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ISSN: 0840-8114

PathwaysTHE ONTARIO JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATIONSpring 2007, 19(3)

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PathwaysThe Council of Outdoor Educators of

Ontario Board of Directors

President: Shane Kramer

Past President: Grant Linney

Vice President: Kyle Clarke

Treasurer: Astrid Turner

Secretary: Laura Yakutchik

Director At Large: Mark Jurgens

Director At Large: Steve McElroy

Director At Large: Jane Wadden

Central Region: Steve Turner

Eastern Region: Zabe MacEachren

Western Region: Mike Elrick

Northern Region: Heather Flack

Membership: Ron Williamson

Our mailing address:The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario1185 Eglinton Avenue EastToronto, ON M3C 3C6

Our website address:www.coeo.org

COEO

Formed in 1972, The Council of OutdoorEducators of Ontario (COEO) is a non-profit,volunteer-based organization that promotes safe,quality outdoor education experiences for peopleof all ages. This is achieved through publishing thePathways journal, running an annual conferenceand regional workshops, maintaining a website,and working with kindred organizations as well asgovernment agencies.

Contributions Welcome

Pathways is always looking for contributions. Ifyou are interested in making a submission, ofeither a written or illustrative nature, we would behappy to hear from you. For a copy of oursubmission guidelines, please contact RandeeHolmes, Managing Editor.

If you are interested in being a guest editor of anissue of Pathways, please request a copy of ourguidelines for guest editors from Randee Holmes,Managing Editor.

If you have any questions regarding Pathways,please direct them to Kathy Haras, Chair of thePathways Editorial Board. If you’d like moreinformation about COEO and joining theorganization, please refer to the inside back coverof this issue or contact a Board of Directorsmember.

Our advertising policy:Pathways accepts advertisements for products andservices that may be of interest to our readers. Toreceive an advertising information package, pleasecontact Kathy Haras, Chair of the PathwaysEditorial Board. We maintain the right to refuseany advertisement we feel is not in keeping withour mandate and our readers’ interests.

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FeaturesOutward Bound Giwaykiwin: Connecting to Land and Culturethrough Indigenous Outdoor Education ......................................... 4

Greg LowanBack to Basics: Meditations on Quality vs. Quantity inOutdoor Education ......................................................................... 7

Andrew McMartinResponse to Back to Basics .............................................................. 13

Doug JacquesHeadwaters: The Next Stage in High School IntegratedProgramming ................................................................................... 14

Michael ElrickExploring the Influence of the ROC Integrated HighSchool Program .............................................................................. 20

Scott CaspellResponse to Exploring the Influence of the ROC Integrated HighSchool Program ................................................................................ 28

Michael ElrickFree Life: A Report from the “Outdoor Life for Women”Program in Sweden ........................................................................ 29

Kerstin Stenberg

ColumnsEditors’ Log Book ...………...…………................…………..…..…… 2

Bryan Grimwood and Scott CaspellPresident’s View .......……...……..…….............…………..……....…. 3

Shane KramerIn the Field ............................……...………........…….……..…..…. 34

Melanie ArgirosProspect Point............................……...………........…….……...…. 36

Ilan Alleson and Rachel Birenbaum

PathwaysPathways Editorial Board

Chair: Kathy HarasAdventureworks! Associates Inc.

Scott Caspell

Allan Foster

Peter Goddard

Ian Hendry

Zabe MacEachren

Erin Sharpe

Friends of PathwaysClare Magee, Barrie Martin,

Barb McKean and Mark Whitcombe

Managing Editor: Randee Holmes

ISSN: 0840-8114Pathways is printed on recycled paper.

Pathways is published four times a year for The Council of OutdoorEducators of Ontario (COEO) and distributed to COEO members.Membership fees include a subscription to Pathways, as well asadmittance to workshops, courses and conferences. A membershipapplication form is included on the inside back cover of this issue ofPathways.

Opinions expressed in Pathways are those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect those of the Pathways Editorial Board or COEO.Advertising included in Pathways should not be interpreted as anendorsement by COEO of the products or services represented. Allrights reserved.

Articles in Pathways may be reproduced only with permission.Requests must be made in writing and should be directed to BobHenderson, Chair, Pathways Editorial Board.

THE ONTARIO JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATIONSpring 2007, 19(3)

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ditors’ Log BookE

Sketch Pad — Art for this issue of Pathways was generously provided by Katie Schlegel(pages 17, 28, 32 and 34) and Leslie Luxemburger (cover). Katie supply teaches with theLambton Kent District School Board where she is passing on her love of the outdoors and artto the many minions of students she comes across. Leslie is a Toronto-based artist pursuinghis Master in Environmental Studies degree at York University.

With great pleasure and enthusiasm we offerto the Pathways’ audience this collection ofarticles, lodged within the vast roofs andexpansive walls that frame the theme for thisissue: backcountry learning. As the guest editorsfor this issue, we would like to thank allcontributors for their committed efforts andtip our hat — once again — to Bob Hendersonfor being the steady pillar that supportsPathways’ editorial structure.

Among the contributions in this issue, readerswill notice a variety of perspectives andpassions that surround backcountry learning.Included within the following pages we haveresearch reports on and program details aboutintegrated curriculum courses; reviews fromIndigenous outdoor education practices atOutward Bound Canada; a meditative pushfor a greater focus on quality educationalexperiences in the backcountry; a descriptivereflection from a youth’s experience on anextended canoe trip; and a report fromSweden on an outdoor life program forwomen. The realm of the backcountrylearning theme is remarkable and incorporatesa diverse range of topics. And within thisissue, we only brush the surface of thebackcountry learning waters! So, please, usethis issue as a basis to move forward withdocumenting more about the values ofbackcountry learning and the merit of safeoutdoor education practices.

We are also delighted to have two long-standing COEO members contributeresponses to articles in this issue. DougJacques and Mike Elrick lend their insightfultalents and assist us in continuing our aim ofinspiring thoughtful dialogue and reflectionwithin Pathways’ pages. With these responses,we at Pathways hope to initiate conversations

and discussions that readers can extend deeperinto their home and work communities anduse to broaden their own learning and practices.After reading both article and response,perhaps you will feel more capably armed!

With warm weather and sunnier skiesapproaching, we hope that this timely issueprovides inspiration for discovering moreabout the value of backcountry learningexperiences for you and your students. And,with certainty, this issue complements therecent release of COEO’s landmarkpublication Reconnecting Children throughOutdoor Education. Perhaps these readings willenergize you to head outside with your class,plan an autumn hiking trip with friends orfamily, sit quietly alone with your back restingagainst an old cedar, or write and share yourown reflections on how backcountry learningis important and relevant to Ontario’seducational landscape. Regardless of the mode,enjoy, be safe and, along the way, tell morepeople about how privileged we are to live in aplace that provides access to such magicallywild treasures — right in our own backyards.

Bryan Grimwood and Scott Caspell

In the last decade, Bryan Grimwood has been acamp counselor, section director, canoe trip leader,and the Director of Outdoor Education atKandalore. He begins PhD studies in theDepartment of Geography and EnvironmentalStudies at Carleton University in September 2007.

Scott Caspell is currently finishing up his BEd withthe Outdoor, Experiential and EcologicalEducation (OE3) specialization at LakeheadUniversity. Scott is looking forward to springpaddling and another summer working withOutward Bound Canada.

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resident’s ViewPAs the final days of our Trillium grant wane,there is a great deal of anticipation regardingthe COEO research summary. The summarywill be published by the time you are readingthis article and, if you haven’t already orderedyourself a copy, I highly recommend that youdo. The COEO research summary is tool thatpractitioners and academics alike can utilize tosupport outdoor education in general, and themission of COEO in particular. It can be usedto educate others about the importance ofoutdoor education as a method not only todeliver curriculum, but also to help createhealthier, more environmentally consciouscitizens who are contributing members of ourcommunities. I’m sure you will agree once youhave a chance to view it. I would like to offer acongratulatory note and a big thanks to GrantLinney and Andrea Foster for their hard workand dedication to this project.

We also updated COEO’s strategic plan withthe help of the Trillium grant. This pastFebruary, a mix of COEO members gottogether to look at the “big picture” and todetermine where we want to go as anorganization. Our organization’s strengths andweaknesses were analysed in order todetermine how we can move forward from here.A sub-committee was established to continuetransferring the big picture ideas into aworkable plan for the future. We will continuedeveloping this plan and bring it forward tothe membership in the next short while.

To carry out the work of our organization,COEO relies on the efforts and commitmentof volunteers. At times it has been difficult toattract people to step forward to act on thegoals of the organization; yet, there is also aflip side to this equation that has often beenoverlooked. There have been people who have

inquired, “What can I do to help COEO?” andwe have not always been able to respond tothese inquires effectively. In the past, we didnot have a plan in place to direct volunteercontributions, other than the Board ofDirectors, Pathways and the annualconferences. To those who have felt frustratedwhen they asked what they could do and werenot given a satisfactory reply, I apologize. Weare acting to remedy this situation with awritten Volunteer Strategy. The purpose of thestrategy document will be to lay out theblueprint of where we need people to helpCOEO function throughout the wholeorganization. The document will outlineopportunities for those whose interests maylie outside the “traditional” volunteerpositions. For example, it will outline a rangeof opportunities for those who might have anhour or two a month to contribute, those whoare interested in more short-term projects, andso on. When the Volunteer Strategy isimplemented, it is our goal that it will helpcreate a stronger, more vibrant organization.We also believe this strategy will enable amore cohesive, organized effort that can helpus achieve our organizational objectives.

As I wrap up this column, I would like towelcome Kathy Haras to the position of Chairof the Pathways Editorial Board. Due to someunforeseen changes, Christine Beevis’ time asChair of the Pathways Editorial Board was cutshort; we wish Christine all the best in herfuture endeavours. As for Kathy, as a practicingoutdoor educator with a substantialunderstanding of outdoor education, I amsure she will be able to maintain the standardsof Pathways and carry it to new successes.Welcome aboard, Kathy!

Shane Kramer

DATE

June 2, 2007

September 15, 2007

TIME

9:30 am – 4:00 pm

9:30 am – 4:00 pm

LOCATION

TBD

TBD

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This past July I had the opportunity to work asan instructor with Outward Bound Canada’s(OBC) Giwaykiwin Program. Along with a co-instructor, a peer-support staff member, andsix high-school-aged students from Indigenouscommunities across Canada, we completed a21-day course. Our focus was a 15-day flat-water canoe expedition following the ShiningTree route on the west Montreal River innorthern Temagami, Ontario. The course waspunctuated by a rock climbing day, acommunity service day at base camp, andparticipation in a sweat lodge ceremony.

According to OBC (2006), the GiwaykiwinProgram was founded in 1985 in response to arecognized need for programming specific tostudents from Indigenous backgrounds. TheGiwaykiwin program aims to integrateOutward Bound (OB) and Indigenousphilosophies and traditions. Giwaykiwinmeans “coming home” in Ojibwa and signifiesthe program’s philosophy of creating anopportunity for students to reconnect withtheir Indigenous cultures and the land. Thisconcept would be supported by Armstrong(1987) who describes the importance oflearning experientially on the land intraditional Indigenous education.

Giwaykiwin participants come to OB from avariety of backgrounds. Some are referred bysocial service organizations, while othersenroll with the support of their families orcommunities. Communities or organizationsmay also request exclusive contract courses.On our course we had a wonderfully diversemix of students from the west coast of Canadato Northern Quebec. Being of Miq Maqancestry myself (New Brunswick), werepresented Indigenous peoples from coast tocoast!

The multiculturalism within our group createda unique learning environment. We had somestudents with extensive experience in thetraditional teachings of their Nation andothers with none at all. Some of our studentswere also raised in the Christian tradition.Ceremonies were a routine, but optional,component of our course. Some studentsparticipated daily in smudging (a purificationceremony) and the offering of tobacco, whileothers did so periodically or not at all.

For me, one of the most powerful moments ofthe course occurred at our takeout on the finalday. A ritual that we had maintainedthroughout our journey was the singing of adrum song. The song is in Cree and Englishand speaks of leaving loved ones for animportant journey. It is sung in four verseswith each verse led by a different singer. Thissong resonated with students and staff alike aswe had all left family and friends behind toembark on our three-week journey. Weintroduced the song on our first night andthen sang it each night before bed and at thebeginning and end of important portions ofthe course. On our final morning, we rose atfive a.m. On the students’ suggestion, we sangour song, and then paddled the finalkilometres in silence. Upon reaching thetakeout we broke the silence by singing onefinal time in unison. It brought me to tears.We had gone through an intense experiencetogether, overcoming significant physical,social and emotional challenges. Our growthas a group and as individuals became clear tome at that moment. I was so touched to heareveryone singing together. Students, who threeweeks earlier were too shy to speak in talkingcircles, were proudly singing our group’santhem in full voice.

