Designing Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Programs

1
Designing Outdoor Recreation and Adventure
Programs

• Carrie Maines
• Margie Sawyer

2
Connecting Secondary Physical Education with the
Lives of the Students

• Bane McCracken implemented a curriculum
  consistent with the activities that were
  available and unique to the mountainous
  environment of Ona, WV.
• Many children are ignoring the evidence
  confirming the health related benefits of
  engaging in moderate levels of physical activity
  and opting to lead sedentary lifestyles.
• Concerned about those ages 12-21.

3
Contextual Description

• 1997 NASPE Secondary Teacher of the Year.
• Cabell Midland High School in Ona, West Virginia.
• Small rural town located forty miles west of
  Charleston.
• Grades 9-12, just over 2,000 students, 6 full
  time PE teachers.
• Introduction to Physical Education

4
Cabell Midlands Outdoor Recreation Class

• How it began
• Currently the class consists of mountain biking,
  white water rafting, downhill skiing, archery,
  fly fishing, hiking, backpacking, orienteering,
  leave no trace camp ethics, and wilderness
  survival.
• Why these activities?

5
Class objective to connect the curriculum with
students lives outside of school.

• If/how is this objective being met?
• Graham (1995) suggests talking to the actual
  participants.
• Spring 1997, researchers made several visits and
  became more familiar with the students.
• Small group interviews with students who were or
  had his outdoor recreation class during the
  1996-1997 academic year.

6
The Interview

• End of spring semester.
• Interviews took place in athletic training room.
• Tape recorded.
• Students were questioned about their likes,
  dislikes, and experiences as part of Mr.
  McCrackens outdoor recreation class.
• Nine triads of students were interviewed.
• Two triads of females.
• Seven triads of males.

7
The Interview Continued

• Interviews were transcribed and read on numerous
  occasions to identify categories of underlying
  uniformities and common themes of greater
  generality as recommended by Lincoln and Guba
  (1985).
• The students names have been changed to provide
  anonymity.

8
Students Perceptions of their experience.

• Participation in New Activities
• Participation Outside of School
• Expectation of Learning
• Getting in Shape
• Demonstrating Learning Through Portfolios

9
Implications for the K-12 PE Teacher

• Health professionals are calling upon us to equip
  students with the skills and knowledge to be
  physically active for a lifetime.
• curricula and instruction that emphasize
  enjoyable participation in physical activity
  and help student develop the knowledge,
  attitudes, motor skills, behavioral skills, and
  confidence needed to adopt and maintain
  physically active lifestyle.
• PE must connect curricula with students lives
  outside of school.

10
An Evaluation of Adventure Education Components
in a Residential Learning Community

• The Journal of Experiential Education
• By Andrew J. Bobilya and Lynn D. Akey
• Fall 2002

11
Purpose of the Study

• The intent of the study was to determine the
  impact that an adventure education program would
  have on the students in class learning and their
  overall experience at the university.

12
Participants

• Students who wanted to take part in the study
  were required to meet certain criteria
• First semester freshmen
• Member of the MSU Learning Community Program
  during the 2000-2001 academic year
• Must work with his/her designated learning
  community
• A total of 35 students met the criteria and were
  eligible to participate however, only 14
  students actually chosen to participate

13
The Adventure Education Program

• Included both a high and low ropes course, and a
  climbing/rappelling wall.
• Of the 14 students who were chosen to
  participate, 7 chose the low ropes course and 7
  chose the high ropes course

14
High Ropes Course

• Designed as a circuit program.
• Students all started the circuit at the same
  point, and continued until they decided that they
  had either reached their set goal or completed
  the circuit.
• Students could complete the elements individually
  or as a group.

15
Elements of the High Ropes Course

• Vertical and horizontal cargo nets
• Log walk
• Burma bridge
• Giant swing
• Dangle duo
• Corporate Ladder
• Pamper pole

16
Low Ropes Course

• Included more stationary events, such as
• Spiders web
• T-p shuffle
• Nitro Crossing
• Also included many portable events and events
  without props.

17
Group Interviews

• Five groups of 2 to 4 participants were randomly
  selected to take part in group interviews and
  limited observations in order to determine the
  overall success of the adventure education
  program.
• Each group met for one hour and was given a
  mixture of 12 open-ended and structured
  questions.
• A few examples of the questions
• 1) How do you think that your participation on
  the high ropes course impacted your experiences
  in the classroom or your overall experiences here
  at MSU?
• 2) When do you remember the high ropes course
  experience, what stands out in your mind?

18
Group Interviews Continued

• During the group interview 2 facilitators were
  present, while one facilitator led the group
  discussion, the other audio recorded the
  discussion and took notes.
• The results of this study were based on responses
  given during the group interviews.
• The data was then analyzed using a
  data-unit-constant-comparative method, which
  categorized the transcribed responses into common
  themes.

