Climbing Lessons - Inside Outdoor Education. Review by John Maxted, for EONZ.

Review by John Maxted, Senior Teaching Fellow, Outdoor Education, School of Physical Education, University of Otago.

From the National Executive News Issue 2 (February 1999) of Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ).

I love outdoor epic stories. I also appreciate the insights one can glean from the old-and-wise ones whilst they recount their years of experience outdoors. Climbing Lessons provides such a stream of epic and insight, documenting the author's considerable experience leading adventure activities in formal outdoor education institutions and whilst challenging himself on the crags and hills of Britain. The author presents an introspective, autobiographical account of his outdoor life interspersed with a somewhat unique and challenging philosophy.

Climbing Lessons is a well-constructed and honest reflection on what it means to commit oneself fully to the traditional outdoor education scene. Twenty-six chapters, complete with excellent title sketches, document McDonald's outdoor journey from the Merseyside streets of youth to pseudo-retirement in New Zealand. Those of us who have experienced working in residential outdoor centres will relate to many of McDonald's stories. Climbing Lessons acknowledges the delicate balance between one's personal and professional ambitions, the day-to-day dedication, skill and enthusiasm, and the impact on personal relationships whilst teaching outdoor education. There, too, is the ongoing frustration and resistance to seemingly ill-informed institutional change that shows the outdoor centre lifestyle as not always rosy.

McDonald openly shares his 'outdoor' philosophy, an outlook that is seriously grounded in his inherently risky recreational experiences. He holds no place for adventure in education that is devoid of real physical risk, is sceptical of contrived outdoor experiences in non-natural settings, and holds little regard for the classic debrief, group processing, or attempted transfer of learning from any adventure experience.

I applaud McDonald's openness and his willingness to be critical throughout. He subtly highlights our (New Zealand's) preoccupation with outdoor risk management models and theories, and denigrates outdoor journals and research reports that quantify and jargonise outdoor education. McDonald challenges us to rethink our willingness to blend unsubstantiated theory with practice and, in perhaps his greatest chapter, 'Off Route', he is openly sceptical of many of the recent developments in the wider 'adventure' education field. His passion for criticising outdoor programmes with lofty aims and learning outcomes is boundless, and (for some) these challenges to current outdoor education practice in Aotearoa may be a little threatening.

Climbing Lessons is only one man's story. Whilst I differ philosophically with McDonald on many issues, there are some excellent stories and insights presents. However, as McDonald himself acknowledges, 'Climbing Lessons carries no intellectual baggage' and should therefore be regarded as a good read rather than as a text for outdoor education.

Thank you to John Maxted for permission to reproduce his review. You can find information about Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ) at:
www.eonz.org