Off to the Pyrenees, Au-revoir.. June 27, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 3comments
We are trying to pack for the Pyrenees. How hot how cold? Tent and stove? or try and make it to the refuge? No doubt it will all come together in the next few hours before we set off via Bristol (two Bristol trips in a week!). Looking forward to experiencing the food in the area i.e. Fromage de brebis, Poulet Basquaise, Piperade & Boudin.
Just how far we will travel in the time we are there we are not sure as we hope to be distracted by festivals, food and wine, in no particular order. If we can scale some of the peaks via the HRP great , however we should be walking from the Atlantic western side starting at St. Jean Pied De Port ( Thanks to Huberta at Esprit du Chemin for setting us up with our first nights accommodation on short notice!) and finishing in the Central Pyrenees or beyond..?
5 Day Outdoor Learning residential for all pupils? June 23, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 3comments
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7411997.stm
As per the above video on the BBC , “The Scottish Conservatives have called for all teenagers to be given the right to outdoor education, such as climbing, hiking, sailing and abseiling. They want pupils between the age of 11 and 15 to have access to a one-week residential course. The Tories say 53,000 youngsters a year would be eligible - and the £8.5m it would cost could come from government and private donors. Teachers’ leaders said there would be a risk of accidents and legal action. Early signs suggest the scheme may win cross-party support”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We want the opportunities for young people to participate in a range of outdoor education.
“The draft experiences and outcomes for Curriculum for Excellence which have been released over the course of this school year contain rich opportunities for schools to use outdoor education and outdoor learning to achieve the outcomes sought.
“We are setting up strategic advisory group to explore creative ways of delivering outdoor education, sharing good examples across the country and encouraging schools to provide more outdoor education opportunities.”
I wonder if East Lothian Outdoor Education could help influence the draft outcomes and even join the strategic advisory group? Surely there is a need for more sustainable integration of outdoor learning than this headline grabbing strategy?
Wingsuit - East Lothian new activity? June 12, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 4comments
Not sure if this could be achieved jumping of Traprain Law. But really fancy a go.
Can Schools be Learning Organisations? June 2, 2008
Posted by Bill in : A Curriculum for Excellence, Learning Organisations , add a comment
I have been working on the data from the responses to my on-line questionnaire for my MSc, it’s starting to feel like I may finish this incredible learning journey soon. The questionnaire was selected from examining several diagnostic tools used in the field of Organisational Learning. I am learning so much from the reading and research. There is a lot of critical writing on whether schools and educational establishments are capable of achieving the LO ideal. So seeing the data coming back (over a hundred responses so far - thanks to all!) has been fascinating. The data is starting to build a Learning Organisation Profile and Dissatisfaction Index of the sampled EL educational establishments. I will be evaluating this data and its potential to support management development courses. As part of a literature review I read this article yesterday, and although I have reviewed already writings on what a LO is I like this interpretation of the essential features of a LO described by Gephart et al [(1996) p 38, Training and Development]
- “Continuous learning at the systems level - Individuals share there learning in ways that enable an organisation to learn by transferring knowledge across it and by integrating learning into routines
- Knowledge generation and sharing. emphasis is placed on creating, capturing and moving knowledge rapidly and easily..
- Critical systemic thinking. people are encouraged to think in new ways and use productive reasoning skills, systemically in order to see links and feedback loops and critically, in order to identify assumptions.
- A culture of learning. Learning and creativity are rewarded, supported and promoted through various performance systems from the top down
- A spirit of flexibility and experimentation. People are free to take risks, experiment, innovate, explore new ideas , and generate new work processes and products.
- People-centered. a learning organisation provides a caring community that nurtures, values and supports the well being, development and learning of every individual”
This is of course only one interpretation of the LO. Do our East Lothian Educational Establishments have these essential features?
New Transport #2 June 1, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 2comments
After a quick session at the lagoons to make sure I could roll it, we had a late afternoon/early evening paddle between Dunbar East Beach and Barns Ness. what a fantastic evening! Saturday really was a great summers day. A little bit of swell as the tide turned but the new sea-kayak had it’s maiden voyage. I am so looking forward to travelling the whole of the East Lothian coastline. It will be great to see this amazing county from a different perspective.
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