Soft skills transfer

For this blog I will be looking into the learning transfer between outdoor adventure (OA) and everyday activities, along with the challenge by choice method, and discussing my views on them, along with any findings on each domain.

Gass (1985) talks about three types of learning transfers that take place in OA;

                Specific - is the transfer of a skill that is related closely to a situation. For example in the outdoors learning to tie a re-threaded figure of eight, is specifically used in climbing and not easily transferable to another activity or day to day life.

                Non specific - is the transfer of a skill in a different situation. For example a clove hitch knot can be used in climbing and also in sailing and other situations that require that specific knot.

                Metaphoric - this is a transfer of a skill acquired in OA, and then related to other situation you might find yourself in, in everyday life. For example good communication skills acquired through problem solving, and then using those communication skills in your day to day job.

My thought on this is that the Metaphoric transfer is the main type of transfer that facilitators of OA will focus on, by linking OA situations to the day to day lives of the client, thus engaging them in the activity, and giving them a better understanding of the skill they are learning. 

Whereas the specific transfer in the OA is great for the learner to gain that skill, they then cannot take that skill and apply it to day to day life, in my mind it is better to acquire a life skill that can then be used for the benefit of the client.

However, is contextual transfer really possible? For arguments sake when climbing you have a reliable person at the end of a rope when belaying you, does this then make you more reliable in everyday life? I believe that contextual transfer is possible though only on areas where the transfer is able to be applied. To transfer these skills into every day life, there needs to be a bridge where the skills are fully utilised, and in reality able to help in every day situations. the group of people in the picture below are using effective communication, though there needs to be a guidance in my view from a facilitator to then help these individuals channel this skill into situations outside of adventurousness activities.  

 Another soft skill transfer that I am interested in is the Challenge by Choice method of learning - this particular method is used by the facilitator, allows the client to take control of the session and make them feel empowered. It is a much more effective way of getting individuals to engage in the activity, as you are not forcing them to take part or do a particular thing. This skill also links in nicely to a previous blog I did about experiential learning.

This snowboarder who is upside down in the above picture is challenging himself by choice, and has gained experiential learning in the process when coming off the drop. By doing this he is now aware of the situation he is in and knows how to not end up in the same situation again.

Both of the transfers of learning discussed in this blog I feel are essential to the learning of outdoor skills, otherwise the client is being subjected through an area of OA might not understand how a particular skill learned will help them in everyday life. The empowering feeling that they (the client) have learned through their own experience and choice of challenge, gives then the feeling of achievement and success.

For further interest and reading:

Priest, S. (1997). Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming. P174-187.

Goldenberg, M. (2001). Outdoor and Risk Educational Practices.