Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits

Do you want to help your middle and high school students become more resilient and patient, acquire new skills, and sharpen their problem-solving abilities while feeling competent and good about themselves? If you do, then TeachingLifetime Outdoor Pursuits is the ideal tool for you.

Editors Jeff Steffen and Jim Stiehl are nationally known physical educators with extensive experience in outdoor education teaching and teacher training. They brought together some of the nation’s foremost experts in specific outdoor pursuits—such as bouldering, caving, rock climbing, and orienteering—to craft a book designed for physical educators who either have outdoor programs or who want to use outdoor activities in their traditional PE programs.

The 12 topics included in Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits represent the outdoor pursuits that show the greatest growth in traditional PE programs. With each pursuit, students can challenge themselves and spend time outside of the customary classroom context while sharing an adventure with their teachers that can create a profoundly different student–teacher relationship.

Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits is a comprehensive resource whose ideas and content can be incorporated into a traditional PE program regardless of geographic location. The activities for each pursuit align with NASPE content standards. For each pursuit, you are given detailed information on equipment needed, basic skills and techniques required, teaching strategies, safety considerations, and additional resources.

In addition, Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits offers

• clear instruction on what to teach, how to teach it, and how to assess student learning;

• an attached CD-ROM that supplies objectives, sample lessons, sample assessments, and universal programming ideas for each outdoor pursuit presented in the book; and

• information to help you advocate for adding outdoor activities to your program.

This authoritative resource will help you “leave no child inside” as you teach pursuits that not only get kids outside now but also help them develop a lifetime habit of outdoor enjoyment.

Jeff Steffen, PhD, is a professor in exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse (UWL). He has worked in outdoor physical education for more than 20 years, and over that time he has developed and supervised numerous outdoor programs while having the opportunity to influence both practicing and prospective teachers. He has many publications in outdoor physical education and has presented at conferences and workshops on outdoor topics.

Steffen is director of the UWL adventure program and the graduate physical education program, is past chair of the AAHPERD Outdoor Education Council, and has received the AAHPERD Julian Smith Lifetime Achievement Award. In his leisure time, he enjoys hunting and fishing, backcountry travel, and rock climbing and mountaineering.

Jim Stiehl, PhD, is a professor in the school of sport and exercise science at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley. Like Steffen, Stiehl has more than 20 years of outdoor physical education experience as well as experience in developing and supervising outdoor programs. He has authored other outdoor titles and presented at workshops and conferences on a variety of outdoor topics.

Stiehl is director of the UNC challenge course and has served as coordinator of the UNC outdoor program. He is past chair of the AAHPERD Outdoor Education Council and has received the AAHPERD Julian Smith Lifetime Achievement Award. He enjoys hiking and backpacking, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, and rock climbing and mountaineering.