Outdoor education in Scotland

Abstract

Although Scotland is part of the United Kingdom it has a distinct cultural identity and a separate education and legal system. These factors, which have influenced the development of outdoor education, are likely to have an even greater impact in the future following the re-establishment (after a break of almost 300 years since 1707) of a Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to formalise outdoor education. This was the result of a combination of factors:

• ? Geophysical and climatic factors together with landholding and land-use practices established in the 18th Century have ensured that much of Highland Scotland is depopulated and devoid of forests; leading to the perception that the area is a “wilderness” and therefore attractive for outdoor recreation.

• ? Exploration for political, economic and scientific reasons in the second half of the millennium, which both led to and developed from Britain's empire, stimulated a national taste for adventure as expressed in seafaring, mountaineering and polar exploration.

• ? Growth in wealth, mobility and leisure-time in the late 19th and 20th Centuries provided the means by which many more people could engage in their own, more modest adventures, leading to the development of stylised forms of outdoor activities in the UK.

Consequently the landscape and surrounding seas of Scotland have long presented challenges for outdoor recreation, and post-war development of outdoor education fitted quite naturally into this physical and social landscape.

In the 1960s and 1970s outdoor education (often formalised as physical outdoor activities and based on a residential experience) was extensively developed in Scotland and was of international significance. In recent years, primarily as a result of political effects, provision has been in some decline; a trend markedly at odds with the concurrent rapid growth in outdoor recreation. A shift away from public provision through the education service seems to be countered by growth in “charitable” and “private sector” provision, especially in the case of residential outdoor education centres.

Some concerns are raised about possible future trends, and the argument made that educational theory should be taken into account in the design of programmes which focus on personal and social education; or which capitalise on the learning potential of the landscape to encourage cultural awareness and principles of sustainability, which are seen as having both local and global significance.     

A critique of neo-Hahnian outdoor education theory. Part two: “The fundamental attribution error” in contemporary outdoor education discourse

Abstract

In the first of a two part series of articles I argued that “character building” in outdoor adventure education (OAE) is a flawed concept. This, the second article, examines the persistence of the idea of character building in OAE in the face of strong evidence that outdoor experiences cannot change personal traits. I examine how the “fundamental attribution error” can explain the paradox of (a) a shortage of evidence that adventure education “works” and (b) a widespread belief that it does “work”. I review the place of character building in research, and develop a critical reading of a representative adventure education text. I show how unchallenged dispositionist assumptions emerge in neo-Hahnian discourse. I explain how discarding the intuitively appealing but fallacious foundations of neo-Hahnism can clear the way for situationist approaches to outdoor education that bring much needed sensitivity to cultural, regional, historical, and social contexts.     

高职院校环境教育教学体系的构建与实践

有效的环境教育对于解决环境问题,促进人、自然、社会的和谐和可持续发展具有重大意义。高职院校在环境教育事业的发展中起着至关重要的作用。针对地方经济的特点和发展要求,探索构建高职院校环境教育教学体系,调整教育教学内容,开展公共环境教育和专业特色环境教育,主动服务地方经济“绿色发展”,必将对提高受教育者的环境素养和环境意识产生深远影响。     

高中生“哑巴英语”现象的成因及对策研究

英语是世界上使用最为广泛的语言,是一种交流沟通的重要工具。但是“哑巴英语”现象在我国较为普遍,其中在高中英语学习者中尤为突出。此现象大大阻碍了高中英语学习者的学习热情和自身英语水平的提高。为了帮助高中英语学习者摆脱英语学习的困境,本文从以下方面详尽地分析“哑巴英语”现象的形成原因：环境因素、教师因素、学生因素,并在此基础上,从环境、教师、学生三方面提出了具体的应对策略,以期消减“哑巴英语”这一英语教学中的顽疾。     

浅析旅行社对导游服务人员的心理环境建设

为了满足物质和精神享受的需要,旅游者外出旅游时需要导游提供的一系列服务。导游作为旅行社和游客的主要联络人员,负责旅游活动的全部过程。导游员的心理活动不仅会影响自己的服务质量,同时也会给游客留下相应的心理感受。培养健康、积极、具有良好心态的优秀导游,能增强旅行社的竞争实力。     

“意”与“匠”——谈现代环境小品设计的创意与表达

过去的二十几年,我国环境建设不断升温,各类环境小品越来越多地出现在公众视野。该文以两个引发争议的环境小品案例分析了目前环境小品设计存在的创意和表达问题．并分别就这两方面做出一些思考探讨。     

论元代余阙《合肥修城记》的地方历史文献价值

合肥人余阙是元朝第一忠臣,为记元末合肥修建城墙撰写了《合肥修城记》。该文详细记录了元末合肥城墙的修建情况,描绘了宋元时期合肥良好的民风民俗,颂扬元末合肥地方官员懿德,道出他本人是合肥人及元代城墙修建政策的改变,是一篇颇有价值的合肥地方历史文献。通过分析该文所含有的有关合肥的信息来揭示元末合肥社会实态,并用其他史料加以佐证,全面论述了该文作为合肥历史文献的价值。     

在线教师专业发展新理路：英国“学习设计支持环境项目”的探索与启示*

在线合作与反思成为教师专业发展的重要途径,具有显著的生态性效应、经济性和可持续性优势。英国伦敦大学教育学院承担的学习设计支持环境项目是对在线教师专业发展的一次成功探索,取得了良好的社会效益。作者概括了该项目的研究背景,整理了其探索内容和路径,分析了其理念以及对我国在线教师专业发展研究和实践的意义和启示。     

Configuring collective digital-technology usage in dynamic and complex design practices

Digital-technology usage in dynamic and complex work practices is a core phenomenon in innovation research. There are, however, few detailed analyses of how people organize the use of digital tools in their work practices. We aim to offer more insight into how individual actors use digital technology, how these actors organize its use in collectives, and how they organize their work with that of other actors in order to realize collective-level goals. We implemented a qualitative research design, based on interviews in architectural firms complemented with observations and archival data. By analyzing interactions of multiple individual actors with digital technology, we found that actors organize usage in collectives through activities that we call configuring-in-use and reflecting; and that they combine these two organizational activities in order to realize collective-level goals. We identify the combination of these organizational activities as configurational usage. We contribute to literature on the usage of pervasive digital technology by providing a detailed empirical investigation of organized usage of digital technology. Furthermore, we refine the conceptualization of configurational usage, improving understanding of core processes of digital innovation.     

跨域环境治理的多元主体共建共享机制

跨域环境治理领域内的多元主体共建共享机制能否以及如何构建是一个备受关注的话题。文章在审视跨域环境治理特性的基础上,回答了为什么要构建多元主体共建共享机制的问题;根据过程分析理论的有关结论,解析跨域环境治理的流程与环节,回应了如何构建多元主体共建共享机制的问题。文章认为,通过多元主体共建共享机制的设计,达成政府、市场、社会团体和公众在内的多元主体合作共治,是实现区域环境公共利益最大化的重要途径。