EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

Objectives

The main objective of the 10 day training is to form trainers focusing on experiential outdoor training techniques and to explore and share experience and build skills in the field of adult education.

Specific learning goals:
What is outdoor education?
Why outdoor education?
Outdoor education principles
Models in outdoor education
Planning an outdoor course
Risk and safety management
Facilitation

Practical Sessions:
Problem solving exercises
Expedition - a tool of learning
To plan, to run and to evaluate an outdoor activity

Ropes work:
Knots
Belaying school
Building low Ropes Course elements
Climbing, abseiling
Ropes Course as training tool

Methodology 
Concerning the method used in the training, Outward Bound offers course participants the opportunity to actively explore themselves and their relations with others. At the heart of this process is ‘experiential education’ or learning by doing. At Outward Bound, as in our daily lives, changes in behavior and in understanding occur as a result of the practical experience of coping with real-life situations or problems. This is a learning process which engages the whole of the learner’s person - intellectually, emotionally, as well as physically. Our outdoor activities are unique and exciting. But we believe that it's not enough to merely be active together as a group: in order for real learning to take place, action needs to be grounded in reflection. We don’t do any outdoor activities just for the 'kick' reflection are channeled back into action. The experiential learning cycle we used during the whole training is based on plan-do-review.
For theoretical inputs we use two methods: the inductive and the deductive way. In some cases theoretical models are presented first and the experiences are reviewed with the help of these models, in other cases models are deducted from the experience itself. In the third part of the training participants organize scenarios and through meta-reflection sessions they get feedback both from their colleagues and the trainers.