in defense of adventure-based education and active learning opportunities（在国防adventure-based教育和主动学习的机会）.pdfVIP

This document provided by A version of this article first appeared as Chapter 20 in the Kendall / Hunt Publication Developing Challenge Course Programs for Schools, Edited by Scott Wurdinger Jeff Steffens In Defense of Adventure-Based Education and Active Learning Opportunities by Jim Cain, Ph.D. Teamwork Teamplay “I love having my students engage in adventure-based learning opportunities. The day we spend at the challenge course is always one of the most beneficial and enjoyable days of the school year. But, my principal is going to evaluate my performance as a teacher on my student’s test scores on standardized tests at the end of the year. With so many other ‘essential’ lessons taking my time, I haven’t been able to justify the adventure-based component, even though I know it is ultimately valuable for my students and myself.” For many educators, a discussion on the merits of adventure-based education begins with something like the above commentary. An expression of the value of adventure-based learning, and yet an acknowledgment of the difficulty in persuading the decision makers within a learning institution of this value, or even the validity of using adventure-based and active learning techniques for instructing a traditional curriculum, or supplementing one. My opinion of this all too common occurrence comes from my background in engineering. As a mechanical engineer, if you were to ask me a question that involved a concept I learned during my college years, I would no doubt return to my college textbooks, retrace my learning there, and attempt to solve the problem. Now in the