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AEE eNews
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Council on Research and Evaluation Announcements
CORE invites you to attend the Research and Evaluation-related events and workshops to be held at the 2008 Annual International AEE Conference including the inaugural Council on Research & Evaluation (CORE) Networking Reception, sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS).
Council on Research & Evaluation Reception
Thursday, November 8, 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Heritage Ballroom E/F
AEE’s Council on Research and Evaluation (CORE)
invites conference attendees to a
networking session focused on connecting
researchers, funding and programs.
This event is generously sponsored by NOLS
WHAT IS CORE?
The need to create a Council on Research and Evaluation (CORE) was identified at the REAP symposium in 2007. The AEE Board of Directors and CEO commissioned a task force to launch the project and CORE became an official council within AEE at the 2007 Annual Conference in Little Rock.
In response to an increasing need for collaboration, consultation and research support expressed by AEE leadership and membership, CORE strives to provide open lines of communication regarding research, evaluation and public policy that affects AEE members, professional groups and affiliation groups.
Highlights of Accomplishments and Initiatives Supported by CORE:
* Ongoing development of web-accessible information about research and evaluation (R&E) that is presented in an accessible, organized manner, including: annotated web links, lists of experts in the field, access to relevant research and more. Go to www.aee.org and click on “Resources.”
* Sponsorship of a $250 award to the AEE member program that produces the best outcome study in 2009 (to be awarded at the 2009 AEE Annual International Conference).
* Support of Research and Evaluation of Adventure Programming (REAP) and co-sponsorship of the Annual REAP Symposium
* Support of the annual Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) and the research strand of workshops at AEE Annual International Conferences
* Facilitated the inclusion of experiential education language in the National Institute on Drug Addiction’s (NIDA) call for research.
* Established relationships with ACCT, NOLS, ACA and other external organizations that will support the furthering of CORE’s mission and vision.
* Networking with the Professional, Affiliation and Regional Groups that are part of AEE to make sure member needs in the areas of R&E are met.
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Dr. Jayson Seaman on the "End of the Learning Cycles Era"
By Dr. Jayson Seaman, Dept. of Kinesiology, University of New Hampshire, Durham
WHY DO YOU WANT TO HELP DEFINE WHAT EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IS?
I am motivated to be part of the conversation on “What is experiential education?” because it is of central relevance to me as a researcher. A major part of research is communicating what perspective was used to frame your study. This led me to search for a more precise definition of experiential learning as part of my doctoral work. And I found that many of the models in the EE literature didn’t help me see new patterns or capture the depth of learning I had observed over the years.
I also struggled to see how the models fit into more established scientific or philosophical traditions, which was something my advisors wanted me to do, and was also a concern as I thought about different audiences I might be communicating with.
This is why I decided to look at experiential learning models historically, to see where they came from. I learned that the origins of many of the ‘learning cycle’ models were not well defined or had been adapted along the way from different ideas. This led me to conclude, somewhat critically, that:
"Today, this framework has evolved from a set of practice-driven models with historically specific purposes into a broader belief system underwritten more by liberal-humanist ideology, folk psychology, and administrative interests than by a scientific or epistemological foundation for learning.”
Seaman, Jayson. (2008). Experience, Reflect, Critique: the end of the “Learning Cycles” Era. JEE 2008 Volume 31 Number 1. p9
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
One reason this matters is for legitimacy. Like many other people, I have always struggled to work “experientially” in schools. Now, as a researcher, I face the same issue but in a different way, trying to communicate to new audiences. In a book chapter I co-authored with my friend Matt Gingo, I quote Eduardo Galeano as saying that “Soccer is the sport of the future and it always will be.” Matt and I make a parallel between soccer and experiential education in our essay. This is why I think trying on different lenses and terms can help improve our ideas as well as helping find common ground with other educators in new ways.
One problem I see, however, is the sense that EE is “different from” or “better than” mainstream education. I think this is a bad starting place. 100 years ago Dewey taught us that education is a social institution. Anybody who works with children to help them learn and develop is, in my view, involved in education in a broad sense. In many classrooms, “experiential” things are happening, except they’re called constructivism, inquiry-based teaching, place-based education, and so on. And sometimes in the outdoors we lecture at people and abuse our power intentionally or unintentionally. So I think this either/or thinking is unhelpful and actually quite inaccurate. I sense this in research sometimes too – there’s a lot of good work happening in other areas that don’t use the term “experiential” and might be overlooked for this reason. I also think there is a lot of great work in experiential education that other people could be learning from.
Lately I have been finding the research on nonformal and informal learning instructive. One of the best pieces of work in this area is: Learning In and Out of School in Diverse Environments from the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington. This is why I closed my article with the following observation:
"If experiential education is to play a serious part in the social, educational, and ecological problems of our time, it is worth moving ‘alternative’ perspectives to a more central role in future inquiry and scholarship.”
Seaman, Jayson. (2008). Experience, Reflect, Critique: the end of the “Learning Cycles” Era. JEE 2008 Volume 31 Number 1. p15
I think the No Child Left Inside initiative, and what AEE has done politically to support it, is a good example of the kind of collaboration we need to do more of.
WHAT ARE YOU RESEARCHING NOW?
For the last year and a half I have been collaborating with Bart Crawford, a trainer from Project Adventure, to study nonformal diversity education programs. We are in the process of seeking funding for a project based on bringing kids from racially segregated environments together in leadership programs that use adventure-based activities and community service projects. We want to determine what conditions are necessary to build a sense of community, what happens during their interactions, and how language shapes their understanding of race, identity, and diversity. Bart and I hope to write a book about our research in the next few years.