Outward Bound Giwaykiwin: Connecting to Landand Culture through Indigenous Outdoor Educationby Greg Lowan

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A Rite of Passage

Drawing on anthropological research,Andrews (1999) examines the similaritiesbetween wilderness expeditions and rites ofpassage. On an expedition, participants areseparated from their regular lives and are oftenable to connect in new ways with themselves,their group and the land through which theyare traveling. Upon returning from anexpedition, participants have often undergonepersonal transformations, similar to thosefound in people who have completed formalrites of passage. Andrews observes that thestages of separation, transformation, andreincorporation common in rites of passageare often part of wilderness expeditions.

Upon examining the structure of a typical OBlong course as described by OBC (2006), thethree stages of a rite of passage can be found.The beginning, middle and conclusion of eachcourse are carefully structured and includerituals. Separation occurs on the first day ofeach course with the raising of a flag, the BluePeter, which signifies the departure of a groupfrom base camp. Transformation includesImmersion, Expedition, and Final whenstudents are introduced to a specific mode ofwilderness travel and eventually takeresponsibility for the expedition themselves.Courses conclude with reincorporationactivities such as the ceremonial granting ofcommemorative pins and a banquet (OBC,2006). Andrews (1999) suggests that bothstudents and instructors often emerge fromcourses with a newly acquired sense ofconnection to themselves, their communityand the land. On our Giwaykiwin course inJuly, some students also expressed a renewedconnection to their culture.

Solo Learnings

Solitary wilderness experiences are animportant rite of passage in many cultures.OB courses greater than five days in lengthtypically include a 24- or 48-hour solo (OBC,2006). While on solo, students are isolated

from each other and provided with sufficientfood and shelter to survive. Instructors checkin with each student at regular intervals toensure their safety.

Prior to our Giwaykiwin course in July, I hadthe opportunity to go on solo myself at theconclusion of a staff trip. I wanted toexperience an OB-style overnight solo formyself so that I could relate to my students’experiences. It was more challenging than Iexpected. Leaving my circle of friends withwhom I had traveled for ten days to spend anight out in the company of black flies wastough! I had not realized how strong ourgroups’ bond — our sense of community —had become and, initially, I felt very lonelyand isolated.

However, I soon overcame my loneliness andtook advantage of the opportunity for solitaryreflection. Through journaling and firesidemeditation, I worked through significantlearnings and experiences that I had had onthe trip. I also experienced an epiphany. Whilethinking about my upcoming Giwaykiwincourse in July, I realized that OB’s four pillars— physical fitness, self-reliance, compassion,and craft (OBC, 2006) — would fit well into adiscussion of the Medicine Wheel. TheMedicine Wheel is common to many of NorthAmerica’s Indigenous cultures. As described byBopp, Bopp, Brown and Lane Jr. (1984), it isdivided into four sections and represents,among other things, the connectedness of thefour seasons, the four directions, the fourelements, the four races of people, and the fouraspects of balanced health (i.e., emotional,mental, physical and spiritual).

Examining OB’s four pillars using theMedicine Wheel (Figure 1) provides anopportunity to discuss their interconnectedness.From the perspective of the Medicine Wheel, ifyou are very strong in one pillar, but ignoreanother, your wheel will be lopsided and outof balance. I used this concept to discuss thefour pillars and the Medicine Wheel with ourGiwaykiwin students in July. As previously

Outward Bound Giwaykiwin

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Outward Bound Giwaykiwin

stated, this sort of integration of OB andIndigenous philosophies is a goal of theGiwaykiwin program. As Giwaykiwininstructors, we are charged with the significantchallenge of balancing our own culturalexperiences and teachings while recognizingthe diversity of our Indigenous students, aswell as incorporating the philosophies of OB.

Final Thoughts

Simpson (2002) and Takano (2005) haveboth expressed that, despite the existence ofmany wilderness-based Indigenouseducational programs, there is a lack ofexamination of this important educationaltrend in the literature. My experiences withOBC’s Giwaykiwin program and otherIndigenous outdoor education programs havebeen transformational personally andprofessionally. I have also witnessed profoundtransformations in my students. Despite thesesuccesses, however, I am left with questionsthat I feel require further reflection. Some ofthe areas that I am interested in studyingfurther include the successful inclusion ofnon-Indigenous instructors, recognizing and

balancing Indigenous multiculturalism in ourprograms, and the co-existence and integrationof OB and Indigenous philosophies. I amcurrently exploring these topics, among others,through the course of my Master of Educationdegree at Lakehead University. In July 2007, Iwill be conducting action research as aparticipant-observer on a Giwaykiwin courseon the Horton River, NWT. My hope is thatthis reflexivity in research will result inenhanced instructional practice andprogramming and also add to the body ofliterature on this dynamic form of education.See you on the water!

References

Andrews, K. (1999). Wilderness expedition asa rite of passage: Meaning and process inexperiential education. Journal of ExperientialEducation, 22(1), 35–43.

Armstrong, J.C. (1987). Traditional indigenouseducation: A natural process. CanadianJournal of Native Education, 14(3), 14–19.

Bopp, J., Bopp, M., Brown, L., & Lane Jr., P.(1984). The sacred tree: Reflections on NativeAmerican spirituality. Twin Lakes, WI: LotusLights Publications.

Outward Bound Canada. (2006). OutwardBound Canada instructor manual (5th ed.).Burks’ Falls, ON: Outward Bound Canada.

Simpson, L. (2002). Indigenousenvironmental education for culturalsurvival. Canadian Journal of EnvironmentalEducation, 7(1), 13–35.

Takano, T (2005). Connections with the land:Land-skills courses in Igloolik, Nunavut.Ethnography, 6(4), 463–486.

Greg Lowan is a four directions man. He is proudto be of Miq Maq, Scottish, Norwegian andAustro-Jewish ancestry. Between paddling tripsand visits home to Western Canada, he ispursuing a Master of Education degree atLakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Figure 1. Medicine Wheel with OutwardBound’s Four Pillars.

SELF-RELIANCE

CRAFT

PHYSICALFITNESS COMPASSION

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How well do you know the environmentaround you? Do you know where your watercomes from? Where is the closest stream, seepor vernal pool in relation to your home? Doyou know what lives there and relies on thatsource? How about the closest plant to yourfront door? Do you know the different plantsgrowing in the nearest lawn or patch of grass?Are any edible or medicinal? How are theyprepared? Do you know which way the windwas blowing today? How many times did itchange direction? What does this indicateabout upcoming weather? (For more examplesof these challenging questions, visitwww.wildernessawareness.org/PDFs/TouristTest.pdf.)

There was a time when all of our ancestorsknew the answers to these questions. This wasbasic awareness, and knowledge of place wasan integral part of life. Today, few people inWestern culture are aware of the environmentthat surrounds them, and fewer still understandthe importance of it to the balance of life onthis planet. Modern lifestyles and culture haveled us away from our connection to the Earth.The majority of Western populations rely onfood and water sources they do not know.People buy what they want from asupermarket and spend their extra time lost inreality TV shows, rather than reality itself. Themore dependent we grow on technology, theless we use our senses, bodies and minds, tothe point that they are showing signs ofatrophy. Westerners are less healthy and lessactive than they were 50 years ago. And,according to Louv (2005), children today havea more profound relationship with technologythan with the environment around them.

As outdoor educators, the cards seem stackedagainst us. Possibly the only elements in ourfavour are instinct, youth and the

environment itself. Kids are closer to theirnatural instincts than are adults; they haveunlearned less (Brown Jr., 1989). The wonderthat a small child demonstrates with herhands sunk in the mud of a backyard puddleis not as distant a memory for a teen as for anadult. Often, when youth get back intowilderness they rediscover the wonder andcuriosity that filled them as toddlers. I believethat one of the most powerful things aneducator can do is provide the opportunity forstudents to spend time outside, living lessonsrather than just reading about them. Yet, asfacilitators we can do more than provide timeoutside. I see a need for increased experience-based education about the out of doors, ratherthan just education in the out of doors.Through this we can help students develop acloser connection to their place, perhapsleading to a generation that values naturalplaces for their inherent value, rather thantheir monetary value (Evernden, 1993).Unfortunately, outdoor education and, inparticular, backcountry experiences often failto facilitate a quality of experience, insteadopting for a quantity of them.

Throughout this paper, I use my own personalexperiences to illustrate how manybackcountry expeditions emphasize quantityrather than quality of experience. I discusswhy this is counter-productive to the goals ofoutdoor education in many settings, and howthis leads to the gap that I often encounterbetween what is practiced and what ispreached. From there, I suggest questions forthe reader to reflect upon and different waysof knowing that have helped my ownexpedition experiences with students. Iprovide a “day in the life” itinerary to betterillustrate some of my points. Concluding thispaper are some final reflective thoughts aboutthe potential consequences of continuing to

Back to Basics: Meditations on Quality vs.Quantity in Outdoor Educationby Andrew McMartin

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Back to Basics

teach and lead expedition experiences basedon quantity rather than quality.

What is Quality in Outdoor Education?

I should begin by defining “quality” ofexperience as I have encountered it. To me,quality experiences show a depth and range ofsensory experience. They involve manydifferent ways of knowing an experience, andpromote knowledge of place in the way thatyou know your home. Think of your lastexpedition: How well did you know eachplace you stayed? With whom did you sharethese places? What plants, animals, trees orinsects did you encounter?

In modern outdoor expeditions, facilitation byinstructors and guides leans toward leadership,activity-based skill and group dynamics. Theseare positive aspects of expedition experiences,but they tend to be emphasized at the expenseof everything else. Are these really the reasonsthat people return to the wilderness? From myperspective, most of us return to thewilderness because we love the challenges andadventure it often presents, and we love thephysical, mental and spiritual calm that itprovides. So why is it that we know so little ofwhat we profess to love?

Unfortunately, when people head out into thebackcountry it is very difficult for them toleave their cultural norms at home. Ourroutines and daily schedules, for example, asTom Brown Jr. (1989) suggests, are difficultthings to escape — especially within theconfines of Western society. Althoughbackcountry expeditions grant us thisopportunity, it is rarely taken advantage of.After years of canoe tripping, I began torecognize that my days in the wilderness werevery much a mirror of my days in the city.Routines were formed, and everyone on thetrip fell in line. Wake up, pack, eat, travel,travel, eat, travel, travel, unpack, eat, sitaround the fire, go to sleep, REPEAT! Replace“travel” with “school/work,” and “sit around afire” with “sports” or “TV,” and this becomes a

good representation of my days in the city.There are some very real similarities to thesetwo types of days. They are ruled by scheduleand, because of this, I missed most of what Iwas really there for. Think back to theexperiences you remember vividly, to themoments in your life that you tell othersabout. Were these moments scheduled? Werethey even planned? Was time or destination apart of the equation (Brown Jr., 1989)? Mymost vivid memories are the ones that justhappened. They were the times where I wascompletely lost in the moment, concentratingfully on the “now.” These are the momentswhen we are most aware, the momentsuninterrupted by the past or the future,allowed to exist as such because of a severelack of things to do or places to be(Hartmann, 2004). What are we teachingstudents if our days all look the same?

In my first years leading expeditions, thelandscape was given little say in how we livedour days. We had a predetermined schedule,and we stuck to it. All our days were similar,seeing a variety of landscapes and knowinglittle about any of them. In later experiences,allowing the wilderness to dictate parts of orentire days provided an opportunity todevelop a relationship with our surroundings.Rather than exerting my will upon the land, Ilearned to try to allow the landscape topresent activities, adventures and a depth ofexperience for everyone involved.

Do You Practice What You Preach?

The journey is the destination, right? This hasbecome a mantra for backcountry learningand adventure education in recent years. As Icontinued to run into this cliché, I started toquestion whether anyone understood it. Iwondered how we could preach this, yetspend our days applying schedules androutines to the places where we were supposedto be leaving it all behind. These things seemto be at odds with one another. I began torealize (and continue to do so frequently) howhard it is to escape my cultural perspectives

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Back to Basics

and biases. The only method I have discoveredto help me do this is to continually face somehard questions, and be open to the idea that Imight not like the answers. (I was once toldthat one of the greatest failures in life is thefailure to ask questions and I had been failingto ask meaningful questions of myself.)Below I offer you some of those questions,asked of me and which have helped me to seemore clearly what I feel is important:• What do you believe in?• What is your purpose?• Do your actions fit your beliefs?• Are you achieving your goals?• Do you live the lessons you teach? How?• What is it that makes you truly happy?

I would like to think that most people teachand work in the outdoors because they loveand believe in what they do. If that is true,then we owe it to our students and ourpurpose to integrate meaningful introspectionand self-analysis into our daily lives. Do notbe afraid to ask similar questions of students.Children have their lives laid out for themearlier and in more detail than ever before(Louv, 2006). They are rarely encouraged toask difficult questions of themselves or thinkwith any depth about the world around themand how they can positively influence it. Sohow do we change? Asking these questionshelped me to understand the chasm betweenwhat I wanted to achieve and what I wasachieving with students. Yet I still had no ideahow to develop more meaningful experiences.

