An experience with a client with cerebral palsy at an adventure education challenge course generated a review among program leaders of communication, consent, and choice issues concerning children with special needs. Lessons learned include: learn the participant's communication cues, explain the activity with the participant, and have the…

This paper provides guidelines and examples for developing a college outdoor education program. From a literature review, an examination of existing college outdoor programs, and the author's personal experiences with outdoor programming at the California State University (Chico), the following 15 steps in developing a program were derived: (1)…

At Indiana University, the Department of Recreation and Park Administration and Indiana University Outdoor Adventures (IUOA) work together to offer university students for-credit courses in recreation skills. Since 1997, graduate students trained and directed by IUOA have taught 1-credit courses in specific outdoor skills, based on nationally…

Basic concepts of experiential learning theory are presented to assist camp directors in choosing knowledgeable staff and developing successful adventure programs. These concepts include assessment of learner (camper) readiness, activity sequencing, learning cycle, comfort zone, activity framing, task goals versus process goals, and five stages of…

Discusses Alan Hales's model of safety management in the context of caving. When two sets of hazards, human and environmental, are present together, risk occurs. Objective risk is uncontrollable and should be avoided in educational settings; subjective risk is controllable. Presents positive and negative strategies for engaging or avoiding…

Describes duties and responsibilities of outdoor instructors under British criminal and civil law. Discusses elements of negligence under civil law including damage, duty of care, standard of care, in loco parentis, students' duty of care, foreseeability, and employer's legal duty. Presents risk management in terms of primary, secondary, and…

Identifies competencies required for outdoor leaders in England to gain a National Vocational Qualification in training and development. Describes how an outdoor leader encouraged collaborative learning among participants on a canoeing trip and how the skills and knowledge required of the outdoor leader related to training and development…

A survey completed by 189 persons attending the 1983 National Association for Experiential Education Conference resulted in a rank ordered list of 39 competency areas, considered essential to the effective outdoor leader. Respondents placed greatest importance on items related to safety, group counseling, and interaction. (JHZ)

Single-sex adventure education programs for adolescent women give them space to challenge traditional feminine roles, relate to other women without the pressures of mixed-sex groups, and examine issues such as personal relationships and health within a safe environment. If there are insufficient women facilitators, male staff should have awareness…

An outdoor education leader's job is quite complex--the planning, logistics, preparation, teaching, watching, being aware of safety can be overwhelming. Pulling it all together so that participants can express what they learned from the experience is sometimes overlooked. The reflective process is integral to the success of learning, yet it takes…

This proceedings begins with a brief history of the International Conference on Outdoor Recreation and Education (ICORE), 1984-2001. Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) Leadership Award recipients are then listed, followed by an annotated bibliography of the 16 winners of the National Outdoor Book Award. The proceedings contains…

Outdoor leaders should address emotional safety and anxiety in program planning and reconsider the common practice of pushing participants, particularly troubled youth, out of comfort zones by purposefully increasing perceived risk. An alternative model of adventure education is proposed in which the greatest amount of change and growth comes from…

Moving active learning forward calls for a focus on learners' actorship, not program activities, and requires distinguishing between active learning and active teaching. Experiential education offers an alternative to didactic approaches, not a more attractive form of it. Accepting traditional principles and procedures of…

A review of research in cognitive and social psychology reveals the importance of situation assessment in the development of decision-making expertise. A naturalistic training model is presented for outdoor leaders that includes training for ill-structured problems, a heavy workload, time stress, and high stakes, as well as multiple players and…

Reviews theories of leadership development relevant to the design of outdoor adventure programs for corporate executives and managers. Summarizes likely objectives and methods of outdoor development programs and their theoretical basis. Presents a framework for program comparison that correlates leadership outcomes with learning methods at…