Learning from Outdoor Activities: Getting the Balance Right

Ever since Peter Honey published The Manual of Learning Styles (with Alan Mumford) in 1982 he has been intrigued with the possibility of learning from any experience. Experiences come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are sought, some just happen, some are welcome, some are decidedly unwelcome, some are stimulating, some are boring. As someone who is intrigued with the process of learning from experience, and who views “life” as just one experience after another, Peter Honey finds it easy to believe that everything that happens has learning potential. Imagine his delight, therefore, when in 1984 he was approached by Roger Lobley and John Bishop of ICI's Petrochemicals and Plastics Division and invited to work with them, and senior staff from the Outward Bound School at Eskdale, Cumbria, on the design of a programme that used outdoor activities as a vehicle to help in the development of learning skills and a structured approach to interpersonal skills.