Adapting On The Fly
Hosting a virtual outdoor-education experience that engages participants
By Sandra Shawver
Photos: Courtesy Of Sandra Shawver
Many day camps and resident camps had to quickly adjust or unexpectedly cancel their sessions last summer due to COVID-19, but the faculty at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, made a different decision. Actually, there wasn’t much choice; the week that classes were to begin, the campus closed for the remainder of the year. Teaching an undergraduate outdoor-education class for students who want to work in the education, community sport, recreation, and leisure industries brings with it opportunities to impact student perceptions, either negatively or positively. The faculty knew that how this situation was handled would have a profound effect on how students viewed the possibilities in their future professional careers. Since many of these students go on to work in Boys & Girls Clubs, parks and recreation, YMCAs, or other community organizations serving different demographics, here was an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of adaptability and ingenuity.
From In-Person To Remote Teaching
In teaching this course, I look forward to helping students realize they can do something they have neither heard about nor tried before. It is also rewarding to watch peer relationships grow, many for the first time. Over 75 percent of students in the course have had no experience in adventure or outdoor activities, which makes the class one of my favorites.
Normally, the eight-week class covers angling, bicycling, camping, canoeing, hiking, navigation, and target shooting. Students know, upon signing up, there will be a two-night camping trip within two hours of the campus, and they will be responsible for planning and preparing meals. For this specific class, only 6 percent of the students had ever canoed, 13 percent had done some form of angling or target shooting, and 31 percent had camped before. When students left for Spring Break, the class was still active, but within days the decision was made to close campus for the remainder of the semester and move all courses to 100-percent online. Not only did the instruction and presentation of the skills need to be successfully adjusted, but also coming up with appropriate equipment for students to use was quite challenging. Thankfully, with a lifetime of personal experience in being active in all the activities and with years of teaching in my arsenal, I moved forward with high expectations of success.
Using Flipgrid As A Learning Aid
Flipgrid is a free, video-response platform that can be used on multiple platforms (i.e., IOS, Android, and the web), allowing students to transfer theory into practice and share reactions to a content prompt, or information and skills gained through personal performance. Flipgrid offers a variety of opportunities for learning concepts within the class, along with collaborating, sharing of ideas, and interacting and communicating with peers. Videos are created by students that demonstrate physical skills and class activities and can then be reviewed by peers and the instructor. Students do not have to be in class to develop or review videos. The instructor can review physical skills more closely without students needing to repeat a skill multiple times. I have used FlipGrid in other activity-based classes to help increase students’ understanding and performance of skills and in-class practice time. It is a great experiential teaching and learning tool that links to a number of learning-management systems (LMS), such as Blackboard, Moodle, and D2L (Bartlett, 2018). The software also ensures Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance by transcribing the videos to meet learners’ needs (Bartlett, 2018). Having had success in previous activity classes using Flipgrid, I used it as the primary learning tool for students, and in essence incorporating additional 21st-century technology skills to help move students forward.
Meeting Electronically
The class met via Zoom on set days for the introduction and presentation of an activity and accompanying information. The instructor demonstrated skills, explained the nuances with each activity, and answered any questions. Each meeting was recorded and included as a link on the class portal. Some meetings required students to gather materials or equipment to be used for the stated activity or lesson. The instructor also incorporated YouTube videos as additional resources to aid in understanding the material presented. With each class session came an assignment requiring students to use Flipgrid to show their level of understanding and ability to connect information from the lecture to actually demonstrating or participating in each area. Students were to complete five-minute Flipgrids on select skills and teaching points for each unit specific to the different activities and lessons. Students were charged with building or using appropriate equipment for angling (pole with line and terminal tackle), target shooting (sling shot, ammunition, and traditional target), canoeing, camping, and navigation.
Lesson And Activity Presentations
Within the context of the course and the limitations of 100-percent online learning, the primary lessons and assignments for this specific course included the following:
Angling. The instructor identified the different types and parts of fishing-rod reels (closed- and open-spin cast), the different parts of terminal tackle, and the sequence of it on the line. She demonstrated how to safely cast the line, set a hook, reel the line in, hold, take off, and release a fish. Students had to complete a Flipgrid video, correctly identifying closed and open fishing reels as well as the parts of the rod, and then explain and demonstrate how to attach and remove a reel, an overhead and side cast, and set the hook, reel in the line, and release a fish into the water.