Approximately five years after I started leadingcanoe trips with kids, I had the pleasure of co-leading with a true student of life. He had apassionate interest in all things wilderness andhad a vast native knowledge of the land. Bynative, I mean that his knowledge was a kindthat made the wilderness his home. He had apassionate interest in traditional skills and wasa student of a wilderness survival school inNew Jersey called the Tracker School, run byTom Brown Jr. (www.trackerschool.com). As Ibegan to learn more, my eyes were opened tosome very different ways of leading, teaching

and existing in the wilderness. I began to seetremendous value in the teaching styles oftraditional cultures living close to the Earthand found ways to integrate some of theminto my expedition experiences. Many of thesestyles are illustrated in the pages that follow.

Different Ways of Knowing

I certainly cannot provide a formula of how todevelop more meaningful experiences forstudents, but I can recommend some generalthemes, taken mostly from the lessons of TomBrown Jr. (1989), that have helped meimmeasurably:• Reduce quantity and increase quality.

Whether this takes form in reducingexpedition traveling distances or creatingtime to explore the world around you indepth, a focus on quality can createwonderful and powerful learningexperiences. Throw away watches and letthe land dictate a little more. Eat whenyou are hungry, sleep when you are tired,and play to exhaustion. In essence, killroutine. Some of the best canoe trips Ihave been a part of averaged onekilometre per day. We lived by the sunand the days were always full. Whetherstudents were out on a nature sit, makingtraditional shelters for the night, writing,collecting wild edibles or materials forbaskets or fishing lures, or just outadventuring in unstructured space andtime, they were learning through directexperience with different aspects of thenatural world.

• Slow down! In fact, sit down! Find a placeto stop and let the rush of the day leaveyou. Start to look around you and loseyourself in the world that you normallywalk by every day. This can be a naturalenvironment or an urban jungle.Concentrate only on your senses and onthe present moment. Try to leave thoughtsof the past and the future behind andchallenge yourself to get to know the areadirectly around you. Awareness of placewill be exponentially increased if teachers

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and students have a single sit spot to visitdaily throughout the year. It can beanywhere! Every place has much to teach(Brown Jr., 1989).

• Incorporate multi-sensory experiences. Tosimply read about making cedar tea doesnot mean you know a cedar tree or the teaitself. By coming into contact with thistree, feeling its bark and roots as you makebaskets and cordage, seeing and smellingits greens, sitting and listening to the wayit moves in the wind and the wildlife thatinhabit it throughout the year, and finally,tasting the delicious tea that it produces,you begin to know this tree. Challengesenses daily with blindfold exercises,tasting, touching and smelling a variety ofdifferent natural materials to see howsensitive you can become. Sensoryexperience and repetition are ways welearn the lessons that do not get forgotten(Brown Jr., 1989).

• Lose your inhibitions and become a childagain! Teach the value of mystery andthrough this empower the wonder andawe that small children experience daily.Think back to when you were a kid andwhat it was that drew you outside. Youdidn’t have to go far to find wonder backthen. Why is it that we feel we have tonow? Recreate those things with children,for them and for yourself! Get muddyagain, build forts or shelters, eat plantsand collect your own food. Stop lettingyour ideas (positive or negative) of whatan experience will be like keep you fromactually experiencing it. You’ll never knowwhat it’s like until you try it (Brown Jr.,1989).

• Change yourself! Learn to live the thingsyou say and believe. Often this change initself becomes the teaching (Hartmann,2004). As Tom Brown Jr. regularly statesto his students: “I could pick my boy’s faceout of a thousand while blindfolded.”How well do you know the things you sayyou love? Be interested in life, passionateabout the places that are meaningful toyou, and give these places the time andattention that they deserve.

A Day in the Life

Based upon the preceding ideas in this paper, Iconsider it necessary to illustrate how I haveused them to increase quality and depth in myown expeditions. Primarily, I try to live theseteachings through the use of traditional andprimitive skills, and use these to facilitatemore sensory experiences for students.Traditional skills and philosophies are justone method — of many — to incorporatedifferent ways of knowing. They are how Ihave experienced success. For success to beachieved, considerable experience on the partof the instructor is required. If you can notdemonstrate or teach skills that work, yourefforts will be less than effective; so, spendtime learning, researching and experimentingwith these skills.

Note that the sample day described below ispacked with activities in an effort to illustratea variety of lessons that could contribute to abackcountry trip, rather than to encourageanyone to attempt to fit this many activitiesinto a single day. Using friction for firemaking, for example, can be a multi-daylesson that includes fire structure, plant andmaterial studies for tinder and parts, as well asassembly and technique for methods like thebow drill, hand drill, fire saw, flint and steel,or even just matches! Remember, the point isto spend quality time doing a few things and,thus, knowing them well.

Try these out:• Wake up with first light and go to an

individual “sit spot” to catch the busiesttime in the forest — the hour surroundingsunrise.

• Come back from a sit, get a fire going witha bow drill (friction fire) and cookbreakfast and brew some pine needle tea.

• Gather together to give thanks for themeal. This does not have to have anyspecific religious connotation but simplyacknowledges the sacrifices made for us sothat we can live another day. Eat.

• Go for a short walk to find a spot to builda primitive shelter. On the way collect

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materials for basketry and for coal-burning bowls, cups and spoons. Buildthe shelter.

• Come back and make lunch. Share a shortstory about thanksgiving and respect forthe Earth. Eat.

• Take a siesta!• Go for a walk and look at various plants

and trees using field guides to identify andlearn about edible and medicinalproperties. Talk about proper harvestingtechniques and good caretaking (i.e.,taking care of the land, and leaving a placebetter than it was found), and reiteratemessages of thanksgiving as we take life tonourish ourselves.

• Track wildlife and learn about theinterconnected lives that inhabit the areawhile you gain insight into wildlifepatterns and behaviours.

• During the middle part of the walk,introduce animal stalking and movementtechniques, and continue with a silenthike out along a lowland swamp.Compare and discuss the difference inyour awareness between the first andsecond half of the walk.

• Go for a swamp crawl . . . a chance to playaround in the mud and get up close withsome of the wildlife that inhabits thisecosystem. Discuss aspects of traditionalcamouflage and play hiding games withstudents on the way back to the campsite.

• Get another fire going with the use of abow drill and prepare dinner and tea. Givethanks and eat!

• Hang out around the fire; work on coal-burning bowls, spoons or baskets fromthe day’s collection of cedar bark, birchbark and various rootlets.

• Tell stories.• Fall into bed exhausted, while one

adventurous student crawls into theshelter for the night.

Keep in mind that, throughout this sampleday, little distance is traveled. Most activitiesinvolve nothing more than short wanderingsfrom the campsite. There should be plenty of

time for relaxing and spending time in andwith the environment. While staying busy allday, never rush and always allow time tocheck out interesting spots as they presentthemselves. The environment should dictatewhat is learned by providing certain materialsand allowing students to start projects thatengage them in sensory experience. Thissample day is packed with different activitiesthat illustrate a variety of learningopportunities presented by the naturalsurroundings. Not every day will look likethis, nor should you expect that it should.Crucial emphasis must be placed on includingunstructured time, allowing the naturalsurroundings to stimulate fun andimagination.

Summary: Reflective Thoughts onQuantity over Quality

A planetary crisis embraces everythingfrom the personal and social toworldwide, but in spite of anoccasional flurry of lip service and‘let’s pretends’ concerning theavalanche of disasters we areperpetrating, most of our gestures (abit of recycling, a bit less driving,turning down the heat or AC, sendinga check to the Sierra Club) seem toserve only to relieve our guiltyconscience or mask our growingfeeling of impotence. Nothing muchis happening, at any rate, to halt ourdownward plunge. (Pearce, 2004, p. xv)

Few people can say that they have experienceda day where they did more good for the Earththan bad. Western culture relies on short-livedtechnologies that cause the environmentimmense stress through manufacturing anduse. Hyperactive lifestyles spent in climate-controlled environments are the norm,leading to a culture that has no connection toor understanding of the world on which itsexistence relies. Backcountry expeditions are arare chance for students to experiencewilderness and the wonders associated with it,

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and to leave modern society’s schedulebehind. Yet it seems that too often outdoorexperiences are based on a large quantity ofexperiences, rather than fewer, quality ones.No time for exploring, no time for playing,and no time immersed in lessons of placebased on direct sensory experience. Often bytrying to fit in too much, we end up rushingpast many of the reasons why we love theseexperiences and places so much, failing tofacilitate meaningful connections. Aseducators, leaders, guides and role models, wemust evaluate what it is that we want toaccomplish, identify what we areaccomplishing, and continue to set loftiergoals (though in some ways this may actuallymean doing less).

Encouraging children to get outside and havepositive experiences is great, but we can domore. Teaching in the outdoors is worthy, butwe can do more. Group dynamics, activitybased skills, and leadership development arevery important outcomes of outdooreducation, but we must do more. Children ofall ages need opportunities to let theirimaginations work, to play and to rediscovertheir senses. Lessons need to incorporate directexperiences with many aspects of theenvironment, utilize a wide range of senses,and be free from the cultural routines thatshape most of our days. And, back at school,lessons must refocus on naturalist studies andreintroduce natural history as a part ofeveryday experience, rather than allow thosesubjects to linger near extinction.

According to Walsch (2005), wisdom isknowledge applied. As I learn more about theworld around me through traditional skillsand philosophies, I have begun to understandthis statement. Traditional cultures are basedupon lessons learned over thousands ofgenerations. There is wisdom in this. Moderncultures are based upon lessons learned over amuch shorter time span, knowledge that hasyet to withstand the test of time. Newer oftendoes not mean better or more successful. My

expedition experiences suggest to me thatbeing open to ancient wisdom and findingways to integrate it within a modern contextcan lead to profound connections betweenstudents and the life that surrounds them. Themore we can learn from and blend ancientteachings and philosophies in ways that fit ourlives, the better able we will be to live (andteach others to live) with the Earth, ratherthan just on it.

Many Thanks

To the Earth, my teachers, and to you for yourwork and your passion, past, present andfuture, thank you.

References

Brown, T., Jr. (1989). Tom Brown’s field guide tonature and survival for children. New York,NY: Berkley Publishing Group.

Evernden, N. (1993). The natural alien.Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

Hartmann, T. (2004). The last hours of ancientsunlight: The fate of the world and what we cando before it’s too late. New York, NY: ThreeRivers Press.

Louv, R. (2006). Last child in the woods. ChapelHill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Pearce, J. C. (2004). Foreword. In T.Hartmann, The last hours of ancient sunlight:The fate of the world and what we can do beforeit’s too late (pp. xv–xx). New York, NY: ThreeRivers Press.

Walsch, N. D. (2005). Conversations with God:Book 2. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Young, J. (2001). The Kamana: Naturalisttraining program. Duvall, WA: WildernessAwareness School.

Andrew McMartin grew up in Toronto but nowcalls Dorset, Ontario his home. He is a recentgraduate of Lakehead University’s OE3 teacher’seducation program and, not long ago, returnedfrom a six-month internship with Tom Brown Jr.’sTracker School in New Jersey.

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Response to Back to Basicsby Doug Jacques

My initial response to Andrew McMartin’sarticle (see page 7 of this issue) wasrecollecting a period in my life more than 30years ago when I ventured into the woodswith little to survive. During one venture bymyself, I had a short period of time where Ifelt perfectly at home in the wilderness.Although years of immersion and wiseleadership at a summer camp led up thismoment, it was the time to just be in naturethat evoked the connection. As I was wellnourished by a life working outdoors, thissense of place is permanent. During the past17 years of teaching an integrated course (TheBronte Creek Project), it has also been myexperience that such a relationship withwilderness can be facilitated. McMartin makesan important point in suggesting spendingquality time doing a few things, and thusknowing them well.

Taking the time to encourage being childlike isone of the benefits of slowing down thatresonated with me. Emmerson (1954) pointedout that “the lover of nature is he whoseinward and outward senses are still trulyadjusted to each other, who has retained thespirit of infancy even into the era of manhood”(p. 4). Although some might not find thetopics connected, I found myself wanting toadd perspectives of self growth and belongingto a community as integral components ofdiscovering one’s place in the natural world.Long captivated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’sexploration of humans as noble in theirnatural state, it seems that in a vastly complexsociety removed almost entirely from nature,education in the outdoors offers anopportunity for participants to beintrospective and rediscover what is noble andinspiring about themselves.

In considering quality vs. quantity in outdooreducation it is still important from myperspective to be conscious of one’s viewpoint.I have taught and run trips from a survivalperspective, an Earth Education Perspective,

and a Native Rediscovery perspective.Although being passionate and walking thewalk inspires involvement, it is also criticalthinking skills, reflection, and involvement inthe design and leadership of the experiencesthat ensure participants develop their ownconnections, relationships and learnings.Quality experiences well taught should reflectthe complexity and diversity of the humanexperience.

