GUIDED RISK TAKING
Adventure-based Activity to Enrich the Lives, Learning
and Educational Outcomes for Students by Creating
Opportunities for Deeper Thinking
Ko Ngongotaha Te Maunga
Ngongotaha is the mountain
Ko Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe
te Moana
Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe is the
body of water
Ko Te Arawa te Iwi, te whānau whāngai
Te Arawa is the tribe, the adopted
family
Ko Nick Chater taku ingoa,
My name is Nick Chater
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā
koutou katoa.
PERSONAL BRIEF HISTORY
•
25 years in the Adventure & Education sector
•
Rafting; NZ Rivers Association Executive, Assessor and Senior Assessor
Mentor, Lead instructor for National River Rescue workshops, Local River
Rescue Coordinator.
•
Owner operator Multi-Day Adventures and Mountain Bike Rotorua (13
years)
•
Recreation includes, SUPing, MTBing, Kayaking, Climbing, Snowboarding,
racing Waka Ama (outrigger canoe) and Rafts at a National and
International level. Current World R6 masters champions.
•
Teaching at Tertiary level for 20 years.
•
Whanau; Wife Kimi and daughters Ani and Tenaya.
CURRENT POSITION & ROLE
Academic Lead Adventure Tourism, within the Tourism and Hospitality Department.
Programmes that I deliver include:
Outdoor Challenges Level 2 which is a short course that aims to help students set goals and
gain confidence.
Certificate of Adventure Tourism Level 3 is a full year program which focuses on developing
life skills for students themselves.
Diploma of Adventure Tourism Level 5 is a full year programme which focuses on how to
look after and lead others.
Defining Hospitality Level 5 is a course run as part of the Tourism Management and Hotel
Management programs.
OUTLINE OF THE STUDENTS I TEACH
•
Waiariki is a Bi-cultural institute, with 4 major campuses within
our region, and approx. 6000 students.
•
60% of students are Maori.
•
40% of our people live in the bottom 10% of incomes earners
within the NZ.
•
Social issues are a key element to why many of our students
are unsuccessful with education completion.
MY PHILOSOPHY – GUIDED RISK TAKING
I hold the belief that for people to learn, make positive personal changes and
to ultimately feel a sense of purpose and wellbeing, they need to be able to
positively challenge themselves and take measured risks.
An observation I have made is that the mental challenges students face are
often much more overpowering than the physical challenges arising from the
outdoor activities.
Frequently, the biggest challenge and personal risk the students face is
applying themselves to the theory component in the classroom
When they make the connection between theory and practice and are
successful at both, they see themselves in a completely different light
EVOLUTION OF MY TEACHING PRACTISE
Really started with post grad study, I’ve had to challenge my perceptions as to
who I thought I was as a learner and a teacher.
The greatest degree of change has come from challenging myself by
reassessing how I teach in the classroom.
My research showed:
•
Adventure Tourism students are by nature active and kinesthetic learners.
•
The major cause of students being unsuccessful, was not completing written
assessments.
•
A review of previous results indicated that of those students that completed
the year, but did not achieve the qualification, over 60% failed a theory
paper
STUDENT FEEDBACK REVEALED:
•
a history of past failures with assignments and negative prior experiences at
school
•
a mind-set that being practical and outdoor- orientated meant they were
not smart or academic
•
anxiety and fear of failure led to assignments being left to the last minute and
too hard to even start
•
personal and social issues at home meant that school work was not being
completed out of class
•
an unwillingness to ask for help or use existing learner support mechanisms
provided
MAORI CONCEPTS A KEY INFLUENCE
The values and beliefs I share with Māori culture have hugely influenced my
teaching practice. Those that have had particular influence are:
•
Whanaungatanga
•
Kaitiakitanga
•
Manaakitanga
WHANAUNGATANGA
Whanau - extended family, family group, a familiar term of address to a number
of people. In the modern context the term is sometimes used to include friends
who may not have any kinship ties to other members.
Whanaungatanga - a relationship through shared experiences and working
together which provides people with a sense of belonging. Each individual is a
valued member of the group, whatever affects the individual affects the group,
whatever affects the group, affects the individual.
In practise this concept is at the heart of my teaching, creating positive
relationships through shared experiences and working together provides us all
with a sense of belonging, and serves to strengthen each member of the group.
KAITIAKITANGA
Guardianship and protection of the environment
Guardianship and protection of all things Maori.
In practise we care about the environment where our activities take place
and are cognisant of the need to care and protect Maori beliefs and spiritual
values.
MANAAKITANGA
“Behaviour that acknowledges the mana of others as having equal or greater
importance than ones own, through the expression of aroha, hospitality,
generosity and mutual respect. Displaying Manaakitanga elevated the status of
all, building unity through the humility and the act of giving”
In practise this means that along with my students I create an environment
where there is respect, kindness, generosity and hospitiality.
PLANNING & DESIGN FOR LEARNING
Adventure-based activity can enrich lives and educational outcomes for
students.
Teaching students to apply theory to practical tasks and to challenge the body
and the mind.
Adventure Tourism programs are not just about meeting industry needs but also
about acquisition of skills useful no matter what they do.
Results are important but not the only indicator of success.
EXAMPLES OF TEACHING PRACTISE
My teaching and assessment practices are underpinned by a number of key
principles. They are :
Student centeredness
•
shifting the programmes from being teacher-centred to student focused.
•
designing programmes which scaffold students’ learning from known to the
unknown, building from simple to complex learning situations so that
students feel comfortable and confident to take ownership of their learning
(Vygotsky, 1978).
CO-CONSTRUCTION OF LEARNING
•
Getting students to re-think how they experience and participate in learning
and assessment.
•
Building opportunities for student input into all parts of the learning and
assessment process.
•
Instead of telling students what I want them to do to achieve a learning
outcome or an assessment task, we decide together how this will be best
accomplished (First Level Assessment & Feedback Project, 2009).
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
•
Programme content and outcomes are important, but should not be seen as
the primary focus for learning.
•
reduce the amount of stand-alone theoretical content and increase the
experiential learning activities (Kolb, 1984)
•
programmes are no longer about students remembering and proving they
understand theory but has moved to experimenting with and applying this
knowledge.
•
Students reflect on why something has or has not worked, gathering
feedback from peers and others, analysing and evaluating their actions and
considering how they might improve.
•
We have moved from superficial learning to a much deeper reflective
approach.
AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY & DIALOGUE IN
ASSESSMENT
Ensure assessment are:
•
Real, Relevant and Motivating – students can see the relevancy and how
the assessment relates to the real world.
•
Clearly linked to learning outcomes and are part of day to day learning.
•
Large assessments are broken down into smaller tasks that allow for
formative feedback. (Johnson & Flint, 2011)
•
Students have guidance and a full understanding of the requirements of
task’s.
EVALUATING REFLECTING AND DEBRIEFING
Facilitation of the debrief:
•
Integral and normalised part of the learning process
•
Move from the teacher holding the power to it becoming a shared responsibility
•
Students need to know where they are at, where they are going and how they
are going to get there.
•
Making mistakes is seen as an important part of the learning process.
ASSESSING STUDENTS LEARNING
The students were asked what we did positively or negatively that made a
difference to them attempting this paper. Key comments included:

