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Reflective Essay: OADH01An in-depth exploration of personal learning during an intensive professional development skills program.

Dryad Oak 02/12/18 Outdoor Adventure Education

Word Count: 2086

Dryad Oak Student Number: 20084494

The intensive professional skills development program chosen for this essay concerns sea

kayaking and is in fact a combination of three British Canoeing courses. These are, the 3 Star

Sea (mostly based on demonstrating personal competence when paddling), Coastal

Navigation and Tidal Planning (referred to as CNTP and provides the theoretical

understanding to carrying out coastal journeys) and the Sea Kayak Leader Training (which

helps develop the “personal skill level and leadership ability required to lead a group of

paddlers, on short, single or multi-day journeys in a moderate tidal water environment with

winds not exceeding Beaufort Force 4” (British Canoeing, 2018). Further details on these

courses can be found in Appendix B.

I have learnt a tremendous amount of new skills as well as refined and developed many ex-

isting ones over these five days. This examination of my personal learning will not provide a

generic overview of my experience, rather three images have been selected for photo- eli-

citation to offer specific examples in relation to my key strengths and areas for develop-

ment. Photo-elicitation “aims to trigger responses and memories and unveil attitudes,

views, beliefs, and meanings” (Meo, 2010, p. 150). An exploration of these can contribute

to the formation and interpretation of an experience. In addition, this essay is accompanied

by an Edublog that has been used to ongoingly document my experience and aid with the

reflective process. This will be referred to throughout and is available at http://sites.mar-

jon.ac.uk/dooadh01/blog-posts/.

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http://sites.marjon.ac.uk/dooadh01/blog-posts/

http://sites.marjon.ac.uk/dooadh01/blog-posts/


Kelly (2002) suggests learning “is a very individual, complex, and, to some degree, an indes-

cribable process” (p. 1); before exploring my personal learning, it is necessary to at least at-

tempt to define the term ‘learning’ which is sometimes deemed as something that “is un-

problematic and can be taken for granted” (Smith, 2018). On the contrary, many definitions

of learning exist, some depict learning as outcome while others a process, some internal and

others external (Barron et al., 2015; Houwer et al., 2013; Rossum & Hamer, 2010, pp. 2-8).

The multiple definitions and theories of learning offer some insight but have their limitations

(Qvortrup et al., 2016, p. 8); they are like glasses, they provided different lens to perceive

the abstract concept of learning.

According to Smith (1982) “the term learning defies precise definition because it is put to

multiple uses. Learning is used to refer to (1) the acquisition and mastery of what is already

known about something, (2) the extension and clarification of meaning of one’s experience,

or (3) an organised, intentional process of testing ideas relevant to problems. In other

words, it is used to describe a product, a process, or a function” (p. 34). Thus, for the pur-

pose of this essay, these multiple definitions will define learning because they provide a

more comprehensive conceptualisation of the term.

Upon reflecting on ones learning it is important to be aware of its different aspects. Bloom

(1956) suggested four different domains of learning, these can help facilitate a more de-

tailed reflection. These domains are cognitive (intellectual), affective (emotional), psycho-

motor (physical) and socialisation (interactive), these areas overlap and thus I will often dis-

cuss more than one at any given time (cited in Yellin, 2017, p. 63). A significant factor arises

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when considering learning; the extent to which individuals are conscious of learning; “much

of our cognitive processing takes place without us being consciously aware of it: that the

reasons and motivations we claim are behind our actions are rarely as transparent as that”

(Derek, 2015, p. 1602). This suggests, personal reflection alone is likely to produce preju-

dices, biases and assumptions I am unaware of.

In an attempt to mitigate such issues, I have opted to use Brookfield’s (1995) four lenses of

critical reflection where possible. He stated, “the only way we can become aware of as-

sumption, particularly ones we’ve missed or never been aware of, is to view what we do

through the equivalent of the side mirrors in the clothing booth” (Brookfield, 2017, p. 61).

