Category: Unit 2

According to my wife, I enjoy “fiddling with gadgets.” Which is true, and I appreciate technology, but I do not enjoy reading anything on a computer screen with the sole exception being anything related to my fantasy hockey team. I despise reading articles and books on a computer, iPad, or kindle, but given my location, my cheapness reluctance to buy a printer, and the nature of research I have little choice. I envision research being like the scene in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, where Gandalf, with a drink in his hand and a pipe in his mouth is pouring through papers revealing the stories of yesteryears.

I tend to be stubborn and stuck in my ways. I have significant experience with JSTOR, Academic Search Premier, E-Journals from Ebsco, ATLA Religion Database, Philosopher’s Index, and Sage Journals Online. As an undergrad my personal favourite was JSTOR, I have fond memories downloading abstracts, articles, and printing them on other people’s printers without a worry in the world, ignorant to the cost of ink cartridges. Those were the days.

As I embark on this new journey of research, I will rely on scholarly articles, e-books, and any relevant conference I can attend. To effectively locate relevant material I will rely on the databases I am most familiar with but will also use Google Scholar and OneSearch.

To ensure the credibility of my sources, I will rely on the following questions:

–          Who wrote it?

–          Is it current?

–          Why did the author write it?

–          How was the article or book published? Is it peer reviewed?

–          What are the presuppositions of the author?

Once you have determined if a source is credible, one must also determine if it is reliable and adds value to your research. To do so, one must examine the book or article itself. Does it provide accurate information? Does the conclusion follow from the premises? Does the evidence support the conclusion? These are just some of the questions one must ask as they determine the reliability of a source.  Arguments can take different forms, arguments by example, arguments by analogy, arguments by authority, arguments about cause, and then there are deductive and inductive arguments. Depending on the argument the researcher must understand what questions to ask to determine if the book or article is valid and relevant to the current discussion.

Unit 2 Learning Activities

 

Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action

Author:

Herbert W. Broda, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus of education at Ashland University in Ohio where he teaches courses with a focus on middle school education, instructional methods, and outdoor education at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

Is the source up to date?

Yes, it was published in 2011.

What are the intentions of the author? Who is the intended audience?

Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in action builds on his first book, Schoolyard-Enhanced learning, published in 2006. Broda wrote Moving the Classroom Outdoors to provide teachers and school administrators practical ideas how they can enhance the learning experience of their students by using the whole school, both inside and outdoors. Broda provides helpful ideas, tips, and guides for schools in an urban, suburban, or rural setting. The book discusses the use of technology and how to integrate technology into outdoor education to enhance student experience and learning.

Publication type/Process – Who published the article? Was the article peer reviewed?

It was published by Stenhouse Publishers located in Portland, Maine.  Stenhouse provides professional development resources for educators to inspire independent, critical, and creative thinking in their students.

Are there any obvious biases and/or special interests that the author acknowledges?

The contents of the book were developed through Broda’s experience as an elementary school teacher, his work at Ashland University, and countless conversations with teachers, administrators, students, and through a partner with schools across North America to develop an outdoor education program to inspire students and connect them with nature.

 

References

Broda, H. W. (2011). Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=36d677b2-4b7c-4c12-924c-c43e37e2ae3d%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=e000xna&AN=375985

The Impact of Wilderness Therapy: Utilizing an Integrated Care Approach

Authors:

Anita Tucker, PhD, LICSW is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of New Hampshire. She is also the Chair of Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group of Association for Experiential Education (AEE).

Christine Lynn Norton, PhD, LCSW is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Texas State University. She is also a member of the AEE Therapeutic Adventure Professional Group’s Leadership Council, and a Research Scientist with the Outdoor Behavioural Healthcare Center.

Steven M. DeMille, PhD, LCMHC, is the Research Director and therapist at RedCliff Ascent, and Outdoor Behavioural Healthcare program.

Jessalyn Hobson is a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire in the dual masters program in Social Work and Kinesiology: Outdoor Education.

Is the source up to date?

Yes, it was first published in 2015.

What are the intentions of the author? Who is the intended audience?

The article is for mental health professionals and others that are concerned with the physical and mental development and well being of adolescence. The authors examine the changes in body composition of youth taking part in wilderness therapy along with mental health outcomes.

Publication type/Process – Who published the article? Was the article peer reviewed?

The article was published through the Journal of Experiential Education, which is peer-reviewed scholarly journal covering a broad range of topics such as “outdoor adventure programming, service learning, environmental education, therapeutic applications, research and theory, the creative arts, and much more.” (http://www.aee.org/jee)

Are there any obvious biases and/or special interests that the author acknowledges?

The authors of the study acknowledged potential biases or conflict of interest as Steven DeMille is employed by RedCliff Ascent, where the date was collected. However, DeMille was not involved in the collection or analyzes of data.

 

References

Tucker, A., Norton, C. L., DeMille, S. M., & Hobson, J.. (2015) The Impact of Wilderness Therapy: Utilizing an Integrated Care Approach. Journal of Experiential Education, 39 (1), 15 – 30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825915607536