And just like that, CFE is over! These past three weeks flew by; I wish I had more time to spend at Outward Bound. It was definitely hard saying goodbye for now. I hope to get involved with them again in the near future.

This week was busy in the office. There were expeditions coming back at the beginning of the week and expeditions going out at the end. As a result, I was able to observe and be involved in the “wrap-up” and “prep” for these expedition programs. There were many parts of these processes that I knew nothing about, so it was a great learning experience to say the least. I think what stood out the most to me was the attention paid to detail. There were about 4-5 individuals involved in the process and the degree of review was amazing. For example, in the prep for the outgoing 2-day expedition, the team involved developed a 48-hour plan. They spent two days doing this. I was fortunate enough to be able to listen in on many of their conversations and be involved in their planning. What I got to see was a group of individuals working together as a cooperative team. They offered ideas, comments, and criticisms in an extremely constructive and positive manner. Similar to the topic of working as a team, is a part of the wrap and prep, called “pairing” and “de-pairing” conversations. At the prep for an expedition, the instructors involved engage in a pairing conversation. In this conversation, the individuals discuss anything about themselves as a person, their ideas or their thoughts that they believe would be valuable for the other instructors to know in order to provide the best expedition possible. They may discuss their strengths, weaknesses, interests and areas of the expedition they are really passionate about. In the wrap process, instructors have a de-pairing conversation. This is sort of relates to the closure or reflection portion we as teachers engage in. In this, instructors discuss the expedition – what worked, what did not work and how the next expedition could be improved. In a sense, these conversations serve to start and end the instructors off together in a positive way.

I see this as a great process for the school environment as well. Teachers as colleagues in the school or the teacher and students could engage in these types of conversations. As a teacher, I would want to have these kinds of conversations regularly throughout the year in the form of “check-ins.” I see this as being very similar to something I did during my practicum, class meetings. During these meetings, the class – as a whole – discussed pertinent topics, suggestions, and/or issues. We then addressed what was brought up by taking turns and offering insights. I believe this really helps nurture a sense of community in the classroom. In a sense, students come to realize that the class is not just a place to learn math or science – instead, it is like another home, another family where they can feel safe to discuss other life circumstances. And, I truly believe that once this is established, students are more comfortable in the classroom, which enhances their academic learning.

I would like to experiment further with this and change it up a bit. The class meeting was done as a whole. I would like to try check-ins with individual students as well. One of my number one priorities as a teacher is meet the needs of each of my students. I feel a regular check-in with each student would really help foster this. Even the check-in itself could be varied; it might even depend on the student. For example, some might want to have a face-to-face check-in, but others might want to write out a letter to me. The possibilities are endless but I believe there would be a great benefit for both the students and teacher.

I also had the chance to sit in on another meeting this week between Outward Bound and another outdoor education instructor. We discussed the new curriculum and how it will help teachers incorporate experiential and outdoor education into their classes. I learned something extremely valuable. Teachers do not have to feel like they are on their own in trying to provide outdoor education. Instead, what Outward Bound wishes to communicate through their teacher development program is that teachers can make use of many community resources to provide outdoor education. And, as a new teacher, this was great to hear. Because I would love to be able to provide my students enriching, experiential experiences and I feel I would be so much more comfortable doing so with the support of an organization like Outward Bound. This touches into the concept of being a “life-long learner.” Sometimes you do not have to do everything on your own to learn, it can be a collaborative effort – this will definitely help make the process easier, and may even be a more inspiring learning experience for a teacher..

It has been a great three weeks at Outward Bound; I feel there really are not words sufficient to describe my experience. I’m very thankful and consider myself fortunate to have had this experience!

Another week has gone by! Spending the entire week with Outward Bound has really allowed me to better understand the connection between this organization and education.

As a new teacher, I have been exposed to a variety of opportunities someone like myself can make use of to provide students the most enriching educational experience possible. For example, I sat in on a meeting to discuss collaboration of Outward Bound with educators from the North Vancouver district and these educators run a program called “Choices.” This program helps those students who are experiencing either social/emotional or behavioral issues. This program works in a variety of ways, catering to the needs of individual students. Students could be enrolled in one whole period where they work with Choices teachers or they could even just drop by whenever they feel need. For me, this was again an example of a successful program, which reinforces the concept of individualized learning. More specifically, it really helped me realize that supporting students through difficult times through individualized programs is possible and in fact successful. I have to say it was a very motivating meeting for me, I was really able to appreciate the difference dedicated educators can make for students not just academically but also in the bigger picture of life.

Really, I think the word that would encompass my entire experience this week is “motivating.” Because the motivation really did not stop at the first meeting this week. Later on in the week, I sat in on another meeting discussing a teacher development program to be made available to teachers for a professional development day option. This meeting included Outward Bound, education professionals and Metro Vancouver. In this program, teachers are going to be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in outdoor education such that they can really understand what the experience is like. As a result, I thought someone like me – a beginning teacher who may fear outdoor education – can actually grasp what they benefits are and understand that it can be a gradual process, not just a one time “all or nothing” thing. Being a part of this meeting, I was able to recognize that a lot of the time when seemingly “new” concepts – like outdoor education – are introduced, they are not in fact completely brand new. The point that was made at this meeting was a lot of teachers are already incorporating outdoor education into their classes, but do not just label it as “outdoor education.” So, the point of this teacher development is to help teachers recognize what they are already doing and how they can build on this.

