Jorrit van Kooten opiskeli Torniossa kansainvälisessä Seikkailukasvatusryhmässä syksyllä 2013.
Ensi syksystä alkaen seikkailukasvatus opinnot siirtyvät pääkaupunkiseudulle Nurmijärven kampuksellemme ja Nuuksion erämaihin. Alla olevassa blogissa Jorritin ajatuksia seikkailukasvatuksesta ja opiskelusta Suomessa.
Jarmo Röksä / Humanistinen ammattikorkeakoulu
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I
am:
My name is Jorrit van Kooten, I'm 22
years old and currently studying at the HAN, Netherlands. I study SPH and in Autumn 2013 I followed the
minor Adventure education in Tornio, Finland. This minor is very intensive and takes
12 weeks to finish it.
Why
I chose this minor?
When I was doing my 3rd year of study. I heard from a study mate that there was a
minor that was specialized in outdoor activities. I didn’t know anything about
this. So I went to investigate more about this minor to learn more about it.
All shire I found out that this minor was given in Finland and I found a folder
that gave more information about this minor. It attracted me that you are
particularly active in various outdoor sports. I read in the folder that you
went kayaking, climbing, hiking and skiing.
I am somebody how have to do to
learn, I learn by experience. Because of this I sign in for this minor. The
choice it was also a jump in the deep. I didn’t know exactly what I had to
expect and what the program was. Also it was for me the first time that I went
for a long time abroad, away from the Netherlands. It was secretly quite
exciting.
First impression
After a long journey arrived on the campus.
You have arrived at your apartment and you greet your new study mates.
The
first impression I had was a combination of relief because you finally are
arrived but I was also exited of the course of what it offering me. The first
week we were mainly concerned with getting to know each other, the neighborhood
and the city Tornio. A great stat!
We also got the timetable for the course. So
we get knowledge what we all gone do! Wow,
it's getting a very nice minor! We will only do things that I like!
Where
I am now with my learning
I 'm almost done with the minor. In a
few weeks I’m home. I feel that I have learned a lot. To start with, I have
knowledge on the basis of the methods of adventure education.
We have been busy
planning a week of activities for the students NUVA in recent weeks. I compare
NUVA students this with a kind MBO we have in the Netherlands. I feel that I am
able to use the methods in adventure education to put a week Program together.
I also developed my own vision of adventure education. If I compare it to my
study at home appears on the creative lessons about play and sport but then
with outdoor sport in the program. Where are discussed in more detail during
this minor the theory mind behind the activities.
Which activities can you determine
what goals and how to develop a activity that fits in the program. Besides we
looked how to create a safe learning environment. I have learned that this is
very important when designing an activity. If it goes wrong in the worst case it
can have traumatic consequences.
It is hard to explain where I am in my
learning process. I think it is a combination of activities to do and know what
the underlying ideas of the activity. Make the combination of theory and
practice and understand it. I’m at that point, and a am proud of it!
Besides learning about the adventure
education I have gained other experiences. So I became better at using the
English language. In the beginning it was struggling with it but now it’s easy
to use English. I've done knowledge about the different cultures of my
classmates and Finnish culture.
Theoretical
background
To begin, it is important to know where
you have to deal with in adventure education. According Mortlock (1994, p.19) “To adventure in the natural environment is
consciously to take up a challenge that will demand the best of our
capabilities – physically, mentally and emotionally”. I think that
empowerment is a important issue in the adventure education. That’s why it took
my interest. Working with empowerment is getting more important in my work
field.
For each activity, it is important to be
familiar with a safe learning environment. A adventure education activity have
several zones. Each zone represents the feeling of a participant in a activity.
The first sin is comfort zone, this is the place where everything is cal and
there is no disequilibrium. The second is the stretch-zone. In this zone is
some interest in piqued, the senses are enlivened, and you will find some
disequilibrium. The participants get learned by experience.
Finally, the panic
zone. You do not want to come. This zone is a high degree of stress present and
there is no room to learn (Prouty, 2007).We have learned that everyone has
their own interpretation of these zones in each activity. As the leader of an
activity is very important that these zones will keep an eye on your
participants.
You want your participants learn from the activity that you do,
so it is important to always move between the stretch and comfort zone. Then
you form an ideal learning environment for your participants. Do not come in
the panic-zone because then the activity can be a traumatic experience.
In the class we used other names of the
different zones but the meaning is the same. If you see the picture you have
the save-zone, the flexibility-zone, the growth-zone and the danger-zone. You can compare the save-zone with the
comfort zone, the flexibility and growth-zone with the stretch-zone and at
least the danger-zone with the panic-zone. If you follow the green line on the
picture you see the kayak trip, and in what kind of zones we have bin.
Why
Finland?
Also
whiteout saunas, northern light and a beautiful nature is Finland a wonderful
country to stay. I stayed in Tornio, somewhere in northern Finland where it can
already snowing in September. Best crazy if you come from a warm Netherlands
and then already sitting in the snow in a few weeks.
But Finland is a beautiful
country to learn something about Adventure education. The teachers hire have a
very rich treasury of knowledge. They also have a lot experience to give the
knowing to you. In the beginning I had doubts about my English. But fast I realized
that it was not a big problem. The teachers and students use a easy language.
Everybody was capable to follow the lessons and instructions from the teachers.
Ideal for me as dyslect .
It was also great for me that I came out
of the daily grind that a have in the Netherlands. For me it was a way to experience what it is
like to be away from home. Also I want to experience what it would feel like to
being busy with thing that you are used to do.
In Finland you are actually
coming to rest. All the stress and things from the Netherlands dropped away. It's
not nearly as crowded as the Netherlands, the people are relaxed and you learn
a lot of people know of another nationality and cultures.
I
would go for it!
See you understand all right? Do you
think it suits you? Then I'll go for it! Three months seem long but in the beginning
they fly past.
When the time does flies? So, if you’re having fun! I've had a
lot of fun in this minor. For me it is a combination of being busy and having
fun and at the same time you link it back to the theory. It is the golden
combination of these two factors that have made for me a great time for me. Having
a lot of fun and on the same time you learn al lot of thing. So it’s very
educational. This is what school actually has to be!
Literature:
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Mortlock, C. (1994). The adventure
alternative. Cicerone Press: Cumbria, UK
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Prouty, D. Panicucci, J. Collinson, R. (2007) Adventure Education Theory and Applications. Champaign: Human Kinetics, USA
Picture:
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