WHAT ELSE ARE YOU DOING?
I am looking forward to serving as co-chair of SEER starting next year because I am passionate about building a strong community of researchers in experiential education. It is a great environment for new and experienced researchers to talk about their work. Plus, right now there’s a lot of emphasis on research and I think this will spur our creativity. However, I’d like to see better communication between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. I think one upside to the whole “evidence-based practice” movement is that it has made researchers and practitioners work together more closely, and I think SEER can help with this.
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Women's Wilderness Institute
From Jody Radtke, Program Director, Women's Wilderness Institute
“You can do more than you think you can.” This is the lesson that Jody Radtke has been teaching students for 15 years. Jody, Program Manager for The Women’s Wilderness Institute (TWWI) in Boulder, does this by applying her Master’s in Therapy and her many athletic talents to teach backcountry training with meaningful life skills. In describing her work, she says, “It’s about teaching women to be real and to find their unique voice.”
TWWI offers women and girls a chance to reflect and rejuvenate and to know their own strength. The programs are focused on building self-sufficiency, confidence and self awareness. Research has shown that when girls reach the age of 12 years old, they have a tendency to lose their voice. Putting the best research to use, TWWI emphasizes healthy communication, media, cultural awareness and having fun. Conversations on cliques, peer pressure, and relationships are followed by practicing effective tactics for dealing with these issues. “I encourage participants to form strong bonds, share accomplishments and celebrate victories of all sizes,” said Jody, “I have done my job if participants go home stronger and more powerful. “
Jody grew up in the woods of northern Wisconsin where she learned to rock climb and cross country ski. As part of a Rotary exchange in high school, she spent some time in New Zealand and this is where she had an epiphany. “I realized that I could make a living being in the outdoors.” This inspiration led her to get her Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation and Leadership from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse and it is from that experience that she landed an internship with Outward Bound in Minnesota.
“I learned about myself in the process of teaching students. I grew up with OB. I became an example of, and a strong advocate for, living in the outdoors to build community and provide a mode for authentic expression. TWWI is a great fit for me because women differ from men in the amount and type of outdoor experience they often have. Our programs are quite varied and include classes from expeditions to contemplative practices (yoga, canoeing, and writing).”
Women’s Wilderness Institute has just recently completed the AEE accreditation process. TWWI looked critically at every single element in their program and made sure they were doing it to the best of their abilities. “We went from being a good program to a very solid program. We are even more credible. The process gave us the ability to look at our internal processes from an outside perspective,” stated Jody, “And the intent is to be helpful for parents wanting a reputed third party to recognize that we do good work.”
Jody learned about AEE when she was still in school and she has been involved with the organization with the organization? Involved with what? for almost 20 years. She now enjoys giving back, including presenting at conferences, which helps her continue to grow and learn.
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Peer Networking Group Annual Meetings
Dates, times and locations (All rooms are located in the Hilton in Vancouver, Washington)
Profession-Based Groups
Thursday, November 6, 2008
4:45pm to 6:00pm
Experience-Based Training and Development (EBTD) - Hemlock Room - Chair Brian Capron - Staff Representative - Paul Limoges
Outdoor and Adventure Education Programming (OAEP) - Pine Room - Chairs Graham Prather, Michael Ackerman, Ali Lien - Staff Representative Shawn Tierney
Schools and Colleges (S&C) - Spruce Room - Chair Wesley Riddle - Staff Representative Natalie Kurylko
Therapeutic Adventure (TAPG) - Oak Room - Chair Stephen Glass - Staff Representatives Kirsten Kindt
Affiliation Groups
Natives, Africans, Asians, Latino/as and Allies (NAALA) - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - 7:30AM to 8:30AM - Heritage Room - Chair TBD - Staff Representative Natalie Kurylko
Old Folks and Allies (OFA) - Friday, November 7, 2008 - 7:30AM to 8:30AM - Heritage Room - Chairs Tom Smith, Joanna Allen, Cliff Knapp - Staff Representative Natalie Kurylko
Women’s Professional Group (WPG) - Friday, November 7, 2008 - 7:30am to 8:30am - Heritage Room - Chair Anja Whittington - Staff Representative Kirsten Kindt
International (IPAG) Potluck - Friday, November 7, 2008 - 5:00PM to 6:30PM - Hemlock Room - Chair Patrick Maher - Staff Representative Paul Limoges
Canadian (CAG) - Saturday, November 8, 2008 - 7:30AM to 8:30AM - Heritage Room - Chair TBD - Staff Representative Paul Limoges
Student (Students) - Friday, November 7, 2008 - 7:30AM to 8:30AM - Heritage Room - Chairs Crystal Weaver, Beth Walker - Staff Representative Anaya Drew
Regional Groups
Friday, November 7, 2008
5:00pm to 6:30pm
Region - Chair - Staff Representative - Meeting Location
Northeast - Julie Clemons - None - Meeting Offsite
Northwest - Sam Tower - Anaya Drew - Oak
West - Christian Itin and Terry Nail - Evan Narotsky - Boardroom
Rocky Mountain - Scott Robertshaw - Natalie Kurylko - Offsite at Who Song & Larry's
Heartland - Tom Holman - Kirsten Kindt - Pine
Mid-Atlantic - Alex Miller-Walker - Michele Grainger - Cedar
Mid-South - Joel Cryer - Paul Limoges - Birch
Southeast - Marin Burton - Shawn Tierney - Spruce
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