Aims of Adventure Education

At its heart, the aims of a given field are directed by its developers and users. Adventure education may have certain aims of its own - I'll leave that up to you to decide for yourself.

First, what is an aim?
An aim is a direction. Call it a "long-term goal" or a "final product." If I were a space exploration agency like NASA, my aim might be to explore and catalog the known universe. Obviously that is more than a goal or an objective, because it is grand in scope, and aspirational rather than specific. An aim of the liberal school of education might be to produce a well-rounded and broadly educated citizenry so that the world might benefit from all sorts of knowledge bases.

But that sounds an awful lot like an "objective."
Aims and objectives are different concepts. Back to my space agency idea - my objectives might include building a long-distance space craft, performing faster-than-light transportation, visiting Alpha Centauri, or developing a system to keep my astronauts in suspended animation. As you can see, my objectives are specific, but all fall in the direction of my aim (exploring and cataloging the universe). Some objectives of Fort Lewis College's Adventure Education program might include creating students who are competent in the outdoors, forming close relationships with local business and guiding companies, or gaining enough community support to continue operations.

So, I believe that the aim of adventure education is to promote the value of education by retaining risk, so that globally-minded citizens can change the world for the better without being frozen by fear. Other aims of adventure education might include safely bringing people into their stretch zones and back again, developing educators who are capable of generating foundational change in their students, or using semi-controlled risky activities to forward the social development of humanity.

The most important thing to remember here is what do you think?
No philosopher has a monopoly on aims and objectives. Adventure education has its principles in many philosophies and theories, but that doesn't mean the aims are set in stone. Open this topic to debate, and you will surely find many differing opinions, all backed by genuine belief and curiosity.

Outward Bound Process Model

Here is the Outward Bound Process Model, sometimes also known as Walsh and Golins Model. ( you might have to zoom in to read)

http://wilderdom.com/theory/OutwardBoundProcessModel.html

1970s: The Outward Bound Educational Process Model

Walsh and Golins (1976) developed the ‘Outward Bound Educational Process Model (Figure 1), which began with the participant undertaking a series of physical activities and group problem solving tasks. This model has been particularly important in the development of an understanding of the experiential education process, as it was one of the first to list the program elements. Walsh and Golins suggested that the tasks needed to be introduced incrementally and have real consequence not vicarious ramifications. Problem solving tasks should be holistic; their solutions requiring the individual’s mental, emotional and physical resources. A state of ‘adaptive dissonance’ whereby a person has two different and conflicting thoughts is then reflected upon, which leads to transfer of learning to future experiences.

http://www.outward-bound.org/docs/research/OB_ed_process_Martin.pdf

So what does that mean?
Well, the OB Process Model is a way of standardizing and recording how a certain type of educational process works (in this case, the process is the OB one). In simple terms, this model is a way of saying that Outward Bound puts its students into new situations that include problems to be solved, and by solving them they create change within themselves and within their group. That's pretty much it. There are certain deeper implications to the OB Process Model, but you don't need to get into that unless you'll be using the model yourself, or are studying processing and facilitation.

Multiple Intelligences

Multiple Intelligences is a theory primarily promoted and developed by Howard Gardner in the 1980s. The concept is that humans are not dictated by a single level of 'intelligence,' but instead are more or less able in several different areas of learning. Those areas (sometimes debated or altered) are spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential.

Spatial learners are able to visualize things within their mind. Concepts and figures are imagined in a virtual world, mentally. Examples of spatial learning would include puzzles, building blocks, mind-webs, and guided meditations.

Linguistic learners understand and absorb language better than others. They are able to learn by reading, writing, listening to stories, or having complex discussions.

Logical-Mathematical learners focus on abstract, logical, and sequentially organized information. They learn through patterns, problem solving, and examination of data and figures.

Bodily-Kinesthetic learners are physically oriented, and learn through the manipulation and use of their bodies. They are best at learning that requires touching, motion, and activity.

Musical learners learn best when information is presented rhythmically, lyrically, or musically. Tones, beats, and the use of voices help them absorb information. Memorization songs, well-spoken lectures, and music are good examples of useful teaching tools.

Interpersonal learners are good at interaction with other people. They learn best through debate, conversation, and team exercises.

Intrapersonal learners are focused on self-reflection and personal enrichment. They learn best through self-examination, solitary research, and personal attention.

Naturalistic learners learn best when interacting with nature and natural elements. They would probably prefer to be outside than in, and natural environments help them focus as opposed to distracting them.

Finally, the existence of Existential learners has been debated. If this is to be included, these learners are best at vast abstraction, and seeing beyond simple facts into the broad concepts of whatever is being taught.

The theory has many practical applications, but is also criticized for its flaws. As an alternative to simple IQ as a method of understanding one's strengths and weaknesses, multiple intelligences is wonderful, as it shows very clearly that no single person learns or adapts the same way as another person. Some students may find that they are strong in the 'musical' area, and that hearing information rhythmically or making music themselves may help retention. However, there is little scientific evidence to support multiple intelligences as anything other than a philosophy or guide. In the Fall 2006 issue of Educational Psychology, Lynn Waterhouse posted a review of multiple intelligences, and concluded that no study had yet shown evidence of its validity (see the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences).

That being said, this theory is a great way to break from the liberal school's hold on our definition of intelligence. Knowing that we are not simple organisms, and that we learn in different ways depending on circumstance and subject, can help both educators and learners diversify their awareness and expand on their ability to learn and adapt.