OCR Text |
Show 10 HONORING EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION The L'inuh Basin Standard April 13. 1999 Qt&CHlNG VALUES AND TEAMWORK Challenge Course: an adventurous tool for experiential learning USU learning can apply to anyone parents, teachers, kids, bankers, hospital staff. The course offers many types of activities with both 'high and low incentives. The close to the ground (low) activities focus on facilitating problem solving, teamwork and communication, explains Christensen. The high events are more personal and indiand vidualized more for going beyond what you think is possible - especially for people who have fears. For example: a low to the ground trust building exercise has a person climb up five or six rungs on a ladder and fall back into the arms of their peers or 'If you have a group that's not getting along very well it breaks down all kinds of barriers, said Christensen, 'and enables people to talk about it It brings groups a lot closer together. Some examples of high events are walking across a bridge made of By Mary Wertz Communication, trust, teamwork and problem solving are all skills necessary to foster positive growth in families and in the workplace. The Ultimate Challenge Course at the Utah State University Uintah Basin branch campus in Roosevelt helps facilitate learning experiences that foster this kind of personal and team growth. The structure in the field between the USU campus and Union High features a high wooden climbing wall complete with rocks for footrests. Ropes, perches and ladders complete the structure on which a number of challenging activities can be performed. "The idea behind experiential learning is that if you can make people feel things than they remember it more - that's a good way to teach kids, said Dr. Roger Christensen, Challenge Course director. Christensen oversaw the course as it was being built at the school four years ago.'Experiential self-estee- ADVENTURE AND LEARNING-Group- s who come to the USU Ultimate Challenge Course in Roosevelt are taught teamwork and values through some very unique exercises. m rs. cables 35 feet in the ait or jumping from a 35 foot high perch 8 feet to catch a trapeze. lt takes a real inner drive or reach to do things you don't think you can do. said Christensen, later when a person feels sad. or low and depressed, they can pull back on that experience and remember doing that and how great it felt It gives them a boost they need. The climbing wan helps people to realize their strengths and weaknesses, both physical and emotional. "When a person is hanging on that waH vertically, they have some serious thoughts. Those types of and activities really build people can pull on that strength later thats what experiential learning is. He stresses that safety is of the utmost importance at all times. Safety equipment such as harnesses and belays are used and 18 staff members are certified in the safe use of the technology. 'Each one of the staff members has a real quality about them that they can offer the clients, Christensen commented. We do a lot of facilitation about whats out there in real fife and how youcan apply self-estee- Mxntgossto IM This year UBTA will be awarding seven (7) renewable UBTA scholarships to selected graduating high school students. Students applying for a UBTA dependent of a scholarship must be a son, daughter or current UBTA member in good standing. The applicant cannot be a recipient of other scholarships or grants totaling S 1 3 00.00 or more in any year of funding from the UBTA scholarship. court-appoint-ed that' addition to the challenge course, there is a 120 foot high rock in In Vernal dubbed 'nowhere that participants climb. Also seven mile river trips on the Green River below flaming Gorge are done in connection with the course. Everybody has a paddle and works together to handle to raft Christensen has a doctorate in Family and Human Development and has 28 years of educational experi-encHe has presented Experiential Learning on national and state levels and is a consultant for other ropes courses being built "We have the support of the USU campus (in Logan), they send groups down from Logan, and are planning on designing a course to teach experiential learning after ours, said Christensen. "We're really proud of it and glad to be a part of it The Ultimate Challenge Course is an actual three semester hour course taught for credits at USU Christensen especially recommends ft for teachers e. earning groups. To reserve the Ultimate Challenge course or find out more information, phone the USU Uintah Basin branch campus in Roosevelt e Also available, will be two UBET Wireless and subsidiary companies' scholarships. The UBET scholarships are nonrenewable and are for Si,5 00, for either local or post high schools, colleges, universities, trade or technical schools. area-wid- out-of-ar- ea In addition to the high school scholarships, UBTA again would 4 be awarding two SI, 500 Charles Crazier renewable scholarships. These schools scholarships are restricted to students enrolling at local post-hig- h institutions and are open only too students who have not attended any post-hig- h institutions for at least one year, but are interested in continuing their education. non-tradilio- nal ! Sank Mom Bench HootnetL CM 646-50- 07 COMMUN CATIONS 1 credits. Fees vary depending on the types of experiences groups are seeking, and Christensen says they are versatile in programming activities for 39S East 200 North - Roosevelt |