Residential outdoor education has had a significant formal and informal presence within the education system of the United Kingdom since the 1950s. However, there is little empirical research into the experiences of participants, particularly from a long-term perspective. The present study investigates the meanings, values, and impacts that participants attribute to a five-day residential experience at Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre, near Dunoon, Scotland. Participants attended the Centre as school pupils between 13 and 16 years of age. Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre operated as an educational facility under the auspices of the local authority between 1973 and 1996. Participants were contacted between 2007 and 2008, hence a minimum of 11 years after the Centre closed. Semi-structured questionnaires (n = 110) and interviews (n = 14) were used to generate data regarding participants’ experiences. These were analysed using a hermeneutic approach. Supplementary data were generated from archival documents and interviews (n = 29) with various stakeholders in Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre, ranging from local authority education officers to Centre managers and instructional staff. These supplementary data contribute towards a nuanced interpretive account of participants’ experiences that has both breadth and depth. The data suggest that participants’ experiences at Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre represented highly significant events in their school career. Principal findings relate to themes of achievement, independence and responsibility, and the development of more adult relationships. Seventy-two percent of questionnaire respondents claimed that their experience at Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre continued to influence their adult lives. This influence was manifested in a variety of ways ranging from a love of the outdoor environment, to choices regarding use of leisure time, to employment choices. Bourdieu’s (1977, 1990b) theory of social practice, particularly the concepts of field and habitus, provides a framework to interpret participants’ expressions of the nature of their experiences and the impact those experiences did or did not have on their lives. From this perspective Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre presented participants with a safe and authentic experience that differed sufficiently from their previous life experiences to allow for the opportunity to develop new understandings of self and the social world. These new understandings were expressed in different ways and at different times over participants’ subsequent life course.

4 pp. / Recently, a number of global positioning system (GPS) devices have been introduced commercially which exploit GPS, transforming frequent measurements of time and location, into an estimate of energy expenditure. This fact sheet reviews how GPS watches (GPS fitness units) measure energy expenditure of individual during physical activity. We list popular GPS watches that are on the market and showed pros and cons of these watches. After our field testing, we decided that Garmin Forenunner 305 is our best pick for the GPS watch. We included information on Geocashing, which is one of popular outdoor activities using GPS receiver or other navigational techniques.

<p>1. nowhere landscape, for clarinets, trombones, percussion, violins, and electronics</p><p>nowhere landscape is an eighty-minute work for nine performers, composed of acoustic and electronic sounds. Its fifteen movements invoke a variety of listening strategies, using slow change, stasis, layering, coincidence, and silence to draw attention to the sonic effects of the environment—inside the concert hall as well as the world outside of it. The work incorporates a unique stage set-up: the audience sits in close proximity to the instruments, facing in one of four different directions, while the musicians play from a number of constantly-shifting locations, including in front of, next to, and behind the audience.</p><p>Much of nowhere landscape’s material is derived from a collection of field recordings</p><p>made by the composer during a road trip from Springfield, MA to Douglas, WY along US- 20, a cross-country route made effectively obsolete by the completion of I-90 in the mid- 20th century. In an homage to artist Ed Ruscha’s 1963 book Twentysix Gasoline Stations, the composer made twenty-six recordings at gas stations along US-20. Many of the movements of nowhere landscape examine the musical potential of these captured soundscapes: familiar and anonymous, yet filled with poignancy and poetic possibility.</p><p>2. “The Map and the Territory: Documenting David Dunn’s Sky Drift”</p><p>In 1977, David Dunn recruited twenty-six musicians to play his work Sky Drift in the</p><p>Anza-Borrego Desert in Southern California. This outdoor performance was documented with photos and recorded with four stationary microphones to tape. A year later, Dunn presented the work in New York City as a “performance/documentation,” playing back the audio recording and projecting slides. In this paper I examine the consequences of this kind of act: what does it mean for a recording of an outdoor work to be shared at an indoor concert event? Can such a complex and interactive experience be successfully flattened into some kind of re-playable documentation? What can a recording capture and what must it exclude?</p><p>This paper engages with these questions as they relate to David Dunn’s Sky Drift and to similar works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Luther Adams. These case-studies demonstrate different solutions to the difficulty of documenting outdoor performances. Because this music is often heard from a variety of equally-valid perspectives—and because any single microphone only captures sound from one of these perspectives—the physical set-up of these kind of pieces complicate what it means to even “hear the music” at all. To this end, I discuss issues around the “work itself” and “aura” as well as “transparency” and “liveness” in recorded sound, bringing in thoughts and ideas from Walter Benjamin, Howard Becker, Joshua Glasgow, and others. In addition, the artist Robert Irwin and the composer Barry Truax have written about the conceptual distinctions between “the work” and “not- the-work”; these distinctions are complicated by documentation and recording. Without the context, the being-there, the music is stripped of much of its ability to communicate meaning.</p> / Dissertation

