Introduction
Outdoor activities can have effects on different groups of people in several ways. Armour and Sanford (2013) talked about how outdoor education helps with the positive development of younger children. Whilst Cooley (2014) says how outdoor education has positive effects on students in higher education and how group work can be developed through outdoor education (2015)
My portfolio is going to reflect on the experience I gained from my trip to the Priestley Centre and I will talk about how my experience from this residential can be used in the future for different activities I may take part in. To start with I am going to talk about group work and group dynamics by going into detail on Tuckman and Jenson’s (1977) forming, storming, norming and performing theory and the stages of group development. I will then proceed to talk about learning styles and theories as well as teaching styles and how these can be used within outdoor education, talking more specifically about Kolb’s Learning Cycle (1984) and Mosston’s Spectrum of Teaching Styles (1990). Moving on to talk about communication and how this plays a huge role in outdoor activities, this will more specifically focus on the Johari Window (1955). And then finally on leadership theories and how these affect outdoor education and group work, relating this to Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory (1993).
Discussion
One of the theories used in outdoor education is Tuckman and Jenson’s (1977)
When a student is in school, the options for what the student can do in their free time can impact them for the rest of their life. The choices to partake in an extracurricular activity, such as a sport could benefit one in many ways. They can create core values inside a person which then impacts other aspects of their life as well. Sports are able to give one a standard for the way their life should be spent. The ways a sport could influence a person are seen in The Other Wes Moore, giving both sides of the spectrum.
| More outdoor group trips together, this could be good for their confidence and help improve social skills, this also makes for a happy environment in the work place.
Outdoor play is a great tool to engage a child and incorporate all seven areas of learning. Well thought out activities can excite, challenge and memorize children, teaching them new skills or experience new ideas all through play. For example, building a ball run is a simple activity in itself. However children often work as a team, sharing ideas and overcoming problems in the process. Number could be incorporated if the children are asked to build the ball run from a pre-drawn instruction
I believe in creating a relaxed, warm and supportive atmosphere in a group, as in my experience I have found that it creates a positive environment and suits my style when interacting with and enabling others. (Kyriacou, C.1998:65) writes- with regard to this particular style- ‘This better enables pupils to develop curiosity and interest in the learning activities’ However, this may
Sports can be viewed as a learning environment that helps individuals learn life lessons, foster strong work habits and develop core values all the while learning a sport skill. Youth sports that truly benefit young athletes should be structured to emphasize participation more than just competition. Children enjoy a sport more when they are able to have fun (Humpries). Despite many excesses some sport programs still manage to promote important virtues like self- confidence, teamwork, personal responsibility, coping skills, and persistence. Through sports kids can learn to stay organized and learn how to prioritize (Ferguson). Sports enables development of physical skills and increasing proficiency makes kids feel good about themselves. It teaches kids that failure is something to overcome and and not to fear (Meyerhoff 8-9). Youth sports has many aspects that are truly benefiting for children, but these benefits are slowly being clouded by the negatives that are prominent in today's youth sports.
Sport is incredible in how it can increase confidence, self-esteem, and overall health while teaching children a new ability of working with others as a team, taking direction, and doing things they never thought possible. I want to be able to show what sports is capable of teaching and the rewards that come along with it. The concept of team reveals what is achievable through solidarity that would be impossible in solitary.
Many social factors directly or indirectly shape opinions and influence an individual’s decision to participate in physical activity. These factors change throughout an individual’s life. For example, some children start playing sport because it is fun; others may join a sporting group because their older brother or sister plays that sport. A new sporting complex may open nearby and provide a chance to try a new sport. Coaching clinics might inspire some people to give a sport a go. Teachers can provide both positive and negative sporting experiences.
Being outdoors has a positive impact on children's sense of well-being and helps all aspects of children's development.
Outdoor Education in KS3 and KS4 involves different adventurous activities that can be accomplished either as an individual or in a group. These activities include things such as: residential visits, orienteering, climbing, caving, team building, problem solving and many more. It generally provides depth to the curriculum which makes an important contribution to pupil’s physical, personal and social education (OFSTED, 2004; Priest and Gass, 1997). In order for these activities to be successful and meet the National Curriculum (NC), teachers must make sure all KS3 pupils are taking part in these outdoor adventurous activities (OAA), whilst being intellectually and physically challenged (National Curriculum, 2014). The two schemes of work presented are aimed to meet these NC subject content targets. They are two very different schemes of work but they both provide opportunities for pupils which challenge them both physically and mentally. The year 8 scheme of work focuses on a variety of different OAA activities that can be progressed and developed throughout each lesson and over the period of time they are in school. The content challenges the pupils thinking throughout the whole six weeks, developing the way they think to solve particular problems. Whereas, the year 9 scheme of work primarily focuses on the planning and preparation for a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition which will be carried out at the end of the term.
“When groups are planned so that each member's strengths have authentic importance to the ultimate success of the group's activity, this creates a situation where individual learning styles, skills, and talents are valued, and students shine in their fortes and learn from each other in the areas where they are not as expert.”(Willis)
She was responsible and comfortable with the pace of change as the teacher won the race. The student exhibited a great deal of maturity and growth during the recreational activities. In addition, it will give her the skills to make good choices and decision-making capabilities to help develop skills for life. The leisure activity demonstrated that the young female was responsible, problem solver, independent, mature and thinking for oneself. During the observation, the locus of control was obvious and visible. The young adult was confident and had a positive outlook on the challenges that she faced. She was determined to complete the one-mile walk regardless if she came in the last place. In fact, the student did not feel any pressure to keep up with a teacher while participating in the leisure activity outside. In this case, the physical activity helps the student to develop a better understanding of cognitive function.
People want to enjoy the outdoors, but many don’t have the time or money to travel to rural recreation areas. In The Hamburg Case Study, results showed that people felt recreation areas within the city were more important (Boll, et al 5). There are many variables, but driving for hours is not what most people want to do on their day off. That is if all of the people can drive. Children would benefit most from having a place they can go to enjoy the outdoors. If a nice lake is within walking distance, a Kid can ask to go to the lake as easy as asking to go to the park after school. The people will be motivated to get outside, and
For this assignment the task is to plan a successful trip to either a ‘castle’ or the ‘woods.’ Throughout the module it has been about discussing how children learn and most importantly where. Learning is defined only in the classroom, children learn every second of every day regardless in and out of the classroom. Every individual is unique and each child has different learning styles, some are able to learn at a desk whilst others learn through doing, it is a teacher’s job to know of these styles in order for a child to succeed. “Individual children have different learning styles or preferred ways of interacting with the environment. When learning styles are taken into account learning can be enhanced..” [DCELLS ii 2008:10]
The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (2017) believes that outdoor learning is a powerful tool that is proven to raise achievement, improve social, emotional and personal development and contributes to the health and well-being of children and young people. There is no doubt that children will learn better if they are given space to discover and explore for themselves. The Northern Ireland Curriculum: Primary (2007, p.44) states that outdoor learning has an important role in the emotional development of children where they are “free to run, shout and play exuberantly.” Children can learn about important
The purpose of this reflection is to critically analyse the key issue which, influenced my teaching using Driscoll's model of reflection (2000). This reflective account will examine the impact of the cold thermal environment on teaching and also, justify my choice. Furthermore, I will explore the importance of the key issue and why poor preparation was a contributing factor. To conclude, the reflection will consider health and safety and how it could influence future teaching practice by developing action learning needs