In expressing the thought that few people cansay that they have experienced a day wherethey did more good for the Earth than bad,McMartin highlights what has become theprimary focus of environmental and outdooreducation. From my perspective ofencouraging students to develop a relationshipwith themselves, other people and the planet,doing more good for the Earth is a way ofdeepening those relationships. Developing apersonal environmental ethic is perhaps themodern day basic for all outdoor educators.

As a practioner I found McMartin’s article onquality vs. quantity in outdoor education bothreaffirming and thought provoking. Althoughat first the complexity of what we might, canand should do as outdoor educators can bedaunting, my experience and intuition is thatit is not. If we can encourage happy andunexpected discovery (i.e., serendipity) bybeing prepared, knowledgeable, and applyingour best judgement and wisdom, students willcontinue their learning on their own.

References

Emmerson, R. W. (1954). Five essays on man andnature. New York, NY: Appleton CenturyCrofts.

Doug Jacques is currently teaching in his 17th yearat The Bronte Creek Project, an IntegratedEnvironmental Leadership Program just outside ofOakville, Ontario.

Response to Back to Basics

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Background

For 12 years, Centennial High School inGuelph has run an integrated program calledthe Community Environmental LeadershipProgram (CELP). In 1995 the program wasoffered at the grade 11 level and involved thefollowing courses: Environmental Science,Environmental Geography, Outdoor Education(Physical Education) and Personal LifeManagement (Guidance). The program ransuccessfully in the second semester for sevenyears. In 2001, with the high school systembeing modified to fit into a four-year model,and the elimination of the environmentalscience and geography credits, a decision wasmade to move CELP to the grade 10 level. Thefollowing four courses were chosen to make upthe package: Academic English, Careers andCivics, Outdoor Activities and InterdisciplinaryStudies. The program was also expanded torun during both semesters and officially beganto draw students from four Guelph-area highschools.

As part of the curriculum of CELP, high schoolstudents teach the three-day Earth EducationProgram “EARTHKEEPERS™”1 to grade fivestudents from our school board. This wasmodeled for us by the Bronte Creek IntegratedProject of the Halton board. In 2006, thegrade 12 program “Headwaters”2 was initiatedand offered the following four courses:Environment and Resource Management,Canadian Literature, Outdoor Activities andInterdisciplinary Studies. In 2007 the credit ofgrade 12 university English replaced theCanadian Literature credit but the latter is stilloffered to those students who wish to take it.Headwaters runs concurrently with CELP andboth programs take place at the same off-sitecampus, 15 minutes from town. One teacheris designated for the three credits in CELP, one

teacher is designated for the three credits inHeadwaters, and one teacher is designated forthe two credits for the English courses of bothprograms.

Introduction

My intention with this paper is to share theorigins of the grade 12 Headwaters programand provide a brief outline of the program’scurriculum and methodologies. I will arguethat integrated courses offer a sustainablesolution for keeping outdoor andenvironmental education alive in our schoolboards and will provide reasons for this.

The Beginnings

The first water molecules of the Headwatersprogram were created by a student of mine in2001. He was enrolled in a two-credit seniorco-op placement with the grade 10 CELPprogram. One day he casually suggested that Ishould offer another program, but at a higherlevel. He then proceeded to rhyme off fourcourses that he thought would be a good fitand started organizing how it would work. Ibrushed it off at first, but like all good ideasthat spill, I had trouble wiping it off. I, too,started assembling different course packagesand imagining the possibilities. I believe I wasinterested for a couple of different reasons.One, the maturity of students at the grade 12level would allow for a greater depth ofexperience, inquiry into issues, and level ofcommunity building. Second, I felt more thanever that this type of education, guided bythemes of environmental sustainability andcommunity, was of utmost importance in ourworld today. One afternoon I casuallymentioned the idea to my colleague JanetDalziel who teaches the English course inCELP. It was at this point that we eddied out

eatureFHeadwaters: The Next Stage in High SchoolIntegrated Programmingby Michael Elrick

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Headwaters

into the main current and the idea reallystarted to flow. Every moment the two of uswould meet, the discussions were always ofimagining the possibilities. “If we had thiscredit, we could do this!” or “Logistically, howwould this work with two simultaneousprograms at the same site?” But thediscussions kept going, and one day I said toJanet, “Even if this never gets off the ground,it’s still been fun thinking about it.” But by thefall of 2004, when the calendar was beingdesigned at our school for the next year’scourse selection, we floated our Headwatersproposal to our principal. She was initiallysupportive, and said that we would have to getit passed by the department head group. As Ihad experienced this process before, I knew Ihad to approach all the specific departmentsinvolved as well as spread the word to othersfor support. There are two challenges thatconstantly face our integrated programs: 1)Getting others to accept that these courses canbe taught outside the existing conventionalclassroom format, and 2) Teaching the coursesto the standards necessary to launch thesestudents to the next level, whether that begrade 11, university or college. In our favourwas the reputation and standard that we hadworked hard at achieving in our grade 10program. Woven in, as is typical in acommunity, was the fact that several of thedepartment head’s children had participatedin CELP. At the meeting, the proposal metwith support and concern, but in the end itwas agreed that the Headwaters integratedprogram would enter the course calendar. Thenext challenge would be to sign up enoughstudents. By the end of March 2005 weachieved that goal and with that, the principalallocated the staffing units toward theprogram. The first Headwaters program waslaunched.

Some Program Specifics

I have always described our program as simply“school.” We teach curriculum coursesoutlined by the Ministry of Education. We arecertified teachers hired by the public school

system, and we support students to continueto play sports or music with their homeschools. Our integrated programs are notintended to exist in isolation, but rather tosupport and enhance the educationalpossibilities for those in our community. Theskills and lessons we impart are meant to be“taken back” and used in each student’s homeschool, university or college.

The overall theme of the Headwaters programis A Journey to the Source. We attempt,metaphorically, to journey farther upstream,to the source of environmental andcommunity problems, and to the source ofsolutions for a sustainable future.

Food is a topic that is explored in depth andused as a vehicle to accomplish much of thecurriculum for several courses. Every Fridaythe students are responsible for designing ameal for the entire class using the principles oflocavores.3 Using a local online deliveryservice4 that specializes in locally grown andorganic foods, the students order theiringredients on Monday, delivery takes placeThursday, and lunch is made for Friday. Thedelivery company lists beside each of itsingredients whether the product is organicand/or locally grown, and where the productcomes from. My assignment allows them toorder only locally grown products (mostlyfrom Southern Ontario) and asks them tocalculate their food mileage for each meal.This is calculated as a basic estimate byaveraging the food mileage of each item,excluding spices. (There are more complexformulas available for doing this that accountfor the type of transportation used to deliverthe food item for sale.) Our first meal inFebruary, for example, was maple parsnipsoup and sweet potato quesadillas. Thisassignment also encourages students to starttheir own connections locally. For example,one student knows an egg farmer; anotherknows a beekeeper who produces honey. Themain purpose is to reduce one’s ecologicalfootprint by lowering food mileage and tomake the connections to healthy agriculturallands, local farmers and good tasting food!

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Headwaters

In March we make maple syrup with a small50-bucket operation. It is the first “harvest”from the land with our own hands. Inconjunction with this we are piloting this yeara grade one education program called“MapleKeys,” which will be taught by thegrade 12 students and will meet four mainobjectives of the grade one Science andTechnology curriculum.

At the end of March we start, in a small,makeshift greenhouse, seeding a vegetablegarden where we will grow our food to useweekly, and to share with our parents at aclosing celebration meal in late June. As well,fall crops will be sown in order that thefollowing year’s class can utilize the bountyfor their locavore meals in the winter andspring. This involves digging, double digging,planting, weeding, fertilizing and harvesting.In mid-May we transfer the plants from thegreenhouse to the garden and also help someplants along with cold frames. This year wehope to have a few chickens to obtain eggsfrom, and more importantly, to demonstratethe soil cycle by making compost from theirmanure. We have some perennial rhubarbplants and often our first tastes of spring comein the form of rhubarb pie sweetened bymaple syrup. Soon there is salad and springsquash. Living locally is an overridingprinciple of the Headwaters program and foodis our entry point to the curriculum objectives.

Three overnight experiences take place inHeadwaters. Initially there is a six-night wintercamping trip in Algonquin Park. This trip usestraditional travel methods of snowshoes andtoboggans, and the students sleep in largecanvas tents with portable woodstoves. Inearly May there is a one-night solo on theproperty. At the end of the course there is athree-night canoe trip that takes place on alocal river and celebrates our bioregion. Foreach experience, the students are involved in acraft that prepares them for the wildernessjourney. For the winter trip, they sewsnowshoe moccasins using elk hide purchasedfrom a local farmer. For the solo, they build

their own shelters using traditional wigwam-building techniques. And for the canoe trip,they carve their own paddles from wood thatwe have milled from the property. This yearwe are piloting the making of woodentoboggans for the winter trip.

The university-level English course takes placeon a daily basis in a classroom setting. Thecurriculum initially involves reading essays byauthors such as Sigurd Olson, Henry DavidThoreau and Sharon Butala. Students read anovel and write an essay through anindependent study unit. We read the bookTrue North by Elliot Merrick, which ties intothemes of traditional winter travel. A third ofthe book is actually read in tents during theevenings in Algonquin Park. The play KingLear by William Shakespeare and the novel NoGreat Mischief by Alistair MacLeod are studiedin depth. On a weekly basis, the students giveseminars that we have titled “Voices.” Forexample, we have three seminars titled “Voicesof Algonquin Park” prior to our first overnighttrip. In late May we move our classroom to theCity of Guelph and interview local citizenswho are making a difference in our community.These interviews are written up and publishedin a small book, similar to a culturaljournalism project. The students also keepjournals and attempt to capture their ownvoice as we journey through the course.

The concept of “peak oil” is a main theme formuch of our lectures delivered as part of theEnvironment and Resource Managementcourse. We look at the history of the use ofenergy by humans, and the transitions fromwood to coal and from coal to oil. We definethe theories of Hubbert’s Peak, and the worldpeak of oil. We look at the impacts of ourcarbon-based energy uses such as the enhancedgreenhouse effect and global warming. Weenvision what society will look like in a post-peak oil world and experiment with solutionsof renewable energy, conservation of energyand living locally. We read from essays fromJames Howard Kunstler, author of The LongEmergency, and Paul Roberts, author of TheEnd of Oil.

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Headwaters

The Hero’s Journey

Running in series with our Headwatersjourney is a framework of the hero’s journeyas described by Campbell (1973) andsummarized by Vogler (1998). According toCampbell, the hero’s journey is an archetypeof experience that resonates with the innerbeing of all humans. It is a journey withdefined stages that ultimately leads a personhome. For the Headwaters students, the call toadventure stage has already occurred, just bytheir signing up for the program. The crossingof the first threshold stage is the initial wintercamp wilderness trip. This is a journey to the“special world” that Campbell writes about,and our hope is that the students sense thespecial-ness of the world in a setting of naturalintegrity. Several stages later, the journey to theinnermost cave is the solo experience whenultimately students must face their own fearsand thoughts at night time. After the solocomes the seizing of the sword stage; at this time

students are given a blank piece of cedar woodthat, using a spoke shave, they will fashioninto a paddle allowing them to journey“home” in the final stages. The return with theelixir stage is an upstream paddle and hike to aspring-fed pond that is the source of the smallcreek that flows through our off-site schoolproperty. The water literally can be seenbubbling right out of the ground through thedisturbance made to the mud and debris atthe pond bottom. We fill a glass jar of thispure spring water and toss it on a woodstovethat evening in a self-made sauna in order tocleanse us before returning to ourcommunities. The next day we literally paddlehome by canoe via Blue Springs Creek and theEramosa River to Guelph. We have been to“the source” and now it is time to go back. Thekey part in the hero’s journey, and one thatLoynes (2004) argues is missing in manyeducational journeys today, is this final stageof returning home in order to contributepositively to one’s community. We finish with

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a final locavore meal and slide presentationwith our families in the City of Guelph.

A Sustainable Model for DeliveringOutdoor and Environmental Education

It has been a difficult time for many of us inthe outdoor and environmental field for thelast 15 years: outdoor centres, one afteranother, have closed down; outdoor educationteachers have been eliminated or replacedwith those in lower paid positions;environmental courses and content have beencut from the curriculum. Over the same timeperiod, however, we have seen the growth ofintegrated programs with outdoor andenvironmental focuses. And many of theseinvolve the teaching of elementaryenvironmental programs by the high schoolstudents. Is this perhaps a model for “keepingthe message alive” within our school system?Is this a sustainable model for years to come?