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Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Fred Bradley / Outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) have the same goal as traditional first-year student orientation programs (e.g., First-Year Seminar), that is, helping facilitate the transition of first-year students to collegiate life. There are many challenges first-year students face while transitioning into college. Research shows that OOPs can increase retention rates of first-year students; help first-year students to grow personally, socially and spiritually; and increase friendship formation among this population (Davis-Berman & Berman, 1996; Devlin, 1996; Galloway, 2000). Today, there are approximately 164 higher education institutions in the United States that offer OOPs to their first-year students. Currently, Kansas State University has several programs that aid students in their transition to collegiate life. However, they do not currently have an OOP in place. A survey was conducted at Kansas State University to evaluate the level of interest in an OOP and/or an outdoor trips program. Survey results suggest that there are a significant number of current students on campus who would have participated in an OOP if one were offered when they first arrived. Recommendations for the development of an OOP at Kansas State University are made utilizing survey results and interviews with successful OOP program directors at several universities.

I studien undersöks hur elever i grundskolans tidiga år upplever att sinnesupplevelserpåverkar deras lärande utomhus i de naturorienterande ämnena. I utomhusundervisning sesplatsen som betydelsefull för lärandet då den kan erbjuda förstahandsupplevelser i autentiskamiljöer. Den lärandeteori som varit utgångspunkt i studien är pragmatismen. Det kvalitativaundersökningsredskapet intervju användes i studien då det gav möjlighet till att få djupakunskaper om hur eleverna upplever sitt lärande utomhus.Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur elever i grundskolans tidiga år upplever sitt lärandeutomhus i de naturorienterande ämnena. Studien fokuserar på den roll som sinnesupplevelserhar för elevernas lärande vid utomhusundervisningen i skolans närområde.För att besvara frågeställningen och uppfylla syftet i studien användes den kvalitativametoden och semistrukturerade intervjufrågor. Urvalet bestod av 15 intervjuade elever iårskurs tre på en skola i västra Sverige och undersökningen genomfördes enligt deforskningsetiska principerna.Majoriteten av eleverna uppgav att platsen har betydelse för deras lärande eftersom de villlära om fenomen i de naturorienterande ämnena i en autentisk miljö. Huvuddelen av elevernanämner ovanstående som gynnsamt för deras lärande då de kan använda synen, hörseln,doften och känseln då de lär om fenomen i naturen. Vidare angav 12 av 15 elever att deupplever att de lär sig utomhus med hjälp av att kunna använda kroppen och känna påfenomen som de ska lära sig om. Några elever uttrycker även att detta hjälper dem att minnas.Huvuddelen av eleverna uppgav att utomhusundervisning var ett bra komplement tillklassrumsundervisning. Några elever lyfter att de vill lära sig fakta om ett fenomen iklassrummet och sedan gå ut och se och undersöka det i verkligheten. Samtliga elever uppgeratt utomhusundervisning är roligt och att de gärna vill ha fler lektioner ute i denaturorienterande ämnena. Resultatet indikerar att elever i grundskolans tidiga år i dennastudie upplever att sinnesupplevelser i autentiska miljöer påverkar lärandet och minnetpositivt. En framträdande faktor som eleverna tar upp är möjligheten att kunna känna påfenomen i naturen.

The thermal environment in outdoor spaces can significantly influence users’ thermal perception and thus their use of these spaces. Improving microclimatic conditions in urban spaces will most likely encourage people to spend more time outdoors, with the potential to improve their health and wellbeing, as well as boosting social cohesion. As well as enhancing the environmental quality of cities it should also eventually improve the quality of life of its citizens. This thesis is one of the first attempts to investigate the outdoor thermal comfort and the effect of cultural differences in hot arid climates. Case studies were carefully selected in two different parts of the world (Marrakech in North Africa and Phoenix-Arizona in North America) to represent a variety of users in similar climatic context. Field surveys, carried out during winter and summer, included: structured interviews with a standard questionnaire; observations of the human activities; and microclimatic monitoring. The results revealed that the solely physiological approach is insufficient to assess the outdoor thermal comfort conditions in hot arid climates. Environmental variables such as air temperature and solar radiation, could have a great impact on the use of the outdoor spaces in the hot arid climate, and may determine the number of people and activities in them. The study also shows that participants who usually spend more time outdoors due to their life style, “outdoors individuals”, tend to stay longer in the studied sites compared with the “indoors individuals” who spend more time indoors. This is probably because the “outdoor individuals” have better experience of the outdoor conditions and respective thermal conditions. Experience has a strong link with expectations so that according to their past experience, people prepare themselves for the expected weather by taking adaptive measures. People from different cultures in the hot arid climate are likely to evaluate their thermal conditions differently, have diverse thermal comfort requirements, and use urban public spaces differently as well. Further work needs to be done to cover more geographical areas within the hot arid climate. Such an expansion may generalise the findings of this study or explain any particularity associated with the sites of the current study. More research is also needed to investigate he thermal requirements and use of outdoor spaces by different social groups by using robust classification methods. Emphasis should be on investigating the influence of thermal comfort on the use of outdoor public spaces by young and older people, and how that may affect their health and will being in such climates.

