Filters or Conceptual Goggles Teacher, coach, & residential person in a variety of contexts Teacher, coach, & residential person in a variety of contexts Learning theory mainly cognitive science Learning theory mainly cognitive science School administrator School administrator

What do we call what we do? Adventure education Adventure education Experiential education Experiential education Outdoor education Outdoor education Environmental education Environmental education Global education Global education Sustainability education Sustainability education Service learning Service learning

Adventure Education Common features Novel context (often dramatic and/or in back country) Novel context (often dramatic and/or in back country) Small groups Small groups Variety of mental and/or physical challenges experiential, learning by doing Variety of mental and/or physical challenges experiential, learning by doing

Adventure Education Common features Frequent and intense interactions that usually involve group problem solving, decision making, feedback & reflection Frequent and intense interactions that usually involve group problem solving, decision making, feedback & reflection Trained leaders and guided discovery Trained leaders and guided discovery Often of long duration (days to weeks) Often of long duration (days to weeks)

What do we do? What do you know/believe/hope students learn as a result of participating in your ________ program? What do you know/believe/hope students learn as a result of participating in your ________ program? How do you know? How do you know? How much do you think this learning transfers beyond your teaching context? How much do you think this learning transfers beyond your teaching context? How do you know? How do you know?

Dewey Teachers as designers of learning experiences

Learning Designs What do you know to be true about how children learn in academic or school contexts? What do you know to be true about how children learn in academic or school contexts?classes co-curricular sports, after school, your program residential What are some principles of learning that you have come to believe best cause students to learn? What are some principles of learning that you have come to believe best cause students to learn?

Things We Know about Learning How People Learn (2002) Learning is constructive and active Learning is constructive and active Inside/Out the role of prior knowledge Inside/Out the role of prior knowledge Motivation need for competency, autonomy, interpersonal connection, purpose self-efficacy and value X expectancy Motivation need for competency, autonomy, interpersonal connection, purpose self-efficacy and value X expectancy Challenge/support, risk/safety, ZPD Challenge/support, risk/safety, ZPD

Things We Know about Learning How People Learn (2002) Distributed practice and time over time Distributed practice and time over time Deliberate practice and feedback Deliberate practice and feedback Reflection/metacognition/processing Reflection/metacognition/processing Social contexts of learning observation, collaboration, reciprocal teaching Social contexts of learning observation, collaboration, reciprocal teaching

Todays Children Dwelling in Possibilities Mark Edmundson simultaneity simultaneity immediacy immediacy brevity brevity

Yesterdays Children Evolution of the Educated Species David Geary folk psychology biological, physical, social social play and exploration of environment Gap between folk knowledge and competencies for modern world

Schools as cultural inventions to bridge gap Schools as cultural inventions to bridge gap A motivation and learning design challenge A motivation and learning design challenge

Some Confusions Taught with the learned curriculum Taught with the learned curriculum Student enthusiasm and excitement with enduring and transferable learning Student enthusiasm and excitement with enduring and transferable learning Feedback from the few versus the walk- away learnings of all Feedback from the few versus the walk- away learnings of all Belief that we do it right and they dont Belief that we do it right and they dont

So what does all this mean for school-based adventure education?