Outdoor leadership aims to assist outdoor participants in making logical and safe transitions from the routine of everyday life to a positive interaction with the natural world. Designed for outdoor leaders and administrators of recreational, educational, and adventure programs, this book provides an overview of current professional practices in…

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)

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…

In this paper, multiple authors present research findings on the components and outcomes of an outdoor education trip involving college students, responses to the findings, and recommendations for a research agenda. The Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE) program at Indiana University provides classroom and outdoor experiential…

Paul Petzoldt, an early pioneer in outdoor education, saw the need for trained outdoor leaders. This paper presents material from unpublished papers retrieved after his death that clarify and expand on his philosophy of leadership development. Key ideas such as: judgment, 20-20 vision, and use of wilderness expeditions, are expanded upon and…

A study examined the dynamics of female-female and male-female instructor pairings in challenge-course instructor training workshops. Thank-you notes from 47 participants indicated that women instructors were seen differently from men and were also seen differently when working with each other. Whether this is due to actual differences or…

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…

Petzoldt's "grasshopper" method of teaching was a systematic adaptation of opportunity teaching or using the teachable moment. An excellent example of effective experiential education, it presented small, manageable bites of information which were immediately relevant. His emphasis on the importance of judgment and decision making and the first 24…

The Wilderness Education Association (WEA) helps people enjoy and protect our nation's most precious resource: Our wilderness areas. The WEA has been training and certifying outdoor leaders around the world for nearly 30 years, teaching students safely and effectively to lead groups in the outdoors without harming the environment. In addition,…

For over 7 years, the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) and three universities have been using a systematic approach to leadership training in the outdoors: the experiential leadership education (ELE) method. The effectiveness of this approach was investigated by an aerospace expert interested in leadership training for isolated groups. A…

Paul Petzoldt, co-founder of the Wilderness Education Association (WEA), helped mold the profession of outdoor leadership as we know it today. After his death in 1999, numerous field journals, old speeches, and personal correspondence were salvaged in order to refresh, clarify, and preserve Petzoldt's philosophy and teaching methods. The…

A case study of an outdoor leader training expedition illustrates how the experiential leadership education model works. A leadership style inventory shows which leadership styles are strong and which need practicing. Data from participants compare leader perceptions of group dynamics with those of the group. A journal of leadership decisions…

L. B. Sharp's 1930 doctoral dissertation and later research helped establish outdoor education as a valid learning method. He established an outdoor education leadership training camp, and believed that camps should be an integral part of educational facilities. He advocated experiential learning, claiming that children with limited experiences…

Discusses the advantages of a four-year undergraduate liberal arts program for preparing students to lead educational, therapeutic, and recreational experiences in outdoor settings. Recommends a curriculum design that balances training and education with reflection and action (praxis). Outlines the content of an outdoor leadership curriculum and…