Older Adults In Adventure Education

Adventure education in the U.S. has long been understood from within the context of young adults in adventure education programs. Adventure education programs have historically treated young people as the target audience of their programs. Meanwhile, social scienctists continue to alert us of an "agewave," whereby aging baby boomers will populate social corridors that never have been asked to accommodate them. As the baby boom generation in the U.S. and elsewhere begins to enter older adult hood, educators will be faced with this wave. This study of older adult experience in adventure education explores the inner experience of older adults while participating in a remote backpacking trip. Professionals in the social sciences, education, and gerontology will appreciate this study which further defines the world of older adult education and experiential education. The findings of this study are located within 3 themes of older adult reflection (connecting to values, time, and health), as well as researcher observations about how reflection in adventure education supported learning and higher development for older adults.. Five key observations describe how reflection in adventure education supported older adult learning and higher development in this study. These observations included: 1) Participants engaged in a process of reconsidering their values, and 2) Participant reflection process resembled reminiscence and life review.

This phenomenological inquiry explored dimensions of reflection for older adults in a developmental oriented adventure education experience. Data were gathered from emergent interviews with four individuals while participating in a multi-day, self-contained experiential education program conducted in a rugged environment, and led by a Navajo leader. Two principle research questions guided the design of this study: (a) What themes describe the experience of reflection for older adult participants of adventure education?, and (b) How does reflection in adventure education support older adult learning and higher development?

Outdoor Adventure Education: Foundations, Theories, Models, and Research steeps students in the theories, concepts, and developments of outdoor adventure education, preparing them for careers in this burgeoning field. This text is based on author Alan W. Ewert’s pioneering book Outdoor Adventure Pursuits: Foundations, Models, and Theories. Ewert and Sibthorp, both experienced practitioners, researchers, and educators, explore the outdoor adventure field today in relation to the changes that have occurred since Ewert’s first book. The authors present a comprehensive text on outdoor and adventure foundations, theories, and research that will provide the basis for the next generation of professionals.

Outdoor Education: Methods and Strategies, Second Edition, provides all the necessary information and tools for teaching outdoor education. Future educators will learn how to create optimal learning opportunities in outdoor environments, how to design effective lessons, and how to identify and use the methods that are best for the place and the participants. These teaching methods apply to a variety of organizations, including schools, nature centers, adventure centers, camps, environmental learning centers, government agencies, and universities. Outdoor Education: Methods and Strategies, Second Edition, is divided into three parts. Part I defines what outdoor education is and details the professional expectations for an outdoor educator. It also explores theories that support outdoor education, including developmental stages, learning stages, and constructivism. Part II guides the reader to understand the backgrounds and abilities of participants, create a successful learning environment, teach effectively in a variety of settings, and design lesson plans. Part III examines the uses of physical, cognitive, and affective methods for teaching, and it includes sample lesson plans that illustrate the methods presented. These chapters help students reflect on, evaluate, and improve their lesson plans through experimentation. Presented by authors with a combined 150 years of experience in the field, the methods and strategies in this book have been tested and proven to work in a variety of outdoor settings. This second edition covers theories such as scaffolding, brain-based learning, Erik Erikson’s eight stages of development as applied to outdoor education, playful learning, and nature play as well as the use of technology in outdoor education. This text supplements theory with tools to support practical application: Easy-to-use forms for designing, implementing, and evaluating outdoor lesson plans Nine sample lesson plans offering detailed instructions and representing a variety of settings for different age groups and abilities Updated Stories From Real Life case studies that illustrate how methods are applied in the real world Explore Your World sidebars prompting students to reflect on their own experiences and goals Tips and Techniques sidebars offering brief and actionable advice for educators New Professional’s Perspective sidebars featuring insights from real practitioners about core content and topics in the book Students will also find a number of learning aids—including chapter objectives, review questions, and a glossary—to enhance knowledge retention. Outdoor Education: Methods and Strategies, Second Edition, will help aspiring educators enhance their audience’s awareness, appreciation, and knowledge of the outdoors. Ultimately, it will advance their ability to increase people’s enjoyment and understanding of the environment.

The overall focus, scope, and purpose of this Special Issue on outdoor adventure is to provide the current and anticipated future trends, offer innovative ideas for new programs, support decision making for managers to move plans and intentions into action, inspire pioneering staff training and leadership development, incite policy reviews and revisions, promote resource (re)allocation where needed, and stimulate culture shifts among outdoor leaders and managers. Furthermore, this Special Issue is situated within the existing literature by depicting major trends in the field, exploring organizational issues and successes, identifying gaps between research and practice, and formulating solutions to some of the field’s most pressing challenges. Of particular interest were manuscripts reporting the following: • Adventure education across diverse cultures; • Innovative partnerships for experiential education outdoors; • Land management agencies working with adventure education programs; • Leadership and/or management issues and challenges; • Programming advances, participation trends; • Recruitment and retention of diverse staff, workforce enhancement; • Social groups/identity and outdoor spaces (e.g., people of color and outdoor adventure; women in the outdoors—where have we been, where are we going?; LGBTQ trends and future directions; youth and outdoor adventure); • Socioeconomic factors and solutions; • Technology influences and adventure education; • Working with schools/school districts and being in sync with curriculum needs, supporting transportation challenges, etc.

Leisure and Aging: Theory and Practice provides students and professionals with a balanced perspective of current knowledge as it presents cutting-edge research in both fields. Supplemented by online ancillaries, this text offers a wealth of knowledge on various aspects of life for older people and the role of leisure in their lives.