetime.
Presenters
Barry CostasSenior Lecturer and Teacher, Education, University of Hertfordshire and a London UK School, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
PERCEPTIONS, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, OUTDOORS, CHILDREN, ADULTS
