Articles

Dr Marie Claire Murphy, Prof. Emer Ring, Dr Lisha O’Sullivan & Dr Kathleen Horgan Dr Marie Claire Murphy is a primary school teacher in Presentation Junior School, Mullingar. Her PhD research, conducted in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, was concerned with the Forest School approach in the Irish primary school curriculum. Professor Emer Ring is Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Emer worked as a senior inspector with the Department of Education and Skills, a primary mainstream class teacher and a learning/support resource teacher, prior to joining MIC as Head of Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies in 2011. Dr Lisha O’ Sullivan BA Early Childhood Studies (UCC), Dip. Women’s Studies (UCC) MA Non-Directive Play Therapy (U...

Elaine was born in County Meath in 1983! A wife since 2009! A mum since 2015! Elaine was always one of those outdoor kids! Elaine fell in love with the west of Ireland after spending 2 summers in a North Mayo Gaeltacht! All these things led her to choosing to study Outdoor Education in GMIT Castlebar. She enjoyed her time in Castlebar and learned so much about herself and about outdoor education. She also met her husband on the course...My JourneyIn 2005 I started work in Petersburg Outdoor Education and Training Centre (OETC ) and I’ve been there ever since! I enjoy the variety of work the centre gives. I have had lots of opportunity to design and lead new programmes.However, in the past 15 years I have had two diagnoses that were hard to deal with. I was diagnosed with a malignant melan...

Kevin O'Callaghan is the coordinator of the New MSc in Outdoor Education, Sustainability and Well-being on the ATU's Mayo Campus. Kevin has over 30 years' experience in the outdoors ranging from education out of doors with young people and geoscientist to adventure sports curriculum design and provision. Kevin's main passion is journeying in landscapes preferably for more than a weekend.IntroductionThis article provides a brief overview of the research articles published in the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (JAOEL) in 2021. Within the journal there was a comprehensive cross-section of research that concentrated on different facets of outdoor and adventure education, ranging from education outdoors for the early years to the more traditional adventure education. The r...

Jo currently works at Willow Den, a fully Outdoor nursery in Edinburgh with 3 -5 year olds. She is working towards an Early Years qualification at a local college, runs Duke of Edinburgh expeditions with young people and is an Associate with Thrive Outdoors. Jo is passionate about sharing the benefits of outdoor play and learning, along with increasing opportunities for connection to nature for young people, through incorporating more outdoor learning in the school day. She is interested in the holistic benefits the outdoors can bring to people’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being.As a Forest Kindergarten trainer, Bushcraft Instructor, Lowland Leader and NNAS Tutor she is eager to equip others with skills to embrace outdoor learning, and in turn help more young people engage with,...

Introduction In this article I will be presenting research I conducted during my fourth-year dissertation in the BA (Hons) in Outdoor Education course at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Mayo in 2022. I will present my research through ‘The Bare Necessities Model’ which is a model I developed from my findings. I wanted to discover how outdoor adventure sports providers can offer positive and effective inclusive practices so that activities and programmes can become spaces for learning, development and growth (Priest and Gass, 2017) for those with disabilities who would otherwise face barriers to accessing adventure recreation.My research endeavoured to identify opportunities to overcome constraints in facilitating inclusive participation in adventure sports. When referring...