 |
 |
| MELISSA VERSEY / Scroll |
|
| Core Adventures participants John Sin, a freshman from Macau, China; Francis Abraham, a sophomore from Waldorf, Md.; and Ben Houston, a junior from West Jordan, Utah, practice problem solving and teamwork. |
|
Students gathered and each person was paired up and put into handcuffs using string. Their fingers and wrists twisted and turned at every angle imaginable, trying to break free of their partner.
The challenge? Teamwork.
Games such as this and others like Helium Hoola, Magic Carpet and Giant Jump rope are taught by Core Adventures.
As part of the Outdoor Activities program, Core Adventures is designed to help students learn core values such as group work, team work, unity, trust, leadership, goal setting, participation and communication.
These values are built by playing games and doing various other activities. Get-to-know-you games, ice-breakers and team-building activities are all part of the Core Adventure teaching method.
Student directors of this program go to various groups and teach them skills to help them work together better. This program can help groups while at the same time helping individuals.
“The process that we use is through playing games, helping them set goals, and helping them try and become better,” said Janessa Higginbotham, a senior and student director from Alpharetta, Ga.
“The games that we play are to teach them how to work together as a group to achieve a common goal, and then apply what they learn to life. We have a question model that we use after to help them apply what they have learned,” she said.
Student leaders of Core Adventures agree that one of the most powerful tools used to teach is that of experiential education.
“When you learn through doing, you have an experience and then you have time to reflect on what you’re learning,” said Erin Grover, a senior and student director from Auburn, Wyo.
Those participating in group activities are taught not only to be better learners, but better teachers as well.
“It is such a great teaching tool. It gets everyone involved, they get to know each other, and they gain their own skills to be better teachers; we’re all about helping and teaching,” Grover said.
At a recent demonstration, students in an information systems class learned critical problem solving skills by playing games which required them to figure out how to work through a situation that needed careful thinking.
Some of the things that they learned were problem identification, who to get help from when solving a problem, how to research a problem, idea generation, executing a decision and decision follow up.
Core Adventures is available to teach and train Home Evening groups, classes and organizations on and off campus.
Those interested in learning how to teach these workshops are invited to training meetings each Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Hart 251A. For more information contact Scott Hurst.
