Outdoor Education

Additional Information

Preface

Part I. Foundations of Outdoor Education
Chapter 1. Defining Outdoor Education
Why the Outdoors?
A Model of Outdoor Education
Environmental Education
Interpretation
Adventure Education
Experiential Education
Education Structure
Development of Outdoor Education
Rationale for Teaching Outdoors
Summary
Chapter 2. Describing the Outdoor Educator
Professionalism
Professional Responsibilities
Summary
Chapter 3. Theories and Foundations in Outdoor Education
Theories in Outdoor Education
Learning Theories
Summary

Part II. Preparation for Teaching Outdoors
Chapter 4. Understanding Participants
Audience Assessment
Stereotyping
Gender
Age and Cognitive Development
Medical Conditions
Experience
Group Familiarity
Abilities
Culture and Ethnicity
Strategies for Teaching Diverse Audiences
Summary
Chapter 5. Creating the Learning Environment
Foundations of the Learning Environment
Components of Successful Learning Environments
Summary
Chapter 6. Outdoor Education Settings
Site Selection
Learning Barriers
Equipment
Logistics
Record Keeping
Special Settings: Lessons in the Night
Summary
Chapter 7. Designing Lessons
Advantages of Lesson Plans
Format
Structure
Assessment
Summary

Part III. Methods and Delivery of Outdoor Education
Chapter 8. Physical Methods
Physical Skills Development
Physical Manipulation
Activities, Games, and Competitions
Theatrics
Initiatives and Ropes Courses
Summary
Chapter 9. Cognitive Methods
Lecture and Discussion
Inquiry
Videography
Service Learning
Written Materials
Peer Teaching
Summary
Chapter 10. Affective Methods
Guided Discovery
Visual Imagery
Storytelling
Scenarios and Case Studies
Summary
Chapter 11. Sample Lessons
Night Hike
Map and Compass
Maple Sugar Bush
Weather
Fishing Ethics
Concepts for Sea Kayakers
Chapter 12. Your Future in Outdoor Education
Working With Mainstream Education
State Standards and High-Stakes Testing
Professional Certification
Education or Advocacy?
Strategic Planning for Professional Growth
Moving Forward in Outdoor Education

Appendix A. Professional Organizations in the United States
Appendix B. Sample Forms
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors

Developer / Author(s)

Ken Gilbertson, PhD, is an associate professor of outdoor education in the department of health, physical education, and recreation, at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), where he is also director of the Center for Environmental Education. He has 30 years of experience teaching outdoor and environmental education at the college level and has taught at nature centers, conducted wilderness education, taught at Outward Bound Schools, and educated a wide range of audiences through the UMD Outdoor Program. Gilbertson’s specialty is in understanding how people learn and applying the methods that will best help them learn about the outdoors. He has designed and constructed a wilderness education curriculum, including a state-of-the-art kit applying several learning theories. Gilbertson has received two outstanding faculty awards, has a UMD leadership scholarship in his name, and is a board member of numerous outdoor education and environmental committees. He also serves as reviewer for the Journal of Experiential Education and of abstracts for the Symposium on Experiential Education Research.

Tim Bates, MEd, is the associate director of the Recreational Sports Outdoor Program, an adjunct faculty member, the coordinator of environmental education, and assistant director of the Center for Environmental Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is certified by the American Canoe Association as an instructor trainer educator of coastal kayaking and is a wilderness first responder from Wilderness Medical Associates. Bates has more than 20 years of experience teaching outdoor, environmental, and science education to people of all ages. In addition to developing curricula for schools and other organizations, he has been involved with the creation of an elementary school focused on environmental education and serves on numerous boards and committees related to the outdoors. His specialty is working with preservice students to help them understand the natural environment; those students then teach this knowledge to others.

Terry McLaughlin, MS, is a freelance environmental educator working in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. With more than 20 years of experience, she has worked in nature centers, with school districts, and in residential outdoor education programs. McLaughlin’s specialty is training outdoor educators to teach. She has taught her creative and innovative methods to graduate students in environmental education. Her methods involve many of the strategies employed in this book. McLaughlin has served on state and local environmental education boards and has served in an advisory capacity for environmental education centers.

Alan Ewert, PhD, is a distinguished and titled professor at Indiana University. He holds the Patricia and Joel Meier Endowed Chair in Outdoor Leadership and serves as the editor of the Journal of Experiential Education. He was the 1996 recipient of the Reynold E. Carlson Award for Distinction in Outdoor Environmental Education; the 2002 recipient of the J.B. Nash Scholar Award through the American Association for Leisure and Recreation; and the 2005 recipient of the Julian W. Smith Award through the Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. A prolific scholar, Ewert has published articles in a variety of journals and books related to outdoor leadership and recreation. He continues his professional service through numerous venues, including his status as a fellow and past president of the Academy of Leisure Sciences and one of the founding editors of the International Journal of Wilderness. Dr. Ewert also serves as a course director and instructor for Outward Bound and the Wilderness Education Association.

Editor(s)

Customer Reviews

Add Review

Name *

Location

Review *

Rating
1 2 3 4 5