Course Description

• Outdoor life and sport as cultural phenomena

• Outdoor life’s history, growth, development, diversity and scope

• Outdoor activities as tools in building the nation and creating national identity

• Outdoor life in relation to gender, class and social divisions

• The significance of outdoor life in Norwegian society: values, motives and goals

• The changing aspect of outdoor life: Institutionalisation, commercialisation, pedagogisation

• Experiencing nature and views of nature, outdoor life and environmental conservation

• Outdoor life policies, right of access, laws and regulations, public documents and guidelines

• Outdoor life’s pedagogical values and possibilities

• Children and nature

• The learning concept – knowledge in action, situational learning, experience-based learning, apprenticeship learning

• The group as a social phenomenon and as a teaching and learning method

• Didactic and methodological issues related to the dissemination of outdoor education

• Outdoor activities as a teaching and learning method in various types of schools, organisations and institutions

• The outdoors as a vehicle for teaching and learning in the fields of culture and the natural environment

• Planning, execution and evaluation of pedagogical plans in the natural environment

• Skills, trip norms, basic procedures and safety issues

• The role of the guide, aspects and functions

Students will choose practical specialisation from the following: coast – sailing or waterways.

Coast – sailing, specialisation I, skills and knowledge:

• Planning trips, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis. Rescuing members of the group. Getting ready for the sea. The leader’s responsibility.

• Using boats: rowing, sailing, load and trimming, choice of harbour and mooring, manoeuvring, sharing tasks and roles and basic procedures etc.

• Skerries and navigation.

• Weather, wind and currents.

• Guiding, planning and execution of pedagogical plans.

• Maintenance of boats, equipment, rigging and sails.

• Coast nature and coast culture.

Waterways, specialisation I, skills and knowledge:

• Planning trips, safety, responsibility and consequence analysis. Getting ready to use the canoe. The guide’s responsibility.

• Using canoes: Paddling canoes on calm water and in rapids, choice of route on calm water, inspection of rapids, choice of route in rapids.

• Lifesaving: rescuing a member of the group in calm water and rapids.

• Guiding, planning and execution of pedagogical plans.

• Waterways nature and culture.

Assessment Methods

Individual written examination, three days home examination with graded marks. In order to receive a diploma students must first have participated actively in all the obligatory instruction and submitted approved practice reports.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean