How could handchipped stones, ancient ruins, old broken dishes, and antiquated garbage help students learn about the world and themselves? Within archaeology, these seemingly irrelevant items can enlighten students about the world around them through science, culture, and history. When teaching archaeology in the classroom, educators can lead…

The adventure of adventure education comes in the testing of oneself, in putting self against the environment and in striving to overcome the environment through personal skill. Unfortunately, instead of perceiving the risks in terms of physical and psychological challenges, many schools and other organizations perceive them in terms of liability…

This digest offers camp leaders, outdoor experiential educators, school and college faculty, or youth agency staff who are interested in nurturing youth leaders a framework for designing youth leadership programs which employ an outdoor setting as a "leadership classroom." Basic categories for leadership theory are defined: trait theory,…

This digest examines the positive effects on emotional well-being of several types of outdoor education programs. Although many outdoor education and experiential programs enhance emotional growth, such "therapeutic" outcomes may be considered incidental to program goals. In contrast, programs aimed primarily at "therapy"…

This digest briefly summarizes the parallel development of outdoor education and outdoor therapeutic programs for troubled and adjudicated youth, describes the rationale supporting outdoor approaches, and reports related research and evaluation findings. First attempts to use the outdoors as a healing environment were "tent therapy"…

This ERIC Digest describes how experiential education can help in designing a curriculum that young people find significant. It also describes ways experiential education can help educators make the transition from a traditional program to an activity-based program. Experiential education differs from traditional education in that teachers first…

Because outdoor education programs occur in every geographic location, are sponsored by all levels of educational institutions, state and local government agencies, and private entrepreneurs, and have no nationally standardized curriculum or measures of competency or knowledge, outdoor education may best be defines as "education in, about, and for…

A well-planned class camping trip is a learning adventure which develops personal values, generates lifelong learning skills, encourages group cooperation, and enhances knowledge of and appreciation for natural environments. This digest is a guide to help teachers offer this unique learning opportunity to their students. Separate sections present…

Outdoor education programs ranging from simple, near-school activities to lengthy wilderness camping experiences can benefit behavior disorderd students. Studies of outdoor education programs for these students have shown positive effects including improvements in self-concept, social adjustment, academic achievement, and group cohesion. Many…

The use of adventure based education is a new and relatively unresearched but apparently successful practice in the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. Courses offered by schools, state social service systems, juvenile courts, youth service bureaus, and other agencies are generally patterned after the standard Outward Bound course and involve…

This directory lists organizations actively involved in outdoor experiential education. Outdoor experiential education includes some or all of the following elements: (1) active involvement in solving outdoor problems; (2) verbal reflection following the experience; (3) introduction of a level of stress or challenge in completing the outdoor…

This digest suggests how outdoor education and experiential learning can develop in students a sense of community participation and set them on a path of strong participation and civic responsibility. Following definitions of outdoor education and experiential learning, various outdoor and experiential approaches are described. Adventure education…

Emphasizing the ethics of conservation, this conference report compiles the following information submitted by conference presenters: (1) summaries of their presentations; (2) environmental ethics statements pertinent to their subjects; (3) activities; (4) favorite quotation; and (5) resources and references including books, journals,…

Selected through a refereed process from presentations given by speakers at the "1987 Outdoor Education across America: Weaving the Web" Conference, the content represents philosophy, ideas, program activities, and research of outdoor practitioners and leaders across America. The 25 presentations/workshops are summarized under the broad…