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Does Adventure Challenge Education Work with Students
By Maurice Davis When I requested to take this course I had no idea what it was all about. Once the class began, I was still a little unsure. All I know is that I was having fun. Of course, at first I felt a little childish doing a lot of the activities. It did not take long for that feeling to evaporate as I began to have fun. One of the best rewards of the activities was the change in self and in the group as a whole. For instance, in the beginning, we started off doing icebreakers. These helped us to put down our guards long enough to enjoy ourselves and get to know one another. From there we moved to trust activities and problem-solving. The combination of the two allowed me to grow close with my classmates and to trust them. The problem-solving also gave everyone the opportunity to be a leader. It taught me that in life you have to lead as well as follow. Of these two types of activities I think the area that required me to get close and personal was the best. For example, Acid River did not allow us to leave anyone behind. In order for any group to be successful in this activity we had to plan and strategize, and through that I learned how some of my classmates think and operate. Another activity was the Chiji cards. In my opinion, this was one of the best activities because if you can be comfortable enough to share your happiest and saddest moment with your classmates, you trust them. I believe that was the trust needed in order to move on to the wall climbing. I definitely learned the importance of sequencing. Another aspect of the course that I really appreciate was all of the hands-on experience. This class is my first education course and it has really shed a lot of light on what I’m getting into. I have had the opportunity to work with middle school kids from both the city and the burbs, and I got to work with high school kids. As you have said in class, book smarts are good, but they do not compare to hands-on experience. If all my classes were this hands-on, I would have straight "A's".Another experience I had was working with teachers from around the city and showing them what I have learned from this class. I have had the opportunity to partake in climbing workshops and to view workshops that would usually cost a lot of money. I have seen and experienced some really great things. In closing,
I believe that this works because it causes/allows you to have fun and
enjoy yourself. But the biggest thing is that you can take what you
have learned and apply this to real life situations.
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