19
What Did the Researchers Learn?

• Determined by the results of the group
  interviews
• The ropes course facilitates
• The development of critical thinking skills
• A personal sense of competence
• The awareness of peer support
• The development of peer support for academic
  success
• Social integration
• Community development based upon components of
  trust, communication and respect
• Helping students develop personal relationships
  with faculty
• Providing an alternative environment for learning
  and socialization
• Providing students a bond which is developed
  through a shared experience
• The development of teamwork with a community

20
Common Themes

• The results produced three common themes that
  indicated the overall experience of the students
• Connection to Students, Faculty, and the
  University (The recognition of peer support,
  social integration, development of community,
  forming relationships with faculty, and having a
  common bond with others)
• Self-learning and Transferable Skills (Critical
  thinking, personal sense of competence, and
  teamwork)
• Support for Academic and In Class Learning (The
  development of peer academic support
  relationships, relationships with faculty,
  personal development, and critical-thinking
  skills)

21
Ropes Are Taking Over Our Childrens Schools

• Students and teachers talk about the new rock
  climbing wall in their gym, at Tuckahoe
  Elementary School in Arlington, VA
• They love it, said Bruce Keith, a physical
  education instructor at Tuckahoe. Physical
  education is not the favorite subject for a lot
  of kids. But after the wall was introduced,
  Keith said, one parent told him, My kid talked
  about physical education for the first time.
• Jennifer Frias, 10 was one of the risk takers,
  starting right in on the hardest panel. I like
  a challenge, she said confidently, adding that
  the usual PE activities like jumping rope and
  basketball, arent hard for me.

22
Implications for the PE Teacher

• The relevance of what is taught both in and out
  of the classroom is what students will retain as
  they generalize concepts and ideas across
  disciplines and into other areas of their life.
• Adventure activities place faculty and students
  in a novel environment where the entire group
  works together as partners making decisions,
  analyzing various options, and following a plan
  to its conclusion.

23
Chapter 9

• Participants develop trust, teamwork,
  leadership, and strategic planning skills.
• Emphasizes the process rather than the outcome of
  the activity.
• Do-it-yourself-with-guidance approach to
  learning.
• Those skilled at sports usually are not the
  ones to shine.
• Activities challenge, motivate, and assist in
  self-actualization of the learning process.
• Problem solving rather than competitive dominance.

24
Chapter 9 Continued

• Create an environment that is intellectually
  challenging, personally stimulating, and
  emotionally rewarding.
• Outdoor recreation versus outdoor adventure.
• Low risk, medium risk, and high risk activities.
• Role of the teacher leading from behind.
• Role of the student.

25
Outdoor Activities

• Challenge Ropes Courses
• Psychological (problem solving, overcoming
  fear/self-efficacy, belonging.)
• Social (communication, group membership, trust.)
• Physical (balance, coordination, agility,
  strength.)
• Rock Climbing
• Psychological (self-efficacy, personal testing,
  confidence, sensation seeking.)
• Social (trust, communication, group cooperation.)
• Physical (muscular strength and endurance,
  balance, coordination, agility, flexibility.)

26
Outdoor Activities Continued

• Hiking and Backpacking
• Psychological (actualization, catharsis, stress
  relief.)
• Social (friendship, sense of community,
  belonging.)
• Physical (Cardiovascular endurance.)
• Camping
• Psychological (actualization, self-efficacy.)
• Social (group cooperation, respect for others,
  communication, friendship, and belonging.)
• Physical (depends on the type of camp and the
  activities selected.)

27
Outdoor Activities Continued

• Mountain Biking
• Psychological (personal testing, self confidence,
  sensation seeking.)
• Social (respect for others.)
• Physical (Balance, coordination, cardiovascular
  endurance, muscular endurance, riding skills.)
• In-line Skating
• Psychological (personal testing, self-confidence,
  sensation seeking.)
• Social (Friendship, belonging.)
• Physical (Balance, coordination, cardiovascular
  endurance, skating skills.)

28
Outdoor Activities Continued

• Canoeing and Kayaking
• Psychological (self-efficacy, self-concept,
  sensation seeking, personal testing.)
• Social (respect for others, communication,
  trust.)
• Physical (muscular strength and endurance,
  cardiovascular endurance.)
• Snorkeling
• Psychological (confidence, self-efficacy,
  sensation seeking.)
• Social (respect for others, friendship.)
• Physical (cardiovascular endurance.)

29
Outdoor Activities Continued

• Cross-Country Skiing
• Psychological (well being, catharsis.)
• Social (friendship, respect for others.)
• Physical (cardiovascular endurance.)
• Snowshoeing
• Psychological (actualization, catharsis, stress
  relief.)
• Social (friendship, sense of community,
  belonging.)
• Physical (cardiovascular endurance.)