Canoeing. Presenting the initial lesson on land and water, the instructor identified the parts of a canoe, how to measure a correctly fitted paddle and personal flotation device, and demonstrated the suitcase carry, the correct way to enter and exit a canoe, and the tandem three-point kneeling position. At the following meeting, students built their own land canoe, or similar vessel with two seats, a bow and stern, starboard, and port. After reviewing the previous day’s lesson, students learned to perform a standing draw, stern sweep, and basic J-stroke, and the forward reverse paddle turn. For an assignment, students were to complete a Flipgrid video of their vessel, identifying each part presented and the parts of the homemade paddle, and then explain and demonstrate to the class select skills in a bathtub or other appropriate water vessel.
Camping. Students built a shelter that would (in theory) keep them out of the elements and build a frame for a campfire. Since many did not have access to actual tents or tarps due to restrictions during the pandemic, shelters included blanket forts over two or three chairs, a tarp style A-frame tent tied between two posts, a box with duct tape covering the top to keep out rain, and a lean-to made from scrap tin and branches. Students used twigs, small limbs, pencils, wooden rulers, or dowel rods to build a fire frame. The students’ ingenuity was great and inspired good conversations as to what can be used to accomplish a task if one doesn’t have access to traditional materials.
Target shooting. Sling shots and 10-ring targets were made for the target-shooting unit. On Flipgrid, students had to identify the materials and process used to build their slingshot, including how they secured the rubber strap and what they used for a pad to hold the pebbles or pellets for shooting. Since the majority of the students (75 percent) had never seen a slingshot that was not purchased from a retail store, nor had ever used a slingshot, they were most perplexed about what to use for the elastic to put a pebble or ammunition in that could be pulled back and released successfully. They made a second Flipgrid of themselves using the slingshot and target together, in order to teach aiming, approximating distances for shooting, and scoring. On the video, they had to explain loading, aiming and releasing the rubber band of the slingshot, and scoring “hits” on the target.
Skills testing. Normally, students are given a pre/post -test on the different skills for each unit. Because that was not possible, no pre-tests were completed. Student Flipgrid videos served as the post-test evaluation for select skills within each unit. It was not as comprehensive as normally done in class, but it gave the instructor quality feedback on what the student learned, both cognitively and physically.
The Flexibility Of Flipgrid
Teaching a traditional activity course 100-percent virtually was challenging and stretched my skill sets to keep students engaged. There were virtual meeting challenges due to connectivity and the place where the lesson was to be taught. On the other hand, it was a real treat for students to have the university president stop by to say “hi” and encourage them early in the course when I met with them on campus. Most of the meetings were recorded at our outdoor-education facility on campus or in another outdoor location. The recordings were added to the class portal, as were any instructor YouTube videos for specific skills she felt needed additional information. Flipgrid was used not only for the students to demonstrate their skills and learning activities, but also for communication with each other and the instructor when questions would arise during an activity. This allowed for more peer interaction and input than would normally be present in a Zoom meeting. Students came away with a better knowledge base and an understanding of all the activities presented. They learned how to improvise when normal equipment was not available and still be able to participate in an activity, like angling or shooting sling shots. Using Flipgrid, students became less nervous and intimidated when speaking in front of their classmates. Students could also practice multiple takes before posting the performance to be sure what was presented was their best effort.
For use in day camps or resident camps, Flipgrid can be an outlet to introduce and share activities for campers who are unable to attend due to health or unanticipated circumstances. Virtual campers can interact with their friends and counselors, participate from home in select activities (songs, chants, games), and be involved with any aspect of camp the organization sees as beneficial. Counselors can post activities from the day to share, encouraging the virtual camper to video and submit to be a part of the group. Using Flipgrid at camp provides participants—both in-person and virtual—the necessary information for planned activities, whether as a group or individually.
Providing activities and lessons on Flipgrid allows campers an opportunity to teach younger siblings to participate in age-appropriate activities, such as making a camp site out of chairs, blankets, and some rope, or building a canoe using a cardboard box, poster board, chairs, and a dust mop for a paddle. Campers are still able to learn and practice the basics on an acceptable level before venturing out for a full tactile experience in the natural environment. Even in a traditional camp setting, Flipgrid can be a good addition so parents/guardians can see their child’s activities as a way to promote or improve their return on investment.
Sandra Shawver, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Reach her at (940) 397- 4941, or sandra.shawver@msutexas.edu.
Reference
Bartlett, M. (2018). “Using flipgrid to increase students’ connectedness in an online class.” Elearn, 2018(12).