Applied Adventure Education Practice (Essay Sample)

APPLIED ADVENTURE EDUCATION PRACTICE By [Name] Course Professor’s Name Institution Location of Institution Date Applied Adventure Education Practice Adventure education as an approach to help students broadens their learning abilities and skills profoundly influence learners’ academic well-being. It incorporates not only the primary pedagogical approaches to teaching but is also founded on how specific methods are used to conceptualise the necessary models in practice. Hence, based on the designed AE programme, focusing on specific pedagogical models helped provide a foundation for the goals of the activities incorporated in the learning schedules. Nevertheless, challenges were a practical aspect during the design and implementation phase. Therefore, the report will discuss the pedagogical framework of the designed AE programme, its objectives, reflect on the design and planning and report the challenges encountered and the future programme’s influence in practice. Pedagogical Foundations of the Adventure Education Programme Implementation of adventure education programmes in learning institutions is established in experiences, outdoor learning, practical adventures, and helping develop the foundation of social and environmental well-being (Education Endowment Foundation, 2018). Consequently, the first pedagogical foundation of the designed AE programme focuses on the experiential learning model developed by John Dewey (Williams and Wainwright, 2016). According to Seaman et al. (2017), Experiential learning theory portrays holistic learning as an approach to incorporating experiences into learners’ education to motivate their concepts acquisition abilities and practice in real case scenarios. Furthermore, Kolb A. Y. and Kolb D. A. (2017) note that experiential learning helps students develop the consciousness of social well-being through peer learning, environmental bonding, and experience, which diversifies learners’ cognitive skills. In the designed AE programme, the central idea to practice was underachieving learners’ abilities to understand concepts through experiences, peer coaching, and formulating the students’ natural sense through bonding with nature. Therefore, focusing on the experiential approach to learning was pivotal in supporting the programme’s goals and holds a vital perspective of learning through adventure and experience. The second critical pedagogical foundation employed in the designed AE programme is based on the outdoor environmental education theory. According to Mullenbach et al. (2018), the outdoor environmental education model immerses students into experiences with nature and influences learning through programming their natural senses to focus on opportunities created by nature to support their well-being. Hence, as an approach to connect human well-being to nature, the model concentrates explicitly on holistic impact towards students. Braun and Dierkes (2017) state that outdoor environment education helps establish learners’ foundation in positive attitudes, behaviour, and cognitive being through connection with nature. Therefore, its implementation in the AE programme provides a crucial influence to learning through a change of learners’ attitudes and knowledge which supports the development of the underachieving students. Constructivism is another crucial pedagogical foundation of an adventure education programme that Williams and Wainwright (2016) note as influential in supporting learners’ holistic engagement to learning based on an accommodative environment modelled by tutors. Srivastava and Dangwal (2017) state that the constructivism model to education is based on a collaborative, reflective, active, and constructed framework of learning which addresses students’ needs through their complete engagement in a programme. As a result, the approach helps explicitly find learners’ knowledge through peer learning, social engagement, and collaborations that help note improvements among students. Therefore, in the designed AE programme, the model manages the teaching of underachieving students through peer learning and allows them to get constructed knowledge based on their participatory perspective in education. The Educational Aims and Objectives As an intervention to meet the needs of underachieving students, the AE programme primarily focuses on aspects concerned with improving the performance of those disadvantaged in schools and with the current education curriculum. Consequently, the first objective of the designed AE programme is to help the underachieving students gain their potential and improve in their studies. Hu and Hsu (2020) noted the concept as bridging the achievement gaps between those performing well and the disadvantaged students in schools. Therefore, the programme will help the participating students focus on improvement and supporting their achievement goals through orientation and guidance from instructors. Furthermore, bridging the performance gap also helps define students’ competitiveness in performance, which meets global standards (Remojo et al., 2018). As such, the AE programme’s focus on the specific needs of underachieving students helps alleviate exemplary performance, not only to particular students but also to general and concerned with promoting comprehensive achievements in schools. Another key objective of the AE programme is helping students get back to their educational perspective and support their orientation after losing focus based on the challenges they face. As noted in the designed programme, underachieving students often face significant issues, from socioeconomic hurdles to personal problems that influence their lack of concentration, focus during learning in classes, and lead to them being disadvantaged (Appendix 1). Consequently, by taking them out to experience other aspects that promote learning and away from the monotoned schedules, they perceive a different sense of focus and motivation. According to Richmond and Sibthorp (2019), the AE programmes help address perseverance, support positive endurance through challenges, and helps students gain inspiration which recentres their focus and achievements in classroom activities. Therefore, learning is influential and crucial to help students achieve better individual focus and motivation to learn and participate in class education. The last key objective of the adventure education programme was to perceive a sense of change in students’ well-being by helping them develop positive attitudes, behaviour, and emotional health that is necessary to promote learning in classes. The system notes explicitly an effort to change students’ perception about education, which Meerts-Brandsma et al. (2019) describes as transformative learning where the essential individual needs of a student lie on their attitudes and behavioural health. Furthermore, the change in perception also helps students develop the needed social well-being by establishing positive and productive social bonds with their peers and nature. Consequently, through transformation, underachieving students can develop life-changing skills, establish creativity and natural abilities that will help them perform better in classes, social relationships, and support their emotional and mental well-being (Ewert and Davidson, 2017). Therefore, transformation is the foundation of an AE programme. The designed schedule offers diverse aspects that help note students’ needs to influence their achievement and performance. Process From Design, Planning, and Reflection When designing the adventure education programme, students’ needs hold a vital aspect that defines the objectives and success of the schedules planned. Consequently, as noted by Richmond et al. (2017), the programme as an alternative to classroom learning has to be founded based on the standard curriculum but specifically catered to meet the necessary demands as per the achievements and performance of students. Furthermore, during the design phase, it is crucial to focus on the vital complementary aspects of the project and how influential it would be in achieving its intended objectives. Therefore, the design process of the activities was based on the necessary goals needed to be completed, and each structure addressed influenced how planning was undertaken and executed in practice. According to Warner and Dillenschneider (2019), planning for an outdoor adventure learning session, just as the conventional classroom education, needs to be focused on the specific individual needs of the students. However, the diversity of students addresses a critical aspect required in ensuring effective planning and execution of the schedules in a designed AE programme. Consequently, the first approach to manage diversity during planning was to specialise the needs of students by addressing the general factors that comprehensively noted their needs. Progressively, each student’s demands were crucial in scheduling the activities and comprehensively necessitated seamless planning and implementation of the designed programme. Thus, Mitten et al. (2017) identify the planning phase of an AE programme as its pivotal approach to success. A successful plan helps achieve the specific goals intended for the schedules. By establishing the designed AE programme, learning was a pivotal aspect of consideration and guided each phase from design to reflecting upon the schedules. Furthermore, since each stage addressed specific details necessary to successfully achieve the programme’s goals, it was vital to ensure their eventual execution. Consequently, the reflection part described how each phase in design and planning portrayed the needed factors to support the programme’s success. Furthermore, the stage noted the critical efficiency of the programme and helped describe challenges encountered during other phases and their inputs in promoting ...