Item: FROM KNOWLEDGE CONVEYANCE TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE: AN AVALANCHE EDUCATION THEORY OF PRACTICE
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Title: FROM KNOWLEDGE CONVEYANCE TO BEHAVIOR CHANGE: AN AVALANCHE EDUCATION THEORY OF PRACTICE
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon
Authors:
- Liz Y. Riggs Meder [ American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, Telluride CO, USA ]
- Emma R. Walker [ American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, Telluride CO, USA ]
Date: 2023-10-08
Abstract: Avalanche education in the US grew out of a need to increase understanding of the nature of the hazard posed by avalanches. Education and training initially targeted professionals who work in avalanche terrain and expert skiers seeking challenge and adventure beyond the bounds of a ski area. As recreational backcountry travel has evolved into a more mainstream activity that includes many modes of travel besides sliding downhill, the target audience of US avalanche education has grown significantly and both diversified in its baseline outdoor experience, as well as in its depth of interest and desire to engage with avalanche terrain. An avalanche educator's instructional skills and ability to establish an inclusive learning environment - in addition to their subject matter knowledge - determine the difference between empowering students to continue safely learning from their experiences and blindly repeating the course's tours regardless of conditions. Recognizing the impact instructors have on the quality and efficacy of a course, AIARE's recreational curriculum and the methods it uses to train AIARE instructors have moved away from basic knowledge conveyance and toward adopting principles of learner-centered education. The goal is to engender behavior change and the adoption of risk management practices in a wider variety of audiences. Our pedagogical approach is to teach scalable processes based on widely accepted best practices using an action orientation. Here, we present some context and the design problem, as well as an explanation of AIARE's scalable teaching process.
Object ID: ISSW2023_P3.17.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Liz Y. Riggs Meder
Keywords: avalanche education, risk management education, risk reduction, educational best practices, pedagogy
Page Number(s): 1340 - 1346
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