Internet Edition of Raccoon Circles
February 19, 2007
This internet version contains excerpts from the newly revised Book of Raccoon Circles by Dr. Tom Smith and Dr. Jim Cain, with more than 200 activities, challenges and ideas.
This document is in PDF format and is 7.5 MB large. If you have trouble viewing the PDF click here and follow the instructions (located on the right side of screen) to save the file to your computer for easier viewing.
For further information visit http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/ and click on download articles, activities, and information.
Labels: Activities, Debriefing, Games, Processing, Teambuilding
posted by Jay @ 2/19/2007, ,
Interesting Question
Labels: Comfort Zone, Evaluation, Experiential, Research
posted by Jay @ 2/19/2007, ,
Changing Schools through Experiential
February 14, 2007
A 1992 article discussing the, “efforts to restructure schools…with a curriculum that young people find significant. This Digest describes how experiential education can help provide such a curriculum and the impact it can have on students, teachers, administrators, and school organizational structures. It also describes ways experiential education can help educators make the transition from a traditional program to an activity-based program requiring the collaboration of teachers and students.”
"Experiential education can change schools because it requires new roles of students, teachers, and administrators. It can provide a different, more engaging way of treating academic content through the combination of action and reflection. Experiential education can also provide a process for helping all those involved in schooling become more comfortable with the unfamiliar roles commonly proposed for restructured schools."
Article Link - http://www.ericdigests.org/1992-3/changing.htm
Labels: Curriculum, Education, Experiential, School
posted by Jay @ 2/14/2007, ,
Evaluation: A beginning
February 12, 2007
"Research is a type of inquiry that uses systematic methods and rigorous procedures derived from scientific knowledge and logical thinking to "prove" whether a practice is effective in generalized situations. For example, a study that examines how trust is consistently developed in most groups across many programs would be a form of research.
Evaluation is another type of inquiry that uses similar research-related skills to "improve" practice effectiveness in a specific situation. For example, a study that examines whether trust actually develops in a single group in one program would be a form of evaluation.
Generalizability is the degree to which research or evaluation findings from a study can be applied to other situations that were not studied. Generalizability is the principal difference between these two types of inquiry. Research seeks a higher amount of generalizability than evaluation and so has stringent requirements about selecting or controlling subjects, treatments, variables, and measurements within a study. Again, fear of research and its precise requirements for generalization unfortunately prevents many practitioners from conducting evaluations.
From: A Program Evaluation Primer by Simon Priest
Evaluation - A Road to Research
Whether or not you ever do a single research study you can (and should) be performing evaluations of your services and programs. Evaluations themselves serve as an important aid in the process of delivering effective programming and are easily implemented into existing program structures. Moreover, with a few simple steps your personal refinement towards greater effectiveness through evaluations could be a beginning for future research. Here's how...
- Conduct evaluations
- Log and document you evaluations, their findings, and changes made based on them
- Compiled evaluation data can be used in research studies - both personal studies and/or external researchers in need of data (ie. Grad students are always looking for data. Contacting college programs to inform them of the data you have available could significantly benefit a research project and subsequently our field.)
Labels: Evaluation, Research
posted by Jay @ 2/12/2007, ,
The Vision - Revisited
February 07, 2007
The Michigan Experiential Network exists to connect experiential programs and organizations in the state of Michigan and empower the field as a whole toward increased applicability, sustaining purpose, and greater effectiveness.
To date, twenty organizations have asked to be included in the network. A special thanks to all of you for taking this step toward centralized communications across the state. The Michigan Experiential Networks quick start up and positive response to has warranted its continuation and further growth.
When the Michigan Experiential Network was created the vision was to have a link on the network for every Michigan based program, company, or organization involved in the experiential field. The problem is that the network will not link a program, company, or organization unless they ask to be linked. The network needs those who know about the network to tell those who don't know about the network.
What you can do to help grow the network...
- Share the network with others. Doesn't matter how you do it. People won't use what they don't know exists.
- Use the network. Post conferences, training, jobs. Start discussions under any posting by using the comments feature.
- Network.
posted by Jay @ 2/07/2007, ,
Michigan Job Posting - Still Searching
Position Title: Facilitator Trainer/Trip Leader
Company Name: Adventure Learning Center at Eagle Village
Location(s): Hersey, Michigan, United States
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Duration: Indefinite
Min Education: BA/BS/Undergraduate
Min Experience: 2-3 Years
For More Information Go To
Job Listings - AEE Link
http://jobsclearinghouse.aee.org/c/job.cfm?site_id=619&jb=1084438
Job Listings - Outdoor Ed Link
http://www.outdoored.com/Jobs/oe/DetailsID.aspx?JobID=2723
Eagle Village Jobs
http://eaglevillage.org/evjobs.html
APPLY FOR THIS JOB
Contact Person: Tamara McLeod
Email Address: tjmcleod@eaglevillage.org
Phone: 231-832-7321
Fax: 231-832-1468
No endoresment is given or implied to any companies on this site.
posted by Jay @ 2/07/2007, ,
Michigan Job Posting - Still Searching
Position Title: Facilitator
Company Name: Adventure Learning Center at Eagle Village
Location(s): Hersey, Michigan, United States
Job Type: Part-Time
Job Duration: Indefinite
Min Education: H.S. Diploma/Equivalent
Min Experience: 0-1 Year
Entry Level: Yes
For More Information Go To
Job Listings - AEE Link
http://jobsclearinghouse.aee.org/c/job.cfm?site_id=619&jb=1084436
Job Listings - Outdoor Ed Link
http://www.outdoored.com/Jobs/oe/DetailsID.aspx?JobID=2724
Eagle Village Jobs
http://eaglevillage.org/evjobs.html
APPLY FOR THIS JOB
Contact Person: Tamara McLeod
Email Address: tjmcleod@eaglevillage.org
Phone: 231-832-7321
Fax: 231-832-1468
No endoresment is given or implied to any companies on this site.
posted by Jay @ 2/07/2007, ,
Team Building Ice Breaker Activity
February 02, 2007
Mumbly Jumbly
- Blindfold all participants
- Give each participant a number ranging from minus one thousand to plus one thousand that only they know
- Jumble up the group
- participants must locate each other and communicate their number to each other in order to arrange them selves in sequence while remaining blindfolded
Labels: Activities, experiential education
posted by Jay @ 2/02/2007, ,