I believe that integrated programs have twosignificant factors in their favour: The first isthat integrated programs do not lie outside themain staffing formula. In other words, theteacher’s salary is paid because these coursesare simply high school credits. If the teacherwas not teaching them in the integratedprogram, they would be teaching them back attheir home school. When budget crunchescome, school boards always look for whatthey can cut outside of the main formula.With integrated programs, there is no doublestaffing, there is nothing to cut, there is no“outside.” As well, many integrated programshave worked hard at not asking anyone for toomuch money. In our programs, we try to raise80% of our own funds. We receive a regularschool course budget and a small amountfrom an environmental committee of theboard, but most comes through student feesand revenue generated from the elementaryprograms. Again, when people ask me,“Haven’t they cut your program yet?” myresponse is, “What is there to cut?” I neverthought that I would admit this, but the MikeHarris government taught me how to survive

through the toughest of educational tyrants. Itis also the reason why I am careful to acceptfunds that would replace any of our fundingsources, because as quickly as I have seenmoney granted, I have seen money cut. Ourintegrated program has been running steadilyfor 13 years and to date we have put throughover 500 high school and 5,000 elementarystudents. Today, teachers in our school boardhave initiated three more grade 10 CELPprograms, each teaching EARTHKEEPERS.There are times at our off-school site that wehave 45 high school students, 80 elementarystudents, 10 parents and 6 teachers. No one isdouble staffed and it all takes place within themain funding formula.

An argument might be made, though, that tosome extent, this model is a user-pay system. Iagree and do not have a simple answer. I wishit could all be fully funded from core sourcesbut I have been in the business of educationalsurvival in chaotic times. Somehow, this iswhere I have ended up. In an attempt to dealwith the user-pay issue, our school board has apolicy that no student will be denied thisprogram due to financial reasons and I makemy best attempts to advertise this.

The second major factor in keeping integratedprograms sustainable is to ensure that they digthemselves into mainstream curriculum andenable educators to develop longer-termcontacts with their students. Integratedprograms, by their nature, make a statementthat environmental and outdoor education iswoven into every course. It is not separatefrom, or on the fringes. It is right in the core.In this way, students recognize it as a part oftheir education. I also believe that havingcompulsory credits has helped solidify thesustainability of our integrated programs. Thisis the reason we include the English credits,the Careers and Civics and the Environmentand Resource Management courses. Studentstoday are under tremendous pressure tograduate in four years and are not able to takea semester of full electives easily. To date, Ihave had students who have completed the

Headwaters

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Headwaters

grade five EARTHKEEPER program, returnedas grade 10 CELP students, and then returnedtwo years later for Headwaters. They stillgraduate high school in four or four-and-a-half years. I have journeyed alongside manystudents during their high school tenure.Some, I have also coached on the schoolvolleyball team. And because I live in the samecity as I teach, I run into my students all thetime. There is much research today discussingthe benefits of long-term facilitation betweenteacher and students (Beames, 2006). As well,the concepts of place-based education andfrilufsliv (Faarlund, 2002) have been gainingmomentum. I believe integrated programsfollow these above principles well.

Final Thoughts

While integrated programs have been aroundin Ontario for many years, to date I have notcome across any other two-stage high schoolprogram. I have offered a summary ofHeadwaters in the hopes of inspiring others tofollow their own imaginations when it comesto educational possibilities. I have also offeredsome arguments for the place that integratedprograms offer our education system when itcomes to keeping the focus on outdoor andenvironmental issues. Finally, I sense a shift inthe thinking of our human population when itcomes to issues of environmentalsustainability — a shift towards healing. Inwhatever shape or form it takes, I feel it isimperative that we educators do our part.

References

Beames, S. (2006). Losing my religion: Thequest for applicable theory in outdooreducation. Pathways: The Ontario Journal ofOutdoor Education, 19(1), 4–11.

Campbell, J. (1973). The hero with a thousandfaces. New Jersey: Bollingen Series/PrincetonUniversity Press.

Faarlund, N. (2002). Defining frilufsliv.Pathways: The Ontario Journal of OutdoorEducation, 14(3), 18–19.

Loynes, C. (2004). Keynote address at SeptemberCOEO (Council of Outdoor Educators ofOntario) Conference. Tim Horton’s OnodagaFarms Camp in Brantford, Ontario.

Volgler, C. (1998). The writer’s journey: Mythicstructure for writers. Studio City, CA: MichaelWiese Productions.

Endnotes

1 EARTHKEEPERS™ is a registered trademarkand program of the Institute for EarthEducation, Greenville, West Virginia, USA.

2 The name “Headwaters” is widely known inthe outdoor field as the business name forHugh Stewart’s canoe manufacturingbusiness in Quebec. The name Headwaterswas first suggested by the CELP Englishteacher Janet Dalziel. Michael Elrick felt itwas necessary to gain permission fromHugh Stewart to use this name, thus, a letterof permission was sent. Hugh Stewartresponded that he has no legal authorityover the use of the name, though he wasgrateful for being asked and sanctioned itsuse for our program.

3 According to the websitewww.locavores.com, locavores’ principlesare as follows:1) If not locally produced, then organic.2) If not organic then family farm.3) If not family farm then local business.4) If not local business then Terroir (foods

known from the region).4 Homefield Organics is food delivery service

that operates in the Guelph area. They havean online ordering system that lists whethera product is local and/or organic, and alsowhere it comes from. For more information,visit www.homefieldorganics.com.

Michael Elrick has been teaching integratedprograms for 13 years. He presently teaches thegrade 10 Community Environmental LeadershipProgram (CELP) and the grade 12 Headwatersprogram in Guelph, Ontario.

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I could see ignited in the eyes of mystudents the fire burning in me. Icould see that the changing of heartsand minds had begun. . . . [Integrated]Programs . . . are vehicles to give kidsback their own sense of power, theirability to connect, to feel compassionfor others and the planet. They re-inspire kids to love learning, to thinkcritically and to connect with the Earththat is their home — their home thatis in dire need of their compassionatetouch. (Hood, 2002, p. 34)

Introduction

Stemming from my personal experience,numerous conversations with other educators,and information from relevant literature(Horwood, 2002), it is apparent that themajority of students in Ontario have limitedaccess to outdoor, experiential learningthrough the formal education system. I believethat investigating the effects of existingoutdoor, experiential programs can beinstrumental in promoting more opportunitiesfor holistic, outdoor, community-orientedlearning. As such, my senior honour’s workinvestigated the influence of the Roots ofCourage, Roots of Change (ROC) IntegratedCurriculum Program (ICP) on participants’lives. More specifically, I interviewed 13students who participated in the ROCProgram between 1994 and 1997 to helpdetermine what influence, if any, theirinvolvement in the program had on their lives.This research project contributes to the call forlongitudinal research to support ICPs(Horwood, 2002; Russell & Burton, 2001).The research was qualitative in nature,consisting of semi-structured, non-formalphone interviews.

eatureFExploring the Influence of the ROC Integrated HighSchool Programby Scott Caspell

Integrated Curriculum Programs

The ROC ICP was founded in 1994 at theMayfield High School in the Town of Caledon,Ontario. In the ROC Program, students worktowards a pre-established curriculum packageduring one high school semester. In the1990s, the ROC students had the opportunityto earn credits in English (journalism),Environmental Science, Physical Educationand Geography. The different subject areaswere blended together throughout the day,thereby working to eliminate thefragmentation between the curriculum andstudents’ learning that is often produced bydiscipline-specific courses.

Numerous ICPs incorporate experiential,project-oriented learning that involves theschool’s local ecological and socialcommunities. This teaching approach serves tocreate “real life” experiences by integratingstructured learning with the students’ livesoutside of school. Many people, myselfincluded, learn best when the subject matter isrelevant to their lives, as well as when thelearning involves the whole person — mind,body and spirit, or the cognitive, affective andphysical learning domains (Priest & Gass,1997). In this way, ICPs — like a great deal ofexperiential education — provide studentswith the opportunity to more readily graspconcepts and skills being taught, which canlead to a sense of enjoyment and successthroughout the learning process.

Findings and Discussion

Interview respondents were randomly assigneda number of 1 through 13 to maintain theiranonymity. In the interest of concealing theidentity of the research participants, allrespondents are referred to in the female

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gender. Text appearing in italics preceded by a“Q” indicates the question that the respondentis answering.

An Overview of the Respondents’Impressions of the ROC Program

The following passages (from respondentsnumber seven and three) are representative ofa number of responses to the interviewquestion, “What do you feel the overallinfluence of the ROC Program has been onyour life?”

R7) “It was, to a very large degree, very close toa life-changing experience — partially dueto the teachers, the classmates and thecurriculum, but also due to the length [ofthe program]. . . . I feel I came out adifferent person . . . [and] a lot of it had todo with how I thought. I think differently[about] my impact on the world, and howI interact with people.”

R3) “I loved ROC! It changed my life. Youknow those . . . important turning points?ROC was one of those; I think all childrenand people should experience somethinglike ROC. . . . ROC helped me becomemore engaged in my life, but also in thebroader Earth community. I feel thatbecause of ROC . . . I’ve been moreadventurous [and] I’m not as afraid ofmaking my own decisions. All because ofthese experiences that stemmed from ROC. . . I’m more willing to step outside my‘comfort zone’.”

The last sentence from respondent numberthree is interesting in that she acknowledgesthat it was not only the experiences in theROC Program that influenced her life, but alsothe “experiences that stemmed from” her timein the program.

While the above responses present positivefeedback about the overall influence of theROC Program, the following two responsesoffer interesting developmental perspectives:

R5) “[The ROC Program] occurred at a time oflife when I was formulating my self-identity, and I definitely think thisexperience helped me find my sense ofself, and it definitely gave me moreconfidence in lots of ways.”

R9) “[It’s] hard to say, since there have beenother large influences since. It’s verydifficult to figure out fully. [The ROCProgram] has affected the way I think, andthe way I spend my time and resources. Inthat way it was the tip of iceberg, whettingthe appetite. And that goes a long waywith people when they’re 15–18 years old.”

These two respondents indicate that they werein the ROC Program at a time in their liveswhen adolescents are “formulating their self-identity” and are highly impressionable.Another interesting point that the ninthrespondent raises is that it is hard to discernthe influence of the ROC Program inparticular since there have been so many othersignificant experiences throughout herlifetime. This indicates, as was to be expected,that respondents’ perceived correlationbetween their time in the ROC Program andany outcome needs to be considered inrelation to their other experiences.

When respondent number one was asked whatshe felt the overall influence of the ROCProgram had been on her life, she gave thefollowing response, which contrasts with thepositive responses cited above:

R1) “Uh, I hadn’t really thought about it verymuch. The ROC Program provided a largerenvironmental awareness overall. . . . I’mnot sure what else.”

For clarification, I interpreted respondentnumber one’s comment that “she hadn’t reallythought very much” about her time in theprogram as an indication that the ROCProgram had a small influence on her life;however, it may be that this respondent foundit difficult to express her thoughts about theROC Program in a verbal manner. As such,

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this respondent may have been able to providea more detailed response if she could haveexpressed herself in another communicationmedium, such as poetry or story.

Links to Post-secondary Environmental orOutdoor Programs

Post-secondary program selection is one of thelargest tangible influences that participantsattributed to their time in the ROC Program. Icannot, of course, infer that the ROC Programwas the only reason that these individualstook an environmental or outdoor-focusedpost secondary program, since some of therespondents entered the ROC Program withpre-existing outdoor experience and aninterest in the environment. Yet, as thefollowing responses indicate, a number ofrespondents correlate their experiences in theROC Program with their post-secondaryprogram selection.

R4) “I ended up taking Environmental Scienceat university, which I can directly relate tomy time in the ROC Program.”

R10)“[The ROC Program] definitely steered memore towards what I took in university. Iwasn’t too sure before [the program] whatI was interested in. . . . I went and did adegree in Environmental Science . . . .”

R8) “I don’t think I would have gone touniversity if I hadn’t gone to the ROCProgram. I was more interested intechnical skills and probably would havegone into the trades . . . had it not beenfor the ROC Program.”

R5) “I went to . . . university for outdoorrecreation . . . .”

(Q) Do you relate going to that program to yourtime in the ROC program?

(A) “One hundred percent.”

While influencing students in their selectionof a post-secondary degree is not necessarilythe goal of the ROC Program, these casesdemonstrate that the program did just that.

Links to Current Professions

Respondents number 12 and 2 indicated adirect correlation between their time in theROC Program and their current profession inthe environmental field. Respondent numberfour indicated that she works for anenvironmentally focused non-governmentalorganization, yet she did not correlate thiswith her time in the ROC Program.Respondent number six indicated that,although she had already selected her post-secondary academic path before entering theROC Program, the interpersonal skills andtechnical outdoor competencies developed inthe program are quite useful in her currentcareer. In another case, when asked if she wasable to identify any life decisions that she nowrelates to her time in the ROC Program, the11th respondent stated: “Well, the irony isthat I am now in a job in the environmentalfield that actually builds on everything welearned in ROC, although there was not aconscious decision to do so.”

Worth mentioning is the fact that theinterviews did not specifically inquire aboutthe respondents’ career choices. Consequently,it is unclear what several of the respondentsdo for a living. Therefore, out of 13 interviews,four people indicated that they are working inthe environmental field, although only twodirectly related their career choice to their timein the ROC Program. Another respondent (R13)replied that she was now teaching at theelementary level and that the ROC Programcultivated or strengthened her interest inteaching.