By this he means from all perspectives, these consist of the four categories the student eye

(this perception of the participant/client), personal experience (autobiographical reflection),

colleagues/peers eye and theoretical literature. Because for the most part in the program I

am the student, that eye will be the teachers/coaches instead. In addition, I have considered

and utilised aspects from a range of other reflective models to address my personal learn-

ing. For example, Kolb’s Learning Theory (1974), Gibb’s Reflective Cycle (1988), Rolfe’s

Framework for Reflective Practice (2001) and Johns’ Model for Structured Reflection (2000)

to name a few.

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Photo 1: Personal Paddling Competency

(Plate 1: Rolling in a rock garden when refining close proximity manoeuvring, 2018).

My personal paddling skills and self-efficacy were perhaps my most prominent strengths.

Throughout the courses I sought and created challenges, whether it be timing the sets to

pass through a long narrow break in the rock or picking a line with greater consequences

when rock hopping. I often use Senninger’s (2000) learning zone model to depict my active

involvement in the pursuit of learning. British Canoeing also use this model to provide a

visual representation of where individuals learn most productively (Ferrero, 2007).

Senninger (2000) proposes, “there are three primary states or zones in which people exist.

The first is called is called the comfort zone, a place where everything is calm and there is no

disequilibrium. The second zone is the stretch zone, a place where interest is piqued, our

senses are enlivened, and there is some disequilibrium. The third zone is the panic zone, a

place where stress is so high that information cannot be integrated and high adrenaline

makes it impossible to settle into a learning environment” (cited in Prouty et al., 2007, p. 38-

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39). Simply, the theory suggests, most effective learning occurs when an individual goes

from a state of equilibrium (the comfort zone) to disequilibrium (the stretch zone) followed

by reflection. Although these zones are very subjective, I find it brings due consideration to

need to be challenge in the development of one’s learning. As a result, I have learnt to em-

brace the feeling of being uncomfortable and use it to motivate and improve my skill devel-

opment.

In my 3-star, both coach and peer feedback highlighted personal paddling skills and an

eagerness to learn as my main strength. This was also reflected by the syllabus as I met or

surpassed all areas in Part A: Personal Paddling Skills (British Canoeing, 2015, p. 2). As a res-

ult, I was often set additional or different challenges from the rest of the group. The picture

above is from one of those challenges, it shows me setting for roll after a capsize when be-

ing given the task of increasing getting closer as circled around a rock just using my edge.

While this certainly help develop my ability to perform and make judgements in more ag-

gressive conditions, at first, I felt it detracted from socially connecting with the group and

the opportunity to learn from interaction with them.

My prevailing learning stage coupled with an awareness of this issues helped to overcome it

on the second day of the 3-star course. As mention in my second blog post, Fitts & Posner’s

(1967) proposed three stages of motor learning: cognitive, associative and autonomous (an

image extracted from British Canoeing’s coaching handbook depicting these can be found in

the blog post titled “Out to Sea: day 2 of Sea Kayaking 3-Star Award”). The levels of cognitive

activity/attention decrease as an individual moves up these stages. Predominately when

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practicing paddling skills, I was between and associative and autonomous stage. From a cog-

nitive learning perspective this allowed me to take on board a more information while en-

gaged with a task.

This easy of acquisition of knowledge helped me to identify subtleties that could refine my

skills. For example, changing rather than maintaining an edge to more efficiently turn when

using sweep and reverse sweep strokes. Furthermore, it allowed me to develop self-check

points which I gave to other participants, so they could “assess their own success and fail-

ure” (McMorris and Hale, 2006, p. 57). By helping my peers and reiterating information they

had missed, it not only help them to develop but it created atmosphere of camaraderie

among the group. This had a profound effect on our interactions and willingness to chal-

lenge one another in the scenarios presented to us.

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Photo 2: theory for Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning.

(Plate 2: writing down rules, guidance and considerations for planning sea kayak journey,

2018).

