Showing papers in "Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education in 2007"

Outward Bound Giwaykiwin: Connecting to Land and Culture through Indigenous Outdoor Education.

Abstract: This past July I had the opportunity to work as an instructor with Outward Bound Canada’s (OBC) Giwaykiwin Program. Along with a coinstructor, a peer-support staff member, and six high-school-aged students from Indigenous communities across Canada, we completed a 21-day course. Our focus was a 15-day flatwater canoe expedition following the Shining Tree route on the west Montreal River in northern Temagami, Ontario. The course was punctuated by a rock climbing day, a community service day at base camp, and participation in a sweat lodge ceremony.

Exploring the Influence of the ROC Integrated High School Program.

Abstract: 20 I could see ignited in the eyes of my students the fire burning in me. I could see that the changing of hearts and minds had begun. . . . [Integrated] Programs . . . are vehicles to give kids back their own sense of power, their ability to connect, to feel compassion for others and the planet. They reinspire kids to love learning, to think critically and to connect with the Earth that is their home — their home that is in dire need of their compassionate touch. (Hood, 2002, p. 34)

COEO's Landmark Research Summary: "Reconnecting Children through Outdoor Education".

Abstract: Over the past year, Andrea Foster (our first full-time employee thanks to funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation) reviewed a wide array of current and international research into the multiple, powerful and lasting outcomes produced through utilizing outdoor and experiential education (OEE) as a key learning methodology. As co-authors, Andrea and I produced an 80-page document that reports the findings according to COEO’s four stated values, namely, education for curriculum and community, character, wellbeing, and environment.

Expert Opinions on Postsecondary Outdoor Adventure Risk Management Curriculum Design: A Research Note.

Abstract: A study of outdoor adventure risk management education was conducted in the fall of 2003 following the devastating avalanche season of winter 2002–2003, which took close to 50 lives in North America. The study was guided by the desire to better understand effective risk management training of outdoor adventure leaders in postsecondary institutions. Interviews with six industry-recognized outdoor adventure experts were conducted, yielding guidelines for postsecondary curriculum design. Although specifically addressing risk management curriculum, the resulting Principles of Curriculum Design are deemed applicable to other facets of outdoor adventure education. It was not the intent of this study to identify or articulate specific curricular content, but rather to highlight the means by which postsecondary programs can most effectively prepare future outdoor adventure leaders to assess and manage risk professionals. This research note provides a brief synopsis of the study and its findings, while full results have been published in the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (Harper & Robinson, 2005).