While these respondents are not necessarily anaccurate representation of the entire ROCalumni, I believe that their responses can beinterpreted as a strong indication of theinfluential nature of the ROC Program. Notonly do these individuals working in theenvironmental sector indicate the influence ofthe ROC Program on their lives, but I wouldsuggest that their work also has beneficialecological and social implications as well.

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Environmental Influences of the ROCProgram

Wiersma (1997) asserts that “mostpractitioners within the current educationalsystem have created boundaries betweenschool communities and ecologicalcommunities” (p. 11). The interview responsessuggest that the ROC Program offered aunique educational approach that blurred theboundaries between ecological and humancommunities. As a result, the ROC Programnot only integrated the subject areas, but alsothe more-than-human world into theprogram’s assignments and teaching strategies(Wiersma 1997). Nine respondents indicatedthat the ROC Program cultivated in them astronger environmental awareness. Thefollowing passage from the third respondent isrepresentative of many of the responses aboutenvironmental awareness.

R3) (Q) What was the overall influence of theROC Program on your life?

(A) Awareness. And it helped me becomemore interested in learning, being engagedin my life, and the interconnection ofeverything.

Many of the responses do not, however,indicate whether the individuals have adaptedtheir lives and behaviours to live inaccordance with such an environmentalawareness.

The interviews were also structured to inquireabout specific skills, interests or life decisionsthat the respondents relate to their time in theROC Program. Still, only a few respondentscorrelated their experience in the ROCProgram with tangible examples of what couldbe deemed environmentally responsiblebehaviours. Respondents R9, R2 and R3indicated that they had altered theirconsumption habits and a number of otherdaily habits to be more environmentallyfriendly, either completely or partially due totheir experiences in the ROC Program. I nowbelieve that I should have structured theinterview questions to include questions that

more specifically inquired aboutenvironmental action and environmentallyresponsible behaviours.

A number of respondents commented that theprogram helped them develop a strongerconnection with the natural world. Orr (1992)notes that firsthand experiences in theoutdoors are influential in fosteringconnections with the Earth, which he furtherrelates to environmentally responsiblebehaviour.

Other Life Decisions Influenced by theROC Program

When asked if they could identify any skills orinterests that the ROC Program cultivated orstrengthened in their lives, R8 and R12responded with the promotion of healthy,active, outdoor lifestyles. R10 noted that theROC Program inspired her to travel more,which she reported she has done since hertime in the program.

Personal Growth: Intra/InterpersonalDevelopment

Intrapersonal growth

Priest and Gass (1997) propose thatintrapersonal skill development includes thefollowing components: “new confidence inoneself, increased willingness to take risks,improved self-concept, enhanced leadershipskills, increased logical reasoning skills, andgreater reflective thinking skills” (p. 20).Similar to the ICP that Russell and Burton(2001) investigated, I found that respondentsconsistently indicated that there was asignificant opportunity for personal growth inthe ROC Program. The following excerptsdetail what respondents had to say when theywere asked if they felt there was an opportunityfor personal growth within the ROC Program.

R11)“Oh yeah, totally! It was different foreveryone. The atmosphere was conducivetowards helping you get to know andunderstand yourself better. . . . I learned

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basically who I was, what is important tome, how I want to treat and respect otherpeople.”

R9) “I do — quite a bit of opportunity;personal journaling . . . was veryconducive to personal growth.”

R6) “Definitely. I think that’s one of the bigthings that I did in the program. I wasnot a social person; it was difficult for meto interact in a group setting. It was agood experience for me; it helped me growas an individual. I learned abouthandling myself in a group…. I learned alot about myself….”

Even the individual who offered the leastamount of support for the program still hadthe following to say when asked if she feltthere was an opportunity for personal growthin the ROC Program: “Yup, definitely in termsof the team building stuff I was mentioning;not only with that but with the journals andother assignments made us step outside ofyour usual shell and try new things.”

Four respondents (R11, R2, R9 and R1)indicated that their personal journalingthrough the ROC Program fostered personalgrowth. Journaling was likely important tothis many respondents because the act ofreflecting on their experiences and recordingtheir thoughts helped them internalize andlearn from their experiences.

I believe that the elements of intrapersonalgrowth, noted above, are beneficial anddesirable for all people to develop andstrengthen. In this research, increased self-confidence, an increased willingness to takerisks, and enhanced leadership skills werecited by respondents as benefits of their timein the ROC Program. I will venture to suggestthat well-developed intrapersonal abilities cansignificantly contribute to an individual’ssense of contentment with their situation inlife (i.e., feeling of success or happiness) aswell as their emotional, physical and mentalwell-being.

Interpersonal skill development

One of the main influences that respondentsattributed to the ROC Program involvedinterpersonal skill development. Priest andGass (1997) note that interpersonal abilitiesinvolve the following areas of skilldevelopment: “Enhanced cooperation, moreeffective communication skills, greater trust inothers, increased sharing of decision making,new ways to resolve conflicts, improvedproblem-solving skills, and enhancedleadership skills” (p. 20). This section willdraw from respondents’ comments that fitinto these skill sets.

R6) “So the thing I’ve used most [from theprogram] is learning about myself, how Ifunction in a group, and how to deal withothers in a group — to realize peoples’strengths and weaknesses, and how to usedifferent leadership skills to bring out thebest in people.”

The following respondent articulates a numberof interpersonal characteristics that were partof her experience in the ROC Program.

R11)“The thing about the ROC Program is . . .[you are] with a community of people thatyou may or may not like, and you need tomaintain a personal level of functioning;yet you also need to interact and be partof a larger community, more like the realworld. In programs like ROC, studentsneed to live cooperatively with peoplethrough conflict and celebration.”

In his book Ecological Identity: Becoming aReflective Environmentalist, MitchellThomashow (2001) refers to interpersonalskills as “process knowledge,” which he assertscan help people effectively share information,solve problems and help resolve conflicts.Thomashow (2001) postulates that the skillsassociated with process knowledge arenecessary for people of all career paths,including those working in the environmentalfield and what he refers to as “ecologically

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responsible citizens” (p. 173). FollowingThomashow’s line of thought, if an individual’sinterpersonal skills are underdeveloped, thatperson will be unable to effectively relate withher family, peers and colleagues; thus she willunlikely be successful and content in herpersonal and professional relationships. Inthis sense, well-developed interpersonal andintrapersonal skills can be thought of as thefoundation that can then support healthy andrespectful relationships as well as, potentially,meaningful and socially and environmentallyconscious life work.

Specialties of the ROC Program?

One of the objectives of this research was togain an understanding of those aspects of theprogram that helped create the opportunityfor meaningful experiences or personalgrowth. The respondents listed a number ofelements that contributed to their enhancedlearning and enjoyment of the program: (1)authentic, “real world” learning; (2) theexperiential teaching approach; (3) and, therole of the teacher.

Authentic learning

A number of respondents talked about howthe learning in the program was much morerelevant to their daily lives than normalclassroom learning. In many instances, thiswas a result of the activities, assignments orfield trips involving their local community.The following excerpt highlights theimportance that a number of respondentsattributed to authentic learning experiences.

R3) “The learning was relevant. When wevisited the water treatment plant welearned this is how our water is cleaned . . .or these are relevant things happening inour community, or . . . [this is] how ourlife impacts these things. This type oflearning made it really tangible — not in atext book or in far away places. . . . It wasa powerful experience!”

The previous respondent’s reply supportsSobel’s (2004) assertion that locally focused,experiential learning contributes to theparticipants’ perception of its authenticity. Thefollowing statement by Sterling (2001) alsorelates to a number of participant responses:“If we want people to have the capacity andwill to contribute to civil society, then theyhave to feel ownership of their learning — ithas to be meaningful, engaging andparticipative, rather than functional, passiveand prescriptive” (p. 26–27).Sterling’s thought implies that onceindividuals are engaged in their learning andtheir local community, then they can begin tothink of themselves as part of somethinglarger than themselves, including the socialand ecological aspects of the Earthcommunity. Judging from the comments ofthe last several reported interviewrespondents, it appears that the ROC Programwas fairly effective at engaging students andmaking the learning process more meaningful.

The experiential teaching approach

Although there were no questions in theinterviews that specifically addressedexperiential learning, there were a number ofresponses in this area to warrant its ownsection in the analysis. In addition to personalgrowth and interpersonal skill development,experiential learning was the third theme thatRussell and Burton (2001) interpreted asbeing important to the students in their study.The poignant response from the ninthrespondent indicates why she felt the ROCProgram offered beneficial learningopportunities.

R9) “The whole approach to learning andtesting [in the ROC Program] seems to meto be much more beneficial [than inregular courses]. We all learn inmultifaceted ways, and it’s arrogant of theeducation system to utilize one way oflearning and assume that all students canlearn that way. . . . [The ROC Program]sets students up to win once they leave

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program, setting them up for a newapproach in the typical classroomlearning.”

The ninth respondent speaks to severalimportant facets of a holistic, experientialeducation program, including how theteaching approach was more conducive toreaching people with different learning styles.A number of respondents indicated thatlearning in an experiential manner was one ofthe most meaningful elements of the program.Many respondents mentioned that theexperiential approach to learning wasenjoyable, and a much easier way to learn;however, respondents were often unable toarticulate why this was the case. Ellsworth(2005) shares her thoughts on experientiallearning, and why we may find it so difficultto think about it intellectually:

No one, no “I,” can access this placeof [learning] because what weexperience as “I” emerges from it. Thisis why we cannot explain “how” wehave come to knowing. This is whypedagogy teaches but does not knowhow it teaches. We come to a knowingonly as we emerge from a realm ofsensation/movement that isontologically prior to cognition. (p.167)

Ellsworth’s passage expresses the importanceof teaching strategies and pedagogy. Thisresearch supports Ellsworth’s assertion that itis not only the knowledge being taught, butalso the learning experience — including thelearning environment and involvement withco-learners — that has influenced theserespondents’ personal growth and development.

The educator

A third factor that influenced the learning andpersonal growth of the respondents was theirteacher. The following highlights what onerespondent thought of her teacher’s style andphilosophy:

R9) I really liked [our teacher’s] style andapproach, and this program in general. Ithoned the skills that people have andencouraged them to further develop theseskills. This kind of program enabled truertesting and learning that encourages growth.

I interpret this response to suggest that thephilosophy and abilities of the educator alsoplay a major role in the influence of ICPs. Theexperiences of the ROC Program wereapparently rooted in an “eco-centric”approach that encouraged students to examinetheir personal beliefs, their relationship withother humans, and their influence on theworld around them.

Concluding Thoughts

The findings of this research indicate that theROC Program had a varied yet relativelyinfluential effect on the participants’ lives. It isnot surprising that this research supports thefindings presented in Russell and Burton’s(2001) study: that experiential learning as wellas interpersonal and intrapersonal skilldevelopment were consistently cited byparticipants to be a major influence in theirperceived success and enjoyment of theprogram. This research indicates that the ROCProgram facilitated meaningful — and insome cases measurable — benefits andinfluences, as described by its participants 9–12 years after their experience in the program.

While the excerpts from the interviews are astrong indication of some of the tangible (e.g.,university selection) and intangible (e.g.,interpersonal skill development) ways thisprogram influenced students, the fact remainsthat ICPs compose only a small proportion ofstudents’ lives. Although in ICPs the quality,rather than the amount, of time spent is ofprimary importance, increasing the durationthat students spend in such programs appearsnecessary. Even though there is a growingbody of literature citing evidence as to whystudents should have the option to learn in anintegrated, experiential manner (Horwood,2002; Russell & Burton, 2001), there is no

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indication that a movement in this direction isoccurring. As Horwood (2002) notes, integrated,holistic, environmentally focused learning issimply not currently an option for moststudents in the Ontario public school system.

Academics and practitioners need to supportthe continued evaluation and adaptation of ourresearch methods, as well as our educationaltheories and practices, in order to reflectresearch findings and the dynamic nature ofthe learning environment and our students’needs. For those who support the learningoutcomes attainable through ICPs, we need tocontinue to promote, fund and otherwiseensure that similar learning opportunities areavailable to as many people as possible.

What is needed is a desire from educators toprovide such learning experiences, to find thenecessary resources to do so, and to workthrough the details and challenges ofoperating such programs. As Kittle andSharpe’s (2005) case study of three ICPs thathave been running for 10 or more yearsindicates, there is hope that ICPs can“overcome, and navigate through thischanging educational climate” (p. 12). Thefindings of this research support previousefforts that demonstrate the benefits of ICPswith the hope that, as Horwood (2002)articulates, “Whatever the future for holisticeducation . . . I have confidence that we areamong the guardians of a good idea that, evenif it fades for a while, will resurface andpersist, like a fertile seed” (p. 4).

References

Davis, B., Sumara, D., & Luce-Kapler, R.(2000). Engaging minds: Learning andteaching in a complex world. London:Lawrence Erlbaum.

Ellsworth, E. (2005). Places of learning: Media,architecture, pedagogy. New York, NY:Routledge.