Then there was the topic of the “new” curriculum being established. I learned that it might not even be as new as I or other teachers may fear it to be. One of the members in our meeting was an individual who is involved in writing the new curriculum. It was explained to us again that many teachers are already teaching in line with the new curriculum – but they might just not know they are doing so. When I reflected on this meeting later on, I thought of the word “change.” Being a part of these forward-looking meetings, I realized the importance of positive mentors and continued development as a teacher. Being around all these people who are looking to impact both teachers and students was simply very inspiring. Second, I always think of continued development as a teacher from the perspective of being a good role model. That is, if I, as a teacher, continue to learn and grow myself, then I can help my students understand the importance of the same. By demonstrating to them, that I am able to change – for example, with the new curriculum or outdoor education – I am framing change positively and I hope I can motivate them to be open to change as well. In the end, I consider myself to be very fortunate to have the chance to be around these positive mentors so early in my career. I feel the realizations I have made in just this week will really help shape my outlook on teaching and education in general.

Wow, what a week it has been! I was fortunate enough to experience two different settings of outdoor education – Outward Bound Canada and YMCA’s Camp Elphinstone.

With Outward Bound, I spent two days in their local office in Vancouver. During these days, I worked on a variety of tasks. This included organizing equipment for camp expeditions, taking care of participants’ program evaluations and records, and putting together first aid kits. Although these tasks were a great learning experience in different ways, I would have to say the most enriching aspect of my time so far at Outward Bound has been “conversation.” That is, listening in on and being a part of a variety of dialogues occurring at the office. In these, I have learnt so much about education in the “non-formal environment” (p.342) as labeled by Anderson, Lawson and Mayer-Smith (2006). Most importantly, I have gained a better appreciation for the complex process behind education in these different contexts. Having finished a 10-week practicum in the classroom, I definitely understand how much preparation is involved in just a day of school. I now know how this compares with education in other contexts. In just two days at Outward Bound, I have realized just how much of a collaborative effort education is. There has been a wide range of topics discussed; for example, organizing food for camp expeditions. To an outsider, this may seem like a fairly simple topic. However, when I witnessed this being discussed at the office, I quickly realized it is not. Coming back to the collaborative piece, there was not just one person organizing this – members of the office were involved along with another individual from outside the office, someone who had a lot of knowledge to offer. For example, there was discussion around what kind of food to purchase and more importantly where to purchase. This individual talked about so many details – the difference between local markets and chain stores, what time is best to buy, and where to get what. I also had the chance to listen to organizers at Outward Bound discuss participant needs. They literally talk about each participant and their background information in order to make the experience as beneficial as possible. This reminded me of differentiated instruction and reinforced the importance of addressing individual needs in any learning environment to enhance the educational experience. I believe I have a lot to gain from discussions like these, as I will get to learn about appreciating the variety of learners I will work with and how I as an educator/teacher can help each learner individually.

These conversations were a great transition into the rest of my week spent at YMCA’s Camp Elphinstone with my practicum class, where I actually got a peek into education outside of the school. I think the number one reason I chose Outward Bound Canada for my CFE was because I had never experienced the settings in which they work. As a child, I had quite severe asthma and this limited my ability to take part in any education outside of the classroom setting. I firmly believe only if I learn how to grow as an educator and individual generally only then will I be able to motivate students to do the same. That is, if I learn what it means to grow – the emotions, skills, mindset involved. And helping students to grow and recognize their potential is at the forefront of my teaching philosophy. Going to Camp Elphinstone, I was placed in a setting this is brand new for me. I had the chance to develop a beginning understanding of the fact that school is just a setting where learning occurs. But really the learning that takes place in this setting is a result of not just classroom material but also both the students’ and teacher’s experiences from a variety of contexts and settings. We all bring to the classroom a variety of skills, mindsets, and knowledge that have been acquired in vastly different places. Having had this experience, I have gained knowledge that I most likely would not have in another setting. Like Anderson et al. (2006) highlight the importance of “equipping educators with a wide range of skills that can be readily transferable across contexts, inside and outside of school settings,” (p.342) I will now be able to apply this knowledge to my teaching. For example, in the most basic sense, my school advisor and I were keeping a record of activities the camp counselors had organized for the students. These were great team-building and cooperative activities that could easily be brought into the classroom. In a more complex sense, I observed my students without electronics – something you do not get to see often these days. There were no laptops, internet, phones, music devices. I really did notice a difference in the students. I felt they were calmer in a sense. As a result, there were less little quibbles between the students which allowed them to better participate in the cooperative activities. This has now motivated me to look more into the use of electronics in the classroom; specifically, when they are most beneficial or the opposite – when they are the detrimental to learning.

I am so grateful to have had the experience at Camp Elphinstone and I look forward to the next two weeks at Outward Bound!

References

Anderson, D., Lawson, B., & Mayer-Smith, J. (2006). Investigating the impact of a practicum experience in an aquarium on pre-service teachers. Teaching Education,17(4), 341–353. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/1047 6210601017527