Positive and supportive teaching staff and help from learning advisor made
it easier.

Clear explanations of what was required. Broke it up and covered each step
so it was easy to understand and reduced pressure.

Method of teaching – offered extra help, was calm, knew the subject,
challenged us and gained our interest, presented information in a way that
made sense.

Gave feedback on what to improve
By the end of the paper 100% of the students agreed generally or strongly that they
felt more confident they could carry on with their studies.
When asked to rate how actively staff involved and supported them in the learning process,
90% of the surveyed students strongly agreed this was the case.
Finally, to ascertain whether we had improved the student’s future performance
by scaffolding their learning and providing effective feedback we asked students
to comment on how feedback received had assisted them in their actual
assignment and coping with assessments that followed.
Comments received included:
 Let me know I was on the right track so was confident to continue
 Helped me by understanding what and how to do better in upcoming
assessments
 All flowed together – was able to reference back to what had been done
before
 Gained a good understanding after the first assessment so future assignments
were easier
 Felt like a ‘dumb arse’ but got me working harder
The students were more positive and confident about tackling
theory papers. This is further evidenced from the following
comments made by Adventure students:
 Jesse – “I always thought I wasn’t a theory person – I was really
surprised at how well I coped”
 Zoe – “I dreaded the Ecotourism class but I’m actually going to
miss it”
 Graeme – “I thought I couldn’t make it in Ecotourism – the first
thing I did when I passed my essay was ring my Mum and she
was really proud”
SUMMARY OF THE KEY LEARNING
Outdoor and adventure based activity is an effective tool to engage students
back into education. Push not only practical skills but theory as well.
Outdoor activity can include the acquisition of skills that can be used in a wide
range of environments
To bring positivity and create avenues for change in the lives of our at risk youth.
Emphasis and positivity around theory based learning can change how students
relate to education and the world around them and achieve at much higher
levels
Key strategies used: Relationships are the cornerstone, shift of power to the
student, assessment and learning outcomes are part of day to day teaching,
assessment that mimics the work environment, scaffolding of learning and
feedback is key.
REFERENCE LIST:
First Level Assessment and Feedback Project. (2009). Designing first-year assessment
and feedback: A guide for university staff. Leeds, England: Leeds Metropolitan
University.
Flint, N. R., & Johnson, B. (2011). Towards fairer university assessment: Recognising the
concerns of students. Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experiences as the Source of Learning and
Development, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological
Processes, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.