The CNTP course is aimed at “paddlers carrying out coastal journeys including islands up to

2 nautical miles offshore in areas of tidal movement up to up to 2 knots and winds of up to

force 4” (British Canoeing, 2018). We covered areas such as weather (high- & low-pressure

systems, synoptic charts), sea conditions (fetch, amplifying wind, swell, fog, shipping fore-

cast and more), understanding tides (sources of information, how tides are generated and a

range of ‘rule’ that give an idea of height/depth, max flow rate and gates, tidal assistance),

maps, charts and tidal stream atlases. We then used all of these to plan a series of trips in-

cluding a crossing.

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This day was perhaps the most challenging cognitively and emotionally. Mastering the ap-

plication of these concepts represents one of my main areas for development. I found it par-

ticularly difficult sitting for so long trying to take onboard a wealth of information. Research

by Ariga & Lleras (2010) suggest taking two short breaks over 50 minutes can significantly

improve retention and focus. Certainly, in my own study I incorporate more breaks than the

course offered. This may have reduced my ability to effectively process all the information

covered, but clearly financial and time constraints impede such opportunity. In an attempt

to mitigate any adverse effects this may have, I handwrote rather than typed my notes; a

growing body of research suggest handwriting notes improve recall (Estíbaliz et al., 2016;

Mangen et al., 2015).

Due to being overwhelmed by mostly intellectual information, I think a multi-sensory ap-

proach and consideration to VARK (Visual, Audial, Reading/writing & Kinaesthetic) learning

styles may assist furthering the development of my learning and recall. VARK theory pro-

poses, individuals use all their senses to learn but “most people possess a dominant or pre-

ferred learning style” (Mackay, 2010, p. 204). While I generally prefer kinaesthetic/visual

learning, using all styles better enables me to understand and relate content. This is suppor-

ted by research around multisensory learning which indicate that information is stored dif-

ferently in the brain depending on the sense in question, so by increasing the senses used in

learning, memory retrieval improves (Quak et al., 2015; Calderwood, 2018).

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Although VARK learning styles have been critiqued for not being consistent attributes and a

lack of “evidence that accommodating learning styles improves learning” (Lethaby, 2017), I

have found they are dynamic changing depending on the situation, and that even if tailoring

experience to preferred styles does not improve learning it certainly makes it more enjoy-

able and improves motivation. While this theory cannot be considered completely credibil-

ity, a vast amount of literature supports it (Steve, 2015, p. 17) and if nothing else, it brings

greater consideration to the nature of learning.

While I feel I was able to grasp the content covered, I need to further contextualise it

through experience. For example, experiencing tidal assist and relating to the rule of 3rds or

actually observing the weather fronts and being to determine if it aligns with prediction.

Emotionally I no longer feel completely overwhelmed, rather with notes and resources (e.g.

Ferrero’s 2007 book on Navigation, and the power point I requested from the day) available

to, effective coastal navigation and tidal planning seems attainable and understandable.

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Photo 3: Rescues and Scenarios

(Plate 3: contact tows with and without a swimmer, 2018).

Across the courses, we covered a range of contact tows and tows with a line for scenarios

from an unconscious paddler to a swimmer in a rock garden. These are areas that were

highlighted as being crucial by the coach and thus should be refine until they are slick before

assessment. As many of these were new to me or rarely used, it represents a technical area

of practice I must develop. Dealing with the swimmer in the right image provided far more

learning opportunities than that of the contact tow in the left image; not only did the

heightened consequences make it more challenging but it was presented with a guided dis-

covery approach.

We were set the task of rescuing the swimmer, discussed some ideas and were given the

freedom to then experience it from the perspective of the rescuer and swimmer. This was

far more beneficial and meaningful to my learning than simply being given a few ‘correct’

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ways of do it; it allowed me to assess the pros and cons and then of course conclude on the

suitability of an approach for the situation. Furthermore, it made me more aware of the

physical demand placed on the swimmer. For example, in the photo above, it was difficult

holding on to the kayaks for a prolonged time and stressed the shoulder joint. We did this in

other tasks such as guiding a peer to shore through the waves with their eyes shut to simu-

late a nervous paddler. This has made me more considerate towards what I ask of a parti-

cipant and is something I wish I incorporated more into my practice as a coach; ‘guided dis-

covery’ is endorsed by British Canoeing because it strengthens critical thinking and can

provide a number of solutions for a problem (Ferrero, 2012, p. 42).