Hood, L. (2002). Dragonfly days. Pathways:The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education,14(4), 33–36.

Hood, L., & Macmillan, J. (2002). Liz & Julie’sexcellent adventure. Pathways: The OntarioJournal of Outdoor Education, 14(4), 17–20.

Horwood, B. (2002). The persistence of agood idea. Pathways: The Ontario Journal ofOutdoor Education, 14(4), 4.

Horwood, B. (2002). The influence of outdooreducation on curriculum integration.Pathways: The Ontario Journal of OutdoorEducation, 14(4), 6–13.

Kittle, L., & Sharpe, E. (2005). Environmentaleducation in an integrated curriculumprogram. Pathways: The Ontario Journal ofOutdoor Education, 17(3), 13.

Luckner, J., & Nadler, R. (1997). Processing theexperience: Enhancing and generalizinglearning. New York, NY: Kendall/Hunt.

Orr, D. (1992). Ecological literacy: Educationand the transition to a postmodern world. NewYork, NY: Albany Press.

Priest, S., & Gass, M. (1997). Effectiveleadership in adventure programming.Windsor, ON: Human Kinetics.

Russell, C., & Burton, J. (2001). A report on anOntario secondary school integratedenvironmental studies program. CanadianJournal of Environmental Education, 5, 287–304.

Sobel, D. (2004). Place-based education:Connecting classrooms and communities. GreatBarrington: Orion Society.

Sterling, S. (2001). Sustainable education: Re-visioning learning and change. Bristol:Arrowsmith.

Thomashow, M. (1995). Ecological identity:Becoming a reflective environmentalist.London: MIT Press.

Wiersma, Y. (1997). Ecological communities,school communities: Blurring the edges.UnderCurrents, 9(8), 8–12.

Scott Caspell is currently pursuing his Bachelor ofEducation with the Outdoor, Experiential andEcological Education (OE3) specialization atLakehead University. This paper is a condensedversion of Scott’s 2006 Senior Honours WorkThesis, as part of the Bachelor of EnvironmentalStudies Program at York University.

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Scott Caspell has initiated a long overduepiece of research regarding integratedprograms with environmental themes (seepage 20 of this issue). He asked questions allintegrated teachers should: What are the long-term educational impacts that integratedprograms provide? Did we make a differencein the lives of young people? Did we inspirethem to further engage in environmentalissues and become more aware of theconsequences of their lifestyles? The juicyquestions, so to speak.

Scott picked an excellent time frame tointerview former students as they hadparticipated in the integrated programbetween 10 and 13 years ago. Ideally,then, participants would havecompleted some form of post-secondary education and now be inthe work force. Some participantsmay be married, may havechildren, and certainly have hadsignificant life experience. Withtheir involvement in the study theparticipants were able to reflect backand ask: “Did the ROC programinfluence me in any way?” And,with some clarity, the respondentsseem to confirm that, yes, it did.

One theme I noticed runningthrough many student responseswas that the integrated programacted as a “wake up call” tocommunity and environmentalissues for them. Visually I imaginestudents generally traveling through oureducational system without many wake upcalls to our ecological impacts. One studentcaptured this when she stated, “ROC affectedthe way I think, and the way I spend my timeand my resources.”

Response to Exploring the Influence of the ROCIntegrated High School Programby Michael Elrick

Scott clearly captures another importantconcept: Integrated programs occur at a criticaltime in young peoples’ lives and theopportunity to help “formulate self-identity”is present. One student also noted that asignificant positive factor is the length of timeof integrated programs. With these two ideas, Ican not help but make an analogy ofintegrated programs acting as rites of passage.These programs occur at a time when students

are transitioning from childhood toadulthood; they challenge students,

mentally and physically, in a uniqueeducational setting; and in suchprograms students are guided by adultfigures other than their parents.

My final comment has to do with aphrase that Scott used and also quotedfrom Wiersma (1997). He concludedfrom the interviews that the ROCprogram “blurred the boundariesbetween ecological and humancommunities.” I simply love thatimage of blurring and agreewholeheartedly that this is adirection environmental educationmust go for gaining ideas ofsustainability. When the linesbetween the human and non-human world are fuzzy, the rightdecisions become clear.

Michael Elrick has been teachingintegrated programs for 13 years. He

presently teaches the grade 10 CommunityEnvironmental Leadership Program (CELP)

and the grade 12 Headwaters program inGuelph, Ontario.

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The Swedish national curriculum, in its aimsfor sport and health, places specific emphasison outdoor life both for recreation and as thebasis of good health. Since it is often womenthat work in preschool, infant and juniorschools, I felt it important that these teachersbe given the opportunity to develop theirskills, competence and personal insight inorder to be more willing and capable ofleading outdoor life activities. On this basis, in2000 I started “Outdoor Life for Women” — afree-standing course to be given by theDepartment of Educational Sciences at LuleåUniversity of Technology. The course offersfemale teaching professionals the opportunityto increase their personal competence in theskills required to develop and lead outdoorlife pursuits in their places of work and to seesuch activities as natural pedagogic tools tohelp individuals develop, irrespective of age orphysical capability. The course also aims togive insight into how outdoor life can,throughout the year, be used to fostercooperation, trust and enjoyment. Finally, thecourse aims to increase the delegates’ self-confidence and self-awareness and to givethem insight into their own personalleadership style.

The purpose of this paper is to describe thenature of the Outdoor Life for Womenprogram, including empirical research thatanalyses the participants’ experiences andoutcomes of the course. The paper begins withdetails pertaining to the structure and aims ofthe Outdoor Life for Women course.Participant experiences and outcomes aredescribed next, and outcomes for participantssuch as increased self-awareness, self-confidence, and insight into personalleadership style are highlighted. From there, Idescribe the Continuation Course that wasdesigned to build on the outcomes of the

eatureFFree Life: A Report from the “Outdoor Life forWomen” Program in Swedenby Kerstin Stenberg

initial foundational course and offer someearly participant reflections on theseexperiences. The reader will note throughoutthis paper that comments and reflectionsgiven by the participants of Outdoor Life forWomen indicate that the course hascontributed to a more active life and acontinued interest in outdoor life in both theirprofessional and private lives.

Course Structure and Aims

The course Outdoor Life for Women has beenoffered by the Department of EducationalSciences at Luleå University of Technologysince the autumn of 2000. Students taking thecourse study over a full academic year on apart-time basis in the form of nine weekendmeetings, complemented by self-study. Uponsuccessful completion of the course, 10academic points (equivalent to 25% of anacademic year) are awarded. Although thecourse is aimed specifically at femaleeducational professionals who work withyoung children, individuals with otherbackgrounds and interests can also take thecourse if there are openings.

The nine weekend sessions are spread over afull year allowing the course to have aseasonal flavour. The course covers theory,methodology, and technique and safetyaspects of outdoor life. The course has a strongpractical basis with activities taking place inlocations around Luleå and also in moremountainous terrain. These activities includesummer and winter hill walking, rockclimbing, swimming, skiing, ice skating,canoeing and first aid including CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). As well,overnight stops in tents and mountain sheltersare complemented by sessions concerning thehistory of outdoor life, education practices in

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Free Life

Sweden, and gender-related considerations.While the course aims to provide broad-basedskills and knowledge, there is ampleopportunity for individuals to further developtheir personal skills.

Students taking the course must be motivatedin order to get the most from theopportunities it presents. The course usesproblem-based learning (PBL) with ongoinggroup discussions, reflection and individualpresentations. Written reports are alsorequired following the autumn meeting inAbisko, the winter ski weekend in Luleå, andthe winter mountain course in Björkliden.These written reports are of a reflective natureand are structured by the students so that theycover students’ own personal learning anddevelopment. This style of formal reporting isused because it lends to greater challenges forthe students, all of whom live in closeproximity to one another.

In addition to the outdoor activities and oraland written reporting, two other assignmentsare used to assess students’ performance. First,by incorporating the course literature, studentsare required to choose a particular area tostudy in more depth. This work requires thatthey find and use additional reference material;it also requires the inclusion of personalobservations and reflections. The secondassignment asks the students to describe howthey would approach introducing or developingoutdoor life in an existing or proposed groupfrom the point of view of methodology,pedagogy and didacticism. These formalassignments are presented during the finalstudent sessions so that the rest of the groupcan gain additional knowledge through thepresentations and discussions. As is typical inuniversity settings, formal and informalevaluation of the course by the students takesplace at the end of the course.

Formal Analysis of Participants’Experiences and Outcomes of the Course

The course Outdoor Life for Women has, atthe time of writing, operated five times. Theparticipants’ written reflections from theacademic year 2002/2003 form the empiricalbasis of my degree thesis, A Free Life! — AnAnalysis of Women’s Reflections from the CourseOutdoor Life for Women. This particular groupwas chosen because they were the first thatsubmitted personal reflections in a writtenform.

The aim of my thesis was to investigate andinterpret the thoughts and reflections of agroup of female teachers regarding their ownself-confidence, self-image and leadership stylein the context of the outdoor life course. Theresearch further investigated how well thesethoughts reflected the aims formally describedin national curricula and, more specifically,for sport and health teaching in preschool,junior and secondary schools. The researchparticipants consisted of 14 individualsranging in age from 22 to 45 years. The grouppredominantly comprised teachingprofessionals but also includedphysiotherapists, ergonomists and engineers;most participants were from the north ofSweden, with only one delegate from the south.

Recurring themes in the writings of all thedelegates included self-confidence, lack ofconfidence expressed as fear or worry,awareness of the body, and insight intopersonal leadership styles and takingresponsibility for others.

The majority of the delegates’ reflectionsindicated some level of fear or worry;frequently the fear was expressed by anindividual that she might not be capable ofcompleting a given (physical) exercise. Thesefeelings of concern were related to doingsomething new or unfamiliar and arose whenthe outcomes were uncertain. Most delegatesinitially saw the exercises as something thatshould be done as well as possible, and that a

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certain level of performance was expected,rather than as opportunities to learn andimprove within the time that was availableand where it was quite acceptable to fail. Tosome extent this reflected their lack of self-confidence and lack of knowledge of theirown abilities and potential, and resulted in alot of unnecessary “negative energy.”Common to all the reflections was the factthat, when the women had completed theexercises, they had done extremely well andhad often exceeded their own expectations.

As far as the awareness of their own bodies isconcerned, my research highlighted manycommon themes. Many of the womendelegates had not fully understood orappreciated the link between their bodies andtheir will power, thinking instead that theirbodies and physical performance should bethe same irrespective of the situation. Byputting themselves through new physicalchallenges in the outdoors most developed anew understanding and appreciation of theirbodies. A common reflection was of highexpectations at the start of the course and theconcern that their bodies were not up to thechallenge. I noticed in many of the writingsproduced towards the end of the course thatthere was an increasing acceptance of theirbodies and of themselves for what they are.Reading between the lines I see this as a signthat, over the duration of the course, thewomen gained an understanding andconfidence in their fellow group members anda better insight into outdoor life and what canbe gained from these experiences.

Many of the women’s comments also describethe expectations placed on women generallyby society. In addition, their reflectionsindicate that many of the women nowappreciate the challenges involved in leading agroup. Rather than being concerned onlyabout themselves, a few of the womendescribed how they started to observe thegroup, becoming aware of what was happeningin the group and of how the group was feelingand behaving. Another common development

that I observed was that the course delegatesbecame more and more aware that they werethere to learn. This may in part have been areflection of the fact that it takes time to findone’s role in a group, or style as a leader, andthat it also takes time and experience to beable to see the positive in situations that, atfirst, may appear replete with failure. All thedelegates saw that their experiences from thecourse increased their knowledge aboutthemselves and of outdoor life in general.Many commented positively that theyintended to continue or further develop anactive interest in the kind of outdoor activitiesexperienced during the course.

The greatest differences in the women’scomments concerned their views of their ownrole as a leader in the context of outdoor life.This is not surprising given the wide range ofbackgrounds represented in the group andtheir experiences of outdoor life andleadership.

The comments made during oral discussionsduring this and other courses indicate thatmany women would not have been as keen totry all the activities, nor willing to pushthemselves as they did, if the course had haddelegates of both genders. For many women, itwas liberating to have a single-sex course,thereby eliminating the (potential) focus oncompetition and performance. Based on theirown experiences of outdoor life, many womencommented that in mixed groups it is all toocommon, and all too easy, for the men to takeresponsibility for those activities that cultureand tradition see as gender specific. OutdoorLife for Women forced the delegates to doeverything, irrespective of what accepted normsdictate, leading to new personal insights.

In the final discussion in my thesis I suggestedthat this course and outdoor life in general areexcellent tools that help women improve theirself-image. Having read all of the delegate’sreflections, which focus on increased self-insight, knowledge of their own body, andinsight into leadership, I gained the clear

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impression that the activities themselves tooka lesser, but none the less important, role.

