Constructivism

Constructivism is a fancy term for a simple concept.

Did you learn algebra in school? Most of us did, and you might be able to solve for "x" if I were to give you a simple equation like 4x + 1 = 9. Could you have learned how to solve for x without first knowing about addition, multiplication, and other simple operations? Probably not.

Constructivism is the idea that all new knowledge or information must be built on prior information. Without understanding the basic nature of danger, "risk" would be meaningless. Without the basic understanding of what risks are, the term "adventure" is meaningless. Without understanding the nature of adventure, one cannot hope to be a good adventure educator.

This theory says that as we learn, we develop "constructs," what you might call "building blocks" or "concepts" about a particular topic. Those constructs can be built up, combined, added to, or ignored entirely! As we learn more, develop more, and face new questions, those constructs will be modified and utilized to make strong foundations for our understanding.

So how can we use this in our educational practices?
Learning can't be layered on to students before they are ready for the next layer. If you were a traditional teacher, you might simply test a student until they had mastered a skill before moving on (the standardized testing and grading system in most of the United States operates this way - you aren't allowed to move from Math I to Math II without passing, and you repeat a class that you have failed, continuing the cycle). We aren't traditional teachers, though, are we? One thing we can do is allow the student to solve problems with guidance or as a group. This way, they answer their own questions, make new discoveries, and progress at their own developmental pace. Along the way, an adventure educator might challenge their students to develop strong constructs based on their experiences and on other available evidence. Rushing students along would be like rushing the production of the foundation of your house - something that could eventually lead to disaster, as the foundation might not hold up the weight of a house for very long.

Again, Constructivism is a complex term for a simple idea - that learning is built on prior learning and experiences. Remember the mental "houses" of your students, and you won't ignore the progress of their foundations.

This is another excellent resource for understanding Constructivism:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

Issues in Adventure Education: Gender Disparity

In our American culture, we typically associate adventure, risk, and danger with men and masculinity. The foundation of that association is sexism - whether intentional or not. As educators, we must pay close attention to our words, our actions, and how those effect the learning and experiences of all of our participants, regardless of gender.

The fact of the matter is that gender is not the defining factor in many of the issues that we make it out to be. Strength, intelligence, emotional capacity, group interaction, teamwork, and approach to learning are all things which cannot be reasonably separated by gender. It should be understood, then, that making your activities more "girly" or "emotional" is not an effective or appropriate response to having women in your classroom. Paying close attention to the culture within your class is important to ensure that no student feels restricted or limited. Unfortunately, that is often the case, as research has shown us that women-only groups often feel more comfortable talking about issues together. It would be foolish to assume that this is because women are "naturally cliquey" or "better at talking about feelings." Instead, we should be looking at the reason women may feel less comfortable in a typical classroom.

Wilderdom (as usual) has an excellent page on gender issues: http://wilderdom.com/Gender.htm

Issues in Adventure Education: The Economic Power of Outdoor Recreation

The Economic Power of Outdoor Recreation | The White House
Although the above article is not a philosophy/theory specific article, I do wonder what issues occur in the adventure education field when people are creating a emphasis on economic growth in the field. The PR/Press is great, yet we should ask, where are the jobs? While there may be plenty of people who will be willing to take you fishing or backpacking, one must wonder where the long term sustainability for these jobs will come from, besides the fact that many of them pay little over $20,000 a year, if that much. One phrase I’ve kept with me throughout my journey through this field is “There will always be a younger stronger guy willing to carry a heavier pack.” Now what does this say about all these jobs or all these candidates? The creation of adventure education programs in four year institutions is a fairly new development, and in some ways it still seems to be finding its place. Now don’t get me wrong, in comparison to other degrees if feel I have an extensive understanding of my field through these programs. With that being said with many programs you have to wonder if these programs are flooding the field. There are only a handful of positions making more than $60,000 per year in the entire United States. For instance, I believe its fair to say that 90% of those people have at least a master’s degree. To see this in action, attend the AORE conference, which includes most of the best paid college and skills-based adventure program directors - there are only a few hundred of them! So if you are not going to get one of those handful of jobs, is this a career worth going to college for?While there are plenty of other personal reasons to go to college, I guess the final point I want to touch on is that the advertising of this career field is over flooding an already over flooded market limiting the futures of those with desires to pursue such a lifestyle.

What do you think? Is it worth it? Are there enough jobs to go around? Would your time be better spent by getting field work BEFORE getting a degree?