Leadership 2.0 May 22, 2009
Posted by Bill in : Leadership, Management Training, Outdoor Learning, Outdoor Management Development , add a comment
I attended an interesting and though provoking seminar this week on Leadership in the Public Sector in Scotland. It was hosted at the Scottish executive by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). There were some excellent speakers and I was particularly influenced by Prof. Keith Grint and his input on “tame and wicked problems” and his typology of problems, power and authority model.
“the demands of collaborative leadership and partnership working in the face of wicked problems requires, leaders, universities business schools and consultants to work together…”
There was also reference to “the ten most important moonshots” (Hamel, 2009) on the journey from Management 1.0 to Management 2.0 during Graeme Martin’s presentation , which included;
“Redefine the work of leaders so that they are not seen as grand visionaries, all –seeing decision makers and disciplinarians but architects and facilitators of employee collaboration”
“fully embed the ideas of community and citizenship in management systems”
Reconstruct management’s philosophical foundations to be adaptable, innovative, inspiring and socially responsible, as well as operationally excellent”
All very relevant to the Public Sector
You can see the rest of the content at the ESRC site .
Active Outdoors Network - Filling the Gaps? April 4, 2009
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 3comments
This awesome picture posted by an old University Colleague who is exploring new cave systems in China inspired this post and title on filling the gaps.
This week I attended the active outdoors network in East Lothian. It was great to see the excellent presentation by Juliet Robertson. It really highlighted the excellent work with early years children that Juliet has witnessed and been involved in.
As well as showing us some inspiring examples of practice it highlighted again the benefits for all of us not just early years of spending time in green space.
It’s always great to talk with others who are passionate about the use of the outdoors but we can often be guilty of selling something to each other that we are all really sold on. So the question is how do we make sure we don’t just become a talking shop? Possible answers might be;
• Identify the gaps in provision in EL
• Decide on a clear strategy targets
• Form action focused work groups to deal with them i.e. a funding focus group, curriculum, etc
• Identify key “change people” & Invite them
• Examine National examples of good practice - How did they achieve it?
• Identify barriers and let AFWG’s work towards developing solutions.
• Develop partnerships (internal & external) to deliver
In a way forming Working groups not unlike those created from the Challenge for Change conferences that have been successfully tackling Leadership, customer service, Employee Reviews etc.
We should also not forget to take time to celebrate the good work already going on !!
Network Power - Active Outdoors Network February 21, 2009
Posted by Bill in : A Curriculum for Excellence, Active Outdoors Network, Networks, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Learning , 2comments
Last year I atteneded the East Lothian Active Outdoor Event at Carberry Tower. Helen Bruce from ELC has been in touch with those who attended and showed interest in setting up a network and notes;
Following the very successful Active Outdoors event which was held last October there was considerable interest in keeping the momentum going by setting up an Active Outdoors Network.
It was suggested the purpose of this network would be to :
· promote ways of being active in the outdoors in East Lothian
· promote the health message to providers of outdoor physical activity
· increase the interchange of ideas and issues between groups
· provide opportunities for networking and influencing
· develop training opportunities where appropriate
There wll also be a talk by Juliet Robertson on “early Years and the outdoors ” at the first forum meeting on the 1st April. Juliet has made comments on this blog in the past so I am looking forward to hearing her presentation.
This network is just another example of how East Lothian values it’s outdoor learning opportunities and the benefits they bring to the wider community.
The image above is from a friend who runs the Social Networking Company and they highlight just how imporant and emphasise the power of networks;
Did You Know There are 24 Types of Real World Social Network?
Social networks can be hierarchies, formal networks, informal, operational, strategic, or personal. These networks can also be internal to companies or external. And of course they can be real world or online.Life is not simple
An individual’s social networks are often nested, interconnect and overlap with other networks. Understanding these varied social networks and managing them unlocks huge hidden value in organisations.It’s who you know…Important social networks within companies and across communities are often informal and unrecognised, yet they are often MORE important than official titles and structures - After all, it’s who you know (& who you trust) that drives performance - not just what you know.
If you check out the site don’t forget to check out the Frank Water link - an excellent example of social enterprise benefiting the wider, and in this case international community.
ELC LearnNet and Blokarting February 1, 2009
Posted by Bill in : ELCLearnNet, Outdoor Learning , add a comment
This week I set up a course information file in the East Lothian Council LearnNet e-learning system. It uses open Moodle open-source software. Once course delegates are registered they can access all the course information (and other learnNet course information), post discussions, and ask questions of the tutor.
For the Blokarting Local Award I included items such as the course syllabus, wind and weather web links and tide information so delegates can plan their fuure use - but it has capacity for much more. It’s first time I have used it but we hope to use it for posting all our CPD course information to East Lothian employees. It could become a huge asset. You need to be registered on a course to use however there is a screen shot below for a preview. Thanks to Stuart Hiles for helping us set it up.
Intelligent Hats..and more January 29, 2009
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 4comments
Alex Cargill popped into the office this week raving about D3O. It’s an intelligent material that although comfortable acts like armour when it suffers impact - check out this news clip and more info,videos, applications and pics at D30.
I gotta get one of those hats for skiing!