Outdoor Life for Women: ContinuationCourse

During the 2002/2003 course a desire grewamongst the delegates for a follow-up course.This was started the following year and was ofsimilar duration. The aim of this continuationcourse was to give the delegates anopportunity to gain greater knowledge andexperience of some of the activities from thefoundation course. The course also had aslightly different structure, with fewer butlonger outdoor sessions where greater physicaldemands were placed on the delegates in orderto see how this affected their capacity to leadand what insight this would give them. Eightstudents from the foundation course expressedan interest when offered a place and sevencompleted the course.

The continuation course included hillwalking in the autumn, long-distanceice skating, a ski tour of the northernSwedish mountains and a sea kayaktour around the archipelago nearLuleå. All these activities involvedcarrying equipment and food, oftenfor several days, in both winter andsummer conditions. A total of sevensessions were arranged, ranging fromfour to seven days. The main focus ofthe course was leadership in outdoorlife and the course used PBL as themain form of teaching with writtenreports required after each session.Reflective discussions were a naturalpart of all the outdoor sessions.Compared to the main program, theinstructional content of this coursewas less, with a literature-basedseminar, presentations of studentreports, and a written assignmentbeing the main non-practicalevaluation components. The writtenassignment was an essay concerningthe use of outdoor life to achieve

specific aims and was based on the coursedelegates’ own working environment.

Participants’ Reflections Concerning theContinuation Course

The continuation course has been offered onlyonce. The empirical material, both written andoral, collected during the course delivery willbe used as the basis of my master’s thesis withthe aims expressed for the course serving as itsmain themes. My thesis will again be based onthe course delegates’ comments and how wellthese reflect the course aims.

The aims of the continuation course are forthe students• to have gained greater understanding of

the role and importance of the leader indeveloping quality outdoor experiencesand education

• to be able to see the potential andlimitations of outdoor life from a

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geographic and cultural perspective• to appreciate the importance of self-

reflection in personal development• to understand the role that outdoor life

can play when creating learningenvironments that encourage eachindividual to develop based on their ownsituation and potential

• to be aware of the role of outdooractivities in developing trust andcooperation.

The written reflections submitted by thedelegates during the course werecomplemented by further written reflectionsobtained approximately eight months after thecompletion of the course. In these finalreflections, I asked the delegates to describethe benefits that they felt they had gainedfrom the course and to indicate how they hadused the specific skills and knowledge gainedin their everyday work.

The purpose of my master’s thesis is todevelop knowledge about the didactic natureof outdoor life and the role of the continuationcourse (the source of the empirical data for myresearch) in developing self-reflection.

Before the start of the course I informed thedelegates that it would be a tough challengeand that they should be prepared bothmentally and physically. It is interesting tonote from their reflections, and also from myown observations, that those that were betterprepared also made better decisions during theactivities. Those that were better able to copewith the challenges presented were generallymore focused and maintained a self-criticalview in their reflections. As in the foundationcourse, I tried to limit my influence on thedelegates by giving them considerable freedomas to how they structured and presented theirwritten personal reflections after each outdoorsession. It was only in the final submission,some eight months after the end of the course,that I asked a specific question (i.e., todescribe what the course had meant to themand how they could use this knowledge attheir places of work).

I would like to finish by presenting some ofthe comments from this last reflection. All thedelegates commented on the personal insightthat the course had given them. Mostcommented that, in one way or another, thecourse had led to a change in attitude as far astrying new things, in both work situations andprivately. This change in attitude was notlimited to physical outdoor activities. Thedelegates’ earlier reflections were oftencharacterised by feelings of joy,disappointment, anger, hope and frustrationwhen they tried new things and did not alwayssucceed. These feelings were replaced by amore reasoned calm in their final reflections,as if the delegates had found their place in thegroup and course and were happy with theexperiences, knowledge and insight that thecourse provided. Several of the delegatescommented that, following the completion ofthe course, they had continued to meetregularly and that outdoor life activities wasthe thing that they have in common and dotogether. Many delegates commented on howsatisfying it was to be able to cope with beingin the mountains or out on the sea using theskills and knowledge that the course offered,and how the course helped them develop abetter understanding of their own abilities. Asa result of the course, one delegatecommented that she had begun trying othernew activities and revisiting activities that shehad not done for many years. This woman feltthat her life had improved. Another womancommented that she was able to forget thosethings that were difficult during the courseand, more importantly, that she felt that shewas taken seriously when leading activities. Allthe comments and reflections given by thedelegates indicate that the course hadcontributed to a more active life and acontinued interest in outdoor life bothprofessionally and privately.

Kerstin Stenberg developed and continues tofacilitate the course Outdoor Life for Womenthrough the Department of Educational Sciencesat Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.

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Portaging a canoe on a long beaten path, bugsflying all around, sweat dripping down yourface, your back aching like never before. Thesestruggles encourage you to question why youvoluntarily put yourself into this position andexperience these hardships. The answer isbecause, deep down inside, you absolutelylove it! In July 2006, I participated in a 25-daycanoe trip on the Moisie River with CampKandalore and it was by far the mostamazing experience of my life. Fromthe first to the twenty-fifth, eachday was completely differentand filled with newexperiences that seemed toget better by the minute.

My Explorer trip group wascomposed of five girls, fourboys and three trip leaders,most of whom werestrangers to me on the firstday. By the end of the trip,my travel mates had becomemy family, the river was ourhome, and my worst fear wasleaving the trip. On our trip,we had a two-day drive to ourput-in spot in Labrador City.Sitting squished in a van next toa boy I had just met wasdefinitely not the mostcomfortable feeling on the firstday, but 48 hours, eight stops, andsix meals later, we had becomefriends. Our group was alreadybonding and I knew that closefriendships would develop overthe course of the trip. Not onlywere we living with the samepeople for 25 days, but we didnot see another person

outside our group until day 17! Similar tomost co-ed groups of teenagers, the girls firstbecame friends with other girls, while the boysbecame friends with other boys. But after acouple of days the whole group had becomevery close. Whether it was sharing a meal,paddling together or completing a portage,strong friendships were developing. Throughour friendships, we developed a strong sense

of trust, which was especiallyimportant when paddling rapids.

The Moisie River has fast-moving white water withclass I–III rapids. Beforepaddling down theserapids, we had tounderstand how to “read”the set of rapids and usethe proper techniques forpaddling white water.Trust was very importantas the bow and sternpaddlers had to worktogether in order tosuccessfully complete eachset of rapids. In our case,

all of the rapids werecompleted very well and all

participants had a safe andrewarding experience.

Teamwork was one of the mostessential components of ourtrip. Our group fit together likethe pieces of a puzzle, andeveryone was very positive andworked well together. Startingfirst thing in the morning,two people preparedbreakfast while otherspacked up the tents andmost of the packs. Portages

n the FieldIThe Trip of a Lifetimeby Melanie Argiros

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were part of the trip that always requiredstrength, determination and teamwork. Onthe Moisie, we had many portages and, toeffectively complete the portages, we all had towork together. We carried canoes first, thenthe packs, followed by the paddles, water jugs,and helmets. On this trip I learned to soloportage a canoe, and there was no betterfeeling for me than hearing the words “you’redoing amazing, you’re so strong!” and finallyputting down the canoe after soloing it up thesteepest hill I had ever seen. Teamwork alsoincluded helping out our trip mates evenwhen they did not ask us to. Someone offeringto go fill up the water jug with you late atnight or someone who’s not on dinner dutyoffering to help you make the meal are acouple of examples. It was doing smallgenuine things like these that counted most.

One of the other skills that I developed overthe course of the trip was my personalleadership skills. I learned that taking theinitiative to do daily chores without the tripleaders asking you to can be a sign of trueleadership. At the beginning of the trip, theleaders would wake us up in the morning,encourage us to gather firewood, and show ushow to pack the packs. But, by the middle ofthe trip, we were waking up, collectingfirewood, and packing packs on our own. Thedynamics of the trip changed; the campersshared leadership duties and lead the trip,while the trip leaders were there to watch usand to make sure we were doing things safelyand properly. One day, I had the role of beingin charge of the maps and acting as leader ofthe day. In many ways, this canoe trip gave mea chance to find my true self and my truepotential. Without common distractions suchas the computer or television, the canoe tripwas just about us, our group, and nature . . .and that’s all that mattered.

In addition to learning many personal skillson the canoe trip, I also had a chance todevelop and practice many skills related to

surviving and living in the wilderness. One ofthe new skills I developed that I am mostproud of is cooking. I never realized all thedifferent types of food you could make on tripand how delicious they could be. Fromcheesecake to spicy curry, I had some of themost amazing food on trip and the best thingabout it is that I learned how to make all of it(I did, however, come to the conclusion thatthe food you make on trip never tastes thesame when you try to make it at home!).Other memorable skills that I learned whileon trip included how to collect a good pile offirewood and how to start a fire. I learnedwhat type of wood is best for burning andhow important fire starting skills are to beingcomfortable in the wilderness — especially inthe mornings to make a warm breakfast. Therewere so many important and helpful skillsdeveloped on trip that added to the success ofmy journey.

Besides learning new skills on trip,unforgettable moments consisted of laughterand excitement. For me, it felt like a month-long sleepover with my closest friends. Ilaughed so much I cried, and all that matteredwas the group and the river. Incredibleexperiences that we had on trip, such ashaving porcupines eat away at the duct tapeon our water jugs or lying outside at nightlooking up at the beautiful nighttime sky,inspired memories that will last forever. After425 kilometres, 75 meals, 25 days, 12 portagesand 11 friendships, my canoe trip was over,but the memories and friendships made willlast forever.

Melanie Argiros is a grade 11 student atBranksome Hall in Toronto and has beenattending Camp Kandalore for the past foursummers. She has canoed the Moisie, Missinaibi,and Magnetewan rivers and will be returning toKandalore for the two-month Leader in TrainingProgram.

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rospect PointPParticipatory Learning Approachesby Ilan Alleson and Rachel Birenbaum

Anyone who has had the privilege (andchallenge) of coordinating overseas service-learning programs for youth knows that suchwork entails intensive multitasking. As groupleaders in such a summer program in CentralAmerica, we were constantly juggling ourparticipants’ physical and emotional needs,assessing the safety of the work environment,gauging the group dynamics and trying tofoster a safe learning environment. Oneapproach that greatly engaged many of theparticipants stemmed from incorporatingparticipatory learning processes into the program.

In participatory learning processes, criticalanalytical skills can be fostered and learningprocesses must be co-directed (Friere, 1974).Everyone becomes a participant and is allowedto take an active role in establishing anddirecting the learning agenda. A group leaderbecomes both a facilitator and a participant infostering the group’s learning. While a groupfacilitator can utilize many strategies to fostera participatory learning environment, we usedone central (and simple) tool: a collectivelearning list. Questions were posed to thegroup from the start of the program, such as,What do we need to know about thissituation? What are our learning objectives?What are our guiding questions? How can webegin to address these questions andobjectives? We emphasized that theoverarching goal was not to answer all thequestions; rather, the objective was to identifyand articulate questions, seek the appropriatechannels to answer them, and then generatenew questions. In other words, we attemptedto foster an emergent learning process.

Responses to these questions weredocumented on the group list. We collectivelyreviewed the points raised in previousdiscussions, eliminated fulfilled objectives,and listed new ones. The learning agenda wasthus largely established by the participantsand directed by the most pertinent questionsraised. A central indicator that demonstratedthe efficacy of this process occurred when theparticipants would refer to the list outside of

our set meetings. To us, such instancesindicated that self-directed participatorylearning was occurring. Furthermore, in theconcluding anonymous program evaluations,participants indicated a partiality to this typeof learning. Additionally, utilizing this approachcontributed to participant safety. By enablingthe group to direct their learning process, we(the group leaders) had more time to focus onthe group’s overall health and safety.

This learning process, however, posed aunique challenge: the boundary betweengroup leader and participant regardingdisciplinary issues became blurred. As thegroup consisted of teens, they were expected toadhere to rules prohibiting alcoholconsumption, unsupervised swimming and soforth. In order to enhance the safety of theprogram, these rules were established in a top-down manner. When these rules were testedand reinforced through the removal of aparticipant from the program, the groupconfronted us with anger at not having beenpart of the decision-making process. As such,when integrating participatory approaches,group leaders would be wise to openly notethose points where decision making will beconducted in a non-participatory manner,such as participant safety.

Overall, blurring the line between educatorand participant challenged each one of us totake ownership of our learning, and fostered adynamic learning environment.

Reference

Friere, P. (1974). Education for criticalconsciousness. New York, NY: Seabury Press.

Rachel Birenbaum is pursuing an MBA (Non-Profit Management and Business Sustainability)at the Schulich School of Business, York Universityin Toronto.

Ilan Alleson is pursuing a PhD in the Department ofPublic Health Sciences at the University of Toronto.

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The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario

Membership Application Form(Please Print)

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Please send this form with a cheque or money order payable toCouncil of Outdoor Educators of Ontario1185 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, ON M3C 3C6

Each member of COEO will be assigned to a region of the provinceaccording to the county in which he or she lives.

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