"The public in general and educational communities are aware of the importance of elementary math education in students' lives, as it establishes a cognitive and motivational foundation to reach higher levels of schooling. However, students usually learn passively in traditional instructivist modes, and tend to get bored and disengaged. In contrast, games can be a useful way to assist education and engage students. This thesis reports on a novel game learning environment for mathematics learning, the Tangrams Race, which attempts to inspire students to learn math, by combining traditional outdoor games and wearable technology in the form of Cyber Watches. The Tangrams Race, a physical game designed for elementary school students to play outdoors, is examined and tested in two studies to show that the game-based learning environment and the technology can enhance learning gains and inspire students interest to learn mathematics."

São crescentes os números de iniciativas focadas na promoção da inclusão social por meio de atividades esportivas e educacionais, bem como de propostas direcionadas para a manutenção e melhoria da qualidade do meio ambiente. No Brasil o Programa Segundo Tempo é uma das iniciativas esportivas educacionais de maior expressividade, devido à abrangência e a aspectos organizacionais. O Programa Segundo Tempo, que tem servido de referência para demais iniciativas esportivas educacionais, possui aspectos que podem ser mais bem compreendidos, aprimorados e desenvolvidos, como é o caso das intervenções pedagógicas de Educação Ambiental. Este estudo objetiva identificar e descrever as intervenções pedagógicas de Educação Ambiental realizadas no Programa Segundo Tempo. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa descritiva de método misto. Na primeira etapa do estudo foram entrevistados 17 professores com expertise nas áreas da Educação Ambiental e de iniciativas esportivas educacionais. Na segunda etapa do estudo, 165 colaboradores, que atuam em núcleos do Programa Segundo Tempo, responderam a um questionário eletrônico. Nos 113 núcleos do Programa Segundo Tempo em que são realizadas intervenções pedagógicas de Educação Ambiental foram investigadas as principais características dessas atividades educacionais, conforme segue: os temas mais presentes foram saúde, qualidade de vida, preservação e conservação ambiental; os objetivos mais encontrados foram o desenvolvimento de comportamento e atitudes ambientais e a promoção da saúde e da qualidade de vida; as propostas de Educação Ambiental mais encontradas foram as realizadas em conjunto com esportes e para a melhoria e manutenção da qualidade dos ambientes empregados pelos núcleos; os aspectos metodológicos que tiveram maior presença foram o contato com a natureza, a presença de desafios, o caráter teóricoprático, o uso de ambientes nos núcleos e nas escolas, além da utilização do futebol, do atletismo, do futsal e do trekking nas atividades educacionais; os instrumentos avaliativos mais empregados foram as observações e os debates; e os professores responsáveis, em sua maioria, da área da Educação Física, integrantes das equipes que atuam nos núcleos do Programa Segundo Tempo e sem qualificação específica em Educação Ambiental. De maneira complementar, as principais características das intervenções pedagógicas de Educação Ambiental realizadas no Programa Segundo Tempo foram discutidas em torno das iniciativas de sucesso e estratificadas por modalidades esportivas. / The number of initiatives focused on promoting social inclusion through sports and educational activities are increasing, as well as proposals aimed to maintaining and improving the quality of the environment. In Brazil the Programa Segundo Tempo is an initiative focused in educational sports with greater expressiveness, due to the scope and organizational aspects. The Programa Segundo Tempo, which has served as a reference for other initiatives focused in educational sports, has aspects that can be better understood, improved and developed, such as the pedagogical interventions of Environmental Education. This study aims to identify and describe the pedagogical interventions of Environmental Education carried out in the Programa Segundo Tempo. Therefore, a descriptive research of mixed method was performed. In the first stage 17 teachers with expertise in the areas of Environmental Education and projects of educational sports were interviewed. In the second stage 165 staffs of the Programa Segundo Tempo answered an electronic questionnaire. In 113 sites of Programa Segundo Tempo that are held pedagogical interventions of Environmental Education the main characteristics of these educational activities were investigated, as follows: The most found themes were health, quality of life, the preservation and conservation of environment; the most frequent objectives were the development of environmental behavior and attitudes and the promotion of health and the quality of life; the most frequent approaches of Environmental Education where the proposals carried out with sports and to improve and maintain the quality of the environments used by the Programa Segundo Tempo Sites; the methodological aspects that have greater presence were the contact with the nature, challenges, theoretical and practical approaches, using environments of the Programa Segundo Tempo sites and of the schools, besides the use of football, athletics, futsal and trekking in educational activities; the most used evaluation tools were the observations and discussions; and teachers, mostly from the area of Physical Education, members of the staff working in sites of Programa Segundo tempo and without specific qualification in Environmental Education. In a complementary way, the main characteristics of pedagogical interventions of Environmental Education held in the Programa Segundo Tempo were discussed around the successful initiatives and stratified by sports.