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Wilderness Tip #14 - Beware of Windage When Asking for Outdoor Advice

1/29/2012

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SAFETY TIP - Paul Petzoldt told the story of U.S. Winter Olympic Committee representatives exploring Driggs, Idaho in the 1950's in anticipation of finding a site for the 1960 winter games. Grand Targhee ski area, located just across the state border from Driggs in Alta, Wyoming was noted for getting tremendous amounts of snow in the winter. The story goes that when Olympic representatives stopped at a local drinking establishment and asked how much snow the ski area got in the winter. A local responded, "Snow! This place gets so much snow that we sometimes we can't even get to the ski area."
"How cold does it get?" "Cold! It gets so cold that the temperature stays at 35 below or lower for weeks at end."

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Paul Petzoldt - Wind Rivers, Wyoming - 1970
The story goes that the thought of having the Olympics in that region was dropped because they thought it was probably too cold and they got too much snow that would make it difficult to host such an event. Paul uses it as an example of what he called "windage." Windage is the tendency for people to exaggerate the truth. How big was the fish? How hard was the climb? You know, you've probably been guilty of it occasionally. As an outdoor enthusiast you have to be aware when you are on the receiving end of such windage. Paul's advice was to be very skeptical of the information you get from locals. Be particularly wary of getting any navigation advice from locals. Many locals know the area like the back of their hand but they may not know how to read a map. I once asked a local to point out on the map where we were. The gentleman pondered the map for a while. After a long pause he finally pronounced that it was terribly inaccurate but that we were here, and pointed at a location on the map. The spot turned out to be four miles from our actual location.

Beware of windage and beware that the person you ask for advice my know less than you do.


Hey, maybe Paul's story was windage.

To See Tip #13 click here
To See Tip #15 click here (inactive at this time)
Adapted from The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits by Jack Drury and Eric Holmlund published in 2006 by Sagamore Publishing    


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Antioch New England University - Center for School Renewal - Critical Skills PowerPoint

1/27/2012

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Here's a excellent overview of Antioch New England University's Critical Skills Program. They are strategic partners of Leading E.D.G.E. and we have worked collaboratively in the United Kingdom, Lebanon, and of course the U.S. Check out the PowerPoint here. This will also give you an excellent idea of what we are about as well.

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Wilderness Tip #13 - Mindful and Rational Decision Making in the Wilderness and the Classroom

1/22/2012

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How many times have we seen people make a decision and not even realize they made one? Getting in a car and not putting on a seatbelt. Getting in a canoe and not putting on a PFD. Setting up camp after everyone is exhausted and it is dark or nearly so. Hiking past a trail intersection resulting in the group getting lost. These are all examples of decisions having been made, in most cases probably, without the person even being aware of it. These are an example of what some call mindless decision making.

I’m a big advocate of mindful decision making and recommend those not used to making mindful decisions use a rational decision making process to do so. The rational decision making process is when you use a systematic, step by step method to make a choice between two or more options. Many of us use this type of decision making when we have to make a “big” decisions. I recently had to decide between two different cars that I was considering purchasing. I looked at the pros and cons of each and went through an analytical process to come up with the decision. I would consider it a mindful decision for two reasons. One, I was aware I was making a decision and two; I gave the decision some level of conscious thought. We need to make mindful decisions in more aspects of our lives not just the “big” decisions.

Some people might argue that in the examples above there was an absence of a decision being made. That however is a decision, just a mindless or unconscious one. We need to teach youngsters to be mindful decision makers and we need to introduce them to the rational decision –making process. Rational decision making has received a lot of criticism because it is not the way experts make decisions. I agree but that does not prevent it from being an excellent tool to introduce learners to mindful decision making.

Here are steps to the typical rational decision making process:

1.       Identify the problem
2.       Clarify and analyze – gather facts, examine assumptions, recognize constraints, understand values, and consider group dynamics
3.       Brainstorm Options – consider the positive and negative consequences and contingencies
4.       Make the decision
5.       Implement the decision
6.       Evaluate the  decision

This process can be used individually or by groups in the indoors or outdoors. I ask students to journal their decisions and reflect on them. How did the decision work? What did you like about the result? What would you do differently?

How do you teach decision making?

To See Tip #12 click here
To See Tip #14 click here
Adapted from The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits by Jack Drury and Eric Holmlund published in 2006 by Sagamore Publishing 
 

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Wilderness Tip #12 - LED Flashlights

1/16/2012

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Shedding Some Light on LED Flashlights
LED flashlights are as common as fireworks on the fourth of July, but why are they so popular?
Quality LED flashlights have three distinct advantages over conventional flashlights:


1. The bulbs can last up to 100,000 hours. That's over 11 years of continuous use. Suffice to say that you  can leave your LED flashlight to your loved ones as a family heirloom and it will still not need a bulb replacement.

2. You will replace batteries less often. LED bulbs require much less electricity to light, saving your the need to replace batteries as often. Different flashlights vary in terms of energy needs: but even the relatively power-hungry ones will require battery replacement less frequently than conventional flashlights. In any event, battery life is frequently measured in days, not hours. This is a big advantage this time of year when daylight is at a premium and cold weather sucks life our of our batteries.

3. When batteries do start to run down, the LED doesn't go out as a conventional flashlight does; it just gradually gets dimmer. In many cases the amount of light provided may still be useful for an extended period of time.

What's your favorite flashlight?

To See Tip #11 click here
To See Tip #13 click here

Adapted from The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits by Jack Drury and Eric Holmlund published in 2006 by Sagamore Publishing 

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"Born To Learn" Videos on Learning

1/13/2012

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A series of short videos on learning are featured on the "Born To Learn" website. As they put it, "Your brain is the planet’s most powerful learning machine. But our current systems of education aren't doing enough to unlock our true potential. This is what Born to Learn is all about."

Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

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Checkout Our Interactive S.P.E.C. Classroom Graphic

1/12/2012

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Click on the graphic to the left and see our new interactive S.P.E.C. image. The graphic done by John A. Drury is his interpretation of the differences between the traditional classroom and the S.P.E.C. (Student-centered, Problem-based, Experiential, and Collaborative) classroom and is a favorite of many of our teachers. Using Thinglink I have created links from the various components of the graphic to a variety of education resources. (some tongue in cheek)

Feel free to suggest additional links. See if you can find all eleven links that I created.

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    Jack Drury's Leading E.D.G.E. Blog

    Sharing Observations on Education, Wilderness, and
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    Jack with his wife Phyliss and Yellow Lab Cedar on the shore of Lower Saranac Lake.

    About the Author

    This blog was created and is maintained by Jack Drury with contributions from Bruce Bonney. Jack and Bruce have been working together since 1984 providing professional development in four areas:
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