Quality lesson plans for outdoor education

Abstract

Quality lesson plans for outdoor education. Redmond, K., Foran, A., & Dwyer, S. (2010). Quality lesson plans for outdoor education. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. ISBN-13: 9780736071314, 641 pages"Warning: Extreme risks exist in outdoor activities, and serious injury or death could result" (p. xii). With this opener, Quality Lesson Plans for Outdoor Education is launched. Whilst I was a little surprised at such an unhelpful blanket statement on the risks of outdoor journeys, I was reminded quickly of the increasingly cautious and 'cover-my-ass' approach to outdoor education that is bogging us down. I just hope my line manager doesn't read the statement, as it will only provide more justification for over-management!Human Kinetics continue to support the development of outdoor education and recreation literature with well produced volumes that have international appeal. So when I saw the title of the book from this publisher it was an instant 'must read.' The idea of some good lesson plans to assist with teaching sounded very attractive, if only to get some new ideas or confirm that what was current practice was sound and reasonable.The book is a result of efforts by the authors - high school teachers, outdoor guides and university professors - to develop 'a comprehensive resource to use in preparing our classes.' This is a sentiment we can all appreciate, as I am sure most of us feel that we are always preparing new materials. I praise them highly for their efforts for attempting the task, let alone achieving a complete volume.A problem is always going to arise with the concept of generic outdoor education lesson plans. It is a field which does not have a unified definition, and is sometimes viewed a subject and sometimes as a way of teaching. The activities might have similar names, but due to different curriculum guides, educational outcomes, the places in which they are taught, constraints such as teacher skills and knowledge, time, funding, weather, age and maturity of participants and a host of other variables, lesson plans and sequencing vary greatly. The educational focus for the authors is personal development and emancipation. Do not expect to find lesson plans or many strong ideas to develop: human-nature relationships, sustainable existence concepts, socially critical approaches, community, active citizenry, or social justice. Mostly, the book provides lesson plans for successful participation, development of knowledge and skill in outdoor activities for enjoyment, health and wellbeing. Perhaps Lesson Plans for Outdoor Activities within Physical Education might have been a better title for much of the content of the book in the Australian context.Overall, I liked this book, and accept the above limitations willingly. I will use it extensively as a prompter for planning - particularly in the context of developing basic skills. The book gave me a lot of great fodder that I will be able to use instantly, and a lot of other material that I can adapt. As one would expect, you can never quite 'pick up and go' with another person's lesson plan unless they share a similar teaching context.The authors clarified their philosophy of outdoor education at the start, and the text reflected these statements well. They use experiential learning extensively, with the use of Project Adventure style activities to reinforce the teaching points in many chapters. The embedding of sensory experiences to encourage connection to the natural environment in most chapters was commendable. I really liked the terminology sections of each chapter, which provide a good overview of the language and technical terms associated with each activity. The embedding of risk management considerations, no doubt reflecting the current state of play with outdoor education in North America, was useful to raise awareness of potential risk issues. The lessons read like they would be fun and enjoyable.There were a number of stand-out units for me personally. …