These could be amazingl useful for outdoor learning saftey and a whole lot more.
Duke of Edinburgh Assesor Accreditation Course. January 25, 2009
Posted by Bill in : Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Outdoor Learning , add a comment
Last week I attended a D of E expedition Assessor Accreditation Course in Edinburgh. There certainly has been a few changes within the scheme and how assessing will be carried out, and the role of assessor and supervisor is much clearer. The expedition now has 20 conditions that have to be met for groups to pass this stage of the award.
Much of the course was spent debating the relevance and practicalities of these elements. There were a few confusing messages (i.e. the award pushing for whole year groups to enter into the award and not allowing inevetable sausage factory exped techniques to occur as a result of capacity issues within a school?!) as this mass production of the award may make it difficult for certain schools to satisfy the 20 requirements.
I feel there has to be more flexibility in the delivery and assesing of expeditions but appreciate the Awards Office wants to promote certain standards. It may however result in schools turning to more student centered awards rather than this D of E outcome based syllabus.
Imagine how bad you would feel if a fantastic group of enthusiastic teenagers were failed due to an over zealous assessor because they had not met one condition of the exped? There new found valuable enthusisaim for the outdoors severely dented! As commented at the course I feel we should always do our best as assessors and supervisors to ensure and facilitate a pass!
Hats off? December 19, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Adult Education, First Aid, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Learning, Winter Skills , 4comments
Thanks Alastair for recent link to the Guardian Science Blog. The article dispells the myth on heat loss (40-45%) from your head! Apparently the myth origins lie in a a flawed US army manual from an unvalidated experiment . The article that corrects the myth notes;
The face, head and chest are more sensitive to changes in temperature than the rest of the body, making it feel as if covering them up does more to prevent heat loss. In fact, covering one part of the body has as much effect as covering any other. If the experiment had been performed with people wearing only swimming trunks, they would have lost no more than 10% of their body heat through their heads, the scientists add.
Interesting as I have blindly followed that original figure of 40- 45% especially when teaching First Aid etc.
Learning all the time…
The article provides more info on the original experiment and also looks at some myths with regards to childrens behaviour and sugar!
More work at Innerwick Grounds thanks to Landscape & Countryside team. December 5, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Innerwick Outdoor Centre, Outdoor Learning, Volunteering , 4commentsFantastic work at Innerwick grounds last Friday by the Landscape & Countryside Team meant further progress for the grounds for awareness plan for Innerwick Outdoor CentreGrounds. This has built on the amazing work already achieved by VDEL and the CSV Innerwick make a difference volunteer day.
The team did some work as part of a training day based at the centre. This included a new hazel fence, bird boxes, bat boxes, bird feeders and more planting. This further adds to connecting the centre to the immediate outdoor environment and continues to encourage bio diversity at the centre.
The good work continues and now the full recycling and compost facilities are present we hope to go forward with our Eco-Centre Award once we can sort out or energy problem. A turn it off campaign is helping but aging heaters continue to challenge us.
I’m a teacher get me outside here! November 23, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Outdoor Learning , 11comments
A comment on a recent post by Juliet Robertson led me to her blog (the title of this post). She has been experiencing first hand in Scandanavia, Slovenia and Europe the enthuisiasm and funding by Educational authorities (by accessing EU Funding) for supporting Outdoor Learning. She notes importantly;
What do we, in Scotland, want to offer out children in terms of outdoor experiences? Where is our national strategy? There is plenty of evidence that outdoor learning can impact positively on the health, well-being and academic achievements of youngsters. Does Scotland value this real world, place-based learning? Where’s the evidence?
As with Juliet I note that one of the first tasks of the new LTS Outdoor Development Officer post is to organise a conference. This is great but I always find all we do at these is preach Outdoor Learning to the converted as the attendees are mainly outdoor educators or already interested. What we need is well funded concrete outdoor learning opportunities that may even result in actual sustainable facilities. Perhaps one role for the new post will be to look at the EU funding that is available mentioned in Juliet’s blog.
Recently in East Lothian I had been looking at the possibility of funding a post within the authority to explore these very ideas for drawing funding and expanding Outdoor Learning within East Lothian - not just the service I work for. This would include partnerships across the region with publc, voluntary and private organisations and could also support earlier ideas like an East Lothian Outdoor Festival. LETS THINK BIGGER!!!!..
Innerwick Make a Difference Day October 31, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Adult Education, Outdoor Learning, Volunteering , 2commentsA huge thank you to all the East Lothian Council staff and VDEL staff who came along to Innerwick last week. This was a employee supported volunteer day that brought together staff from East Lothian to help with our grounds project at Innerwick Outdoor Centre.
A tremendous amount was achieved due to the hard work of the group and of course all the “green finger” knowledge they brought to the event.
Future projects will include a herb garden, a community supported allotment and the Ranger team will be looking at ways of increasing bio-diversity. We also have a bid in for the grounds for awareness scheme. all of this will help with our Eco-Centre scheme as well as connecting our guests at Innerwick with the centre environment.
More information, as Elliot described as “the power of volunteering” can be seen at the Community Service Volunteer website and of course you can get in touch with the team at Volunteer Development East Lothian Centre in Haddington.