Although these rescue skills are vital and the physical implementation of them needs to be

developed towards an autonomous learning stage, avoiding situations that require rescues

is the approach a leader should take. This refers to the A (avoidance) of CLAP acronym dis-

cussed in the blog post titled “Sea Kayak Leader Training: Day 1”. One aspect of sea kayaking

that attracted me was being able to take people of any ability out in the wilderness, this of

course increase the potential of issues working with complete novices. I learnt and created a

series of different warm up games that can be used before setting off on the bulk of the

journey or before pasting a head land where condition will change. These tasks provide in-

sight into whether participants can physical and mentally deal with challenges they will face.

For example, getting the group to do a figure of eight course around two stationary parti-

cipants then swopping over; this provides an understanding of their boat control, edging

and turning ability as well as their capability of holding their ground.

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To conclude, these courses have profoundly increased my self-efficacy; my personal learning

throughout has left me feeling empowered and excited moving forwards with a solid basis

of skills and knowledge. With a new-found love for the coastal environment and work pro-

spects in the summer of 2019, working towards my assessment is high among my priorities.

I have been able to refine and develop my personal paddling skills while developing my

coaching tools and connecting with other participants. Although the intellectual learning re-

garding the array of concepts we covered has been immensely challenging, I now have suffi-

cient knowledge and resources to retain and further my understanding of them provided

they are utilised and practiced; I have created an upcoming opportunity on a trip I am lead-

ing for a part of my creative practice module. The physical skills covered also require prac-

tice, this will be achieved through sea journeys with peers and coaching others the skill in

question. An overall fantastic experience of which I could barely scratch the surface through

this essay and accompanying blog.

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navigation-and-tidal-planning-cntp [accessed 01 December 2018].

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S To effectively plan at least 20 trips and lead partake in 10 of them.M A record can be kept of plans and reflection on the trips led, supported by literature

resources available to me will determine if they were effective and if not lead to de-velopment.

A With all these targets, the main barrier is time constraints with university work and my caring role. Fortunately, I have access to a range of sea kayaks and equipment over the winter. Furthermore, I have friends interested in learning, so this teaching opportunity will help further ingrain theory.

R To ensure this is realist with such time constraints I have incorporated a trip into my creative practice module and will seek to find a placement in the second semester that includes sea kayaking

T By March 2019Appendix A: SMART Targets

S To develop my recuse skills to the point the physical process is efficient and autonom-ous. In particularly my use of a tow line.

M This can be measured through observation and reflection from myself and others. Ad-ditional measures could be used such as decreasing the time it takes to deal with a type of scenario.

A Time constraints are again the main issue. A colleague can get me discounted equip-ment, so I will also buy my own tow line first (can set it up with the daisy chain re-lease next to me rather than the other end of the line as they often come) can also swop out the clip for on old snap gate.

R A work placement involving sea kayaking as well as peers keen to get out will help make this realistic.

T By March 2019

S To effectively roll on both side in rough conditions.M This will be measured by achieving an average of 8/10 success rate. Video analysis

can also be used refine technique. A As well as access to sea kayaks, there are independent study sessions in the pool at

Marjon where I can practice and even start developing a back-deck roll before mov-ing out into more aggressive conditions.

R I have also incorporated a pool session into my dissertation program that will offer the opportunity to practice

T By March 2019

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Appendix B: British Canoeing Course Syllabuses/Notes

British Canoeing (2015) 3 Star Sea Kayak Syllabus. [Online] Available from: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/3-star-sea-kayak-sit-on-top [accessed 01 December 2018].

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British Canoeing (2017) Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning Trainer Notes. [Online]

Available from: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/course-providers-information/coastal-

navigation-and-tidal-planning-cntp [accessed 01 December 2018].

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British Canoeing (2016) Sea Kayak Leader Syllabus. [Online] Available from: https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/sea-kayak-leader#downloads [accessed 11 November 2018].

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https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/sea-kayak-leader#downloads

https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/courses/sea-kayak-leader#downloads


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