Annual Conference 2009 – Glenmore Lodge, 18th – 20th November 2009

AHOEC was formed in 1963, at a time when many Local Education Authorities were starting their own Centres along the lines of the successful Outward Bound Schools. Today these Centres are still thriving but the Association has moved on. Membership includes managers of centres in the Charitable and Voluntary sector as well as local authority centres, some are urban-based, and some specialise in providing for people with special needs. Membership of the Association is open to Heads, and their Deputies, of Outdoor Centres in the UK and Ireland which provide educational programmes, usually linked to the school curriculum and/or the Government’s five “Every Child Matters” outcomes.
AHOEC is affiliated to the National Association of Head Teachers, and has representatives on the Governing Bodies of the main adventure sports and the key organisations concerned with outdoor education. Membership of AHOEC is widely regarded as a hallmark of ethical and quality management and the Association is about to launch its “Gold Standard” badge under the Learning Outside the Classroom Council’s Quality Badge scheme for learning providers.
The annual national conference this year has the theme “Is Adventure Essential to Humanity’s Survival? – the role of Outdoor Education in shaping values and knowledge for a sustainable future.”
The Association’s members play a key role in teaching young people about the natural environment and the impact we have upon it. The conference will explore what AHOEC members can do to ensure that young people have the understanding and ability to overcome the growing threats to the natural world, such as global warming.
Among the speakers at the conference are the veteran philosopher and teacher of Outdoor Education, Colin Mortlock, and Professor Peter Higgins who holds the chair in Outdoor and Environmental Education at Edinburgh University, the only one in the field in the UK and Europe. Dr Kate Rawles and Dr Chris Loynes of the University of Cumbria’s School of Outdoor Studies will be speaking on their initiative to get young people reconnected with the natural world, and Professor David Ball, Professor of Risk Management at Middlesex University, will be talking about developing a Risk/Benefit model of safety management in Outdoor Education. Eddie Broadley, an Adviser for Learning & Teaching Scotland will talk on the opportunities created by recent initiatives in Scotland to make learning outdoors an essential component of the new curriculum. There will also be workshop sessions with contributions from some of the most experienced practitioners in Outdoor Education in the UK.

The AHOEC Conference 2009 is sponsored by Montane.

posted by glenmore @ 10:53 am