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ABSTRACT
Facilitating groups in outdoor education can sometimes be very challenging, and self-doubt and the fear of facilitating inadequately add to difficulties that facilitators must sometimes manage. In this paper, I will explore some of the ways by which facilitators contribute to the difficulties they experience and, furthermore, to explore some solutions. Negative self-talk can sabotage our best intentions as facilitators, by reducing the levels of free attention that are needed to facilitate well. I draw on the findings of a naturalistic inquiry conducted with 7 facilitator educators and 104 graduates of facilitator education programmes. Data collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and qualitative surveys were analysed using the constant comparison method. . Based on my research findings, I contend that outdoor education programmes do not need perfect facilitators. Rather, facilitators who can be authentic, self-aware and fully present for their groups will improve outdoor education programs.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Glyn J. Thomas
Glyn Thomas is a senior lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, and coordinates two programmes: one for pre-service physical education teachers and one for future outdoor education leaders. His teaching and research interests focus on the facilitation of experiential education, facilitator education and outdoor/environmental fieldwork pedagogies.