This paper uses a capstone class in the bachelor of technology program at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (Canada) as a case study for reimagining a "successful" student and promoting growth in a variety of learners. In this course, students, guided by faculty advisors, work in teams to address real-world projects solicited by…

The roots and goals of outdoor education (OE) in Canada are often linked to the Canadian summer camp tradition that emerged in the early 1900s which centered around character development, and the environmental movement of the 1950s and 1960s. However, a comprehensive understanding of the philosophies, goals, and activities of modern Canadian OE…

In the past two decades, a large body of research has examined the differences between novices and experts in subject areas ranging from physics to poetry. Yet research on developing expertise has found no "magic bullet" in becoming an expert and has concluded that innate talent plays a less prominent role than previously imagined.…

This article provides a multi-level conceptual framework for service-learning that can serve as a decision-making guide for service-learning initiatives in Canadian post-secondary education. Service-learning approach options along a non-hierarchical continuum (philanthropic, social justice, and social transformation) are examined; the theoretical…

Personal narrative links elements of a dog sledding trip with the transformational curriculum model as applied to outdoor education. Describes the physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of a seven-day winter camping and dog sledding trip, during which students learned responsibility through experience and natural consequences and realized the…

Stemming from the author's personal experience, numerous conversations with other educators, and information from relevant literature, it is apparent that the majority of students in Ontario have limited access to outdoor, experiential learning through the formal education system. The author believes that investigating the effects of existing…

Two day-long college events--wilderness orienteering and a role-playing canoe trip into the past--illustrate ingredients critical for experiential learning: active learning, student focus, clear purpose, emotional investment and risk, holistic engagement, mixture of content and process, stepping outside one's comfort zone, meaningful…

Sixteen high school students in a week-long metal casting workshop wrote stream-of-consciousness journals for 15 minutes at the beginning of each session. Sentence analysis suggested that the act of journal writing consolidated task mastery through cognitive awareness of hands-on learning and contributed to the development of self-awareness and a…

The communicative/experiential syllabus explores new ways to teach and learn language, addressing concerns that language instruction focuses narrowly on the analytical aspect of language learning. In the syllabus, the classroom is considered a rich and authentic environment for experiences based on content, not just language, contributing to…

This paper describes the role of outdoor education in an integrated semester at an Ontario, Canada high school. Thirteen students worked with one teacher for an entire semester and earned credits in environmental science, English, physical education, and life skills. Students were interviewed at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the semester. By…

TERRA (Teaching Ecological Responsibility, Recreation, and Adventure) is an integrated, one-semester, four-course program in environmental science, environmental English, independent geography, and outdoor education for grades 11 and 12 in New Liskeard, Ontario. Program activities include outdoor adventure, environmental research projects,…

Students who participated in the Bronte Creek Project, an integrated outdoor education program in Ontario that involves 11th-grade students in outdoor experiences and leadership opportunities, found the program to be authentic, felt empowered as a result of the program, became more responsible, and reported improved personal relations. (LP)

"Experience Canada" is an experiential adventure-based program that is more academic than recreational. High school students interested in academic achievement but indifferent to the typical classroom environment, travel to explore controversial issues such as those involving aboriginal communities, logging, and mining. The program…

Alberta's model junior high school environmental and outdoor education curriculum, a component in Canadian government's Active Living Environment Program, aims to help young adolescents appreciate the personal, interpersonal, and environmental consequences of their actions. Course elements include outdoor experiences and skills, personal and group…

Presents a rationale for integrating outdoor education with all subject areas that focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of outdoor education, authenticity of outdoor experiences, and affective component of outdoor education. Summarizes information submitted to Canada's Ministry of Education and Training from secondary science teachers and…