OutdoorAdventure Education

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Outdoor/Adventure Education
Jody Duff Technology of Physical Education Health
Education
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The Importance of Adventure/Outdoor Education

• Adventure Education and Outdoor Education have
  many different aspects that make them important. 
  First and foremost is teamwork.  Everything that
  is done in adventure education involves a great
  deal of teamwork.  Nothing can be done alone. 
  Along with teamwork come trust.  Students do many
  trust building activities in adventure
  education.  Almost every activity requires
  spotters.  These spotters are there to help
  protect each other and keep people safe.  They
  have to be responsible and show that they are
  capable of this job for others to trust the
  spotting.  Responsibility-this is another aspect
  of adventure education.  Students are responsible
  for their goals and accomplishments. 

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Challenge By Choice

• An important thing to remember in outdoor
  education is the idea of Challenge by Choice.  In
  outdoor education, students are free to find
  their own limits and challenge themselves
  within. Even if a student chooses not to complete
  a task because of fear or any other reason, he or
  she is not excluded from the activity, but given
  a separate job, such as spotting.  Every student
  in outdoor education chooses his or her goals and
  reaches them internally.  No student is forced or
  made to do anything that makes he or she
  uncomfortable.

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Cooperative Games

•  Cooperative games emphasize participation,
  challenge and fun rather then defeating someone.
  Cooperative games focus on fun and interaction
  rather than competition and alienation.
  Cooperative games are not new. Some of the
  classic games we participated in as children are
  classic because of the play emphasis. There may
  be competition involved, but the outcome of the
  competition is not sitting out or losing.
  Instead, it may involve switching teams so that
  everyone ends up on the winning team.

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Goals of Cooperative Games

•  1. To work together as a group for both
  individual and collective development, on the
  physical, mental and spiritual levels.
• 2. To serve others by
• giving support and
• constructive feedback.

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Goals of Cooperative Games, cont.

• 3. To overcome fears that arise in the game, and
  to gain the courage to confront other fears in
  ones life.
• 4. To work together as a group in attempting what
  seems impossible, and to feel good about our
  efforts and successes.
• 5. To have a lot of fun together.

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Initiative Games

• Initiative Games are not unlike "normal" games.
  They differ in that most Initiative Games do not
  conclude with Winners and Losers as found in most
  traditional games we have become used to, where
  the object is playing not to lose. Rather, the
  focus is on making a Win for everyone, where
  effort counts at any level.

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Initiative Games

• In the context of encouragement and learning,
  Initiative Games provide experiences for groups
  and individuals to solve problems, get to know
  each other, come into physical contact with each
  other, communicate, test and confront imagined
  limitations, build teams, and face up to a
  variety of other challenges. They are played
  indoors and outdoors and most often involve two
  or more people.

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1st Purpose of Initiative Games

• Ice breakers
• 1. If the group is composed of people from
  different groups, the games will allow them to
  become acquainted with each other and learn each
  others names.
• 2. Helps the member of the group to become
  comfortable with being touched by each other.
• 3. Helps to overcome shyness In telling strangers
  about ourselves.

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2nd Purpose of Initiative Games

• Help the participants to loosen up and stretch
  their muscles.
• Certain games will have a tendency to stretch
  muscles so that there are no injuries due to poor
  preparation.

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3rd Purpose of Initiative Games

• Finally the games are a way of preparing the
  participants to work together to solve problems
  and prevent Injury.
• 1. The games all involve group decision-making.
• 2. Teamwork is involved in order to achieve the
  desired goal.
• 3. Spotting techniques are learned that will be
  used in many activities, including the higher
  elements of a ropes course.

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Team Building
Top Ten Reasons for Team Building

• 1. To gain dynamic rapport among team
  members.2. To open the climate for streamlined
  communication.3. To stimulate creativity.4. To
  discover new ways of strategizing and solving
  challenges.5. To surface hidden problems
  agendas.

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Team Building
Top Ten Continued

• 6. To appreciate individual differences and
  strengths.7. To learn trust.8. To welcome and
  handle change.9. To strengthen teamwork and
  motivation.10. To learn and have fun at the same
  time!

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