After reading through the outdoor learning literature review on teaching styles and change in the attitude through sharing practice in outdoor learning I personally feel in comparison with North America, there is relatively little in the UK literature which focuses on teaching styles, although there is a literature on skills teaching. However, it is reasonable to draw inferences regarding teaching styles from recently enunciated statements regarding the nature of Outdoor Education. The implications are that Outdoor Educators would teach for experiential learning, which here has the meaning of unmediated learning. Two consequences follow from this experiential approach: firstly, students are encouraged to take increasing responsibility for their own learning; and secondly, personal development is facilitated.
Carver (1996) defines four pedagogical principles of experiential education. The first principle, authenticity, can be related to Proudman”s (1995) emotionally based learning. The second principle is active learning, which can be related to Chapman”s (1995) engagement of mind. The third principle, drawing on student experiences, is self-evidently at the heart of experiential learning. The fourth principle is providing mechanisms of connecting experience for future opportunity. The final principle is related to the major contribution of Dewey (1938), who argued that experience alone is not sufficient to be of educational value, but must also be reflected upon. Similarly, Proudman (1995) argues for a series of working principles. These include a mixture of content and process, an absence of teacher judgment, a re-examination of values, meaningful relationships and challenging students to operate outside their comfort zones”. More negatively, Wichmann (1995) points to a number of syndromes that are commonly adopted by teachers when they fail to adopt a deep approach towards Experiential Education. One example is the “cookbook” (1995, p.113) syndrome, where activities are deemed to work if firstly, students do them without losing interest; secondly, they fill a time slot; and thirdly, they have a reputation for working. By posing these syndromes, Wichmann (1995) argues for the necessity of developing criteria for distinguishing practice where the aims of the educational experience have been poorly thought out, from practice where the aims have been subject to careful deliberation.
References Barrett and Greenaway (1995) Why Adventure? A Review of Research Coventry: Foundation for Outdoor Adventure.
Blumenfeld, P (1992) Classroom Learning and Motivation: Clarifying and Expanding Goal Theory Journal of Educational Psychology 84 272-281.
Carver, R (1996) Theory for Practice: A framework for thinking about experiential education The Journal of Experiential Education 19, 1 8-13.
Chapman, S. (1995) What is the Question? In K. Warren, M. Sakofs and Hunt The Theory of Experiential Education (pp. 236-239)
