Course Description
The course focuses on direct experiences in Icelandic nature and the natural sciences, with an emphasis on volcanology and glaciology; fire and ice. The course is suitable for those who intend to organize study and field trips in Icelandic nature, e.g. those who work in schools or aim to work in schools, leisure work or tourism.
The course settings will be used to examine the educational concepts outdoor education, nature interpretation, life education and vocational studies, and the tourism studies concepts mountain tourism, climate tourism, science tourism and social tourism. Coordinated social responses to natural disasters and security issues will also be addressed.
The setting of the course will be the volcanic sites in Reykjanes and Breiðamerkursandur in the Vatnajökull National Park, which provides an opportunity to contextualize the sustainable coexistence between man and nature, with special emphasis on volcanic eruptions, glaciers, climate change, extreme weather, natural disasters and natural hazards.
At the core of the course is a four-day journey. We will travel by bus, stay in hostels and take hikes in the nature of Iceland. Participants will be partly responsible for contributing to shared meals. They also need to be prepared for outdoor activities. There is emphasis on reflective practice based on perceptions and experience as well as that participants can enjoy traveling in nature at a slow pace. A preparatory meeting will be held in June , between 4 and 6 PM.
The main themes of the course are related to nature, education and tourism, and how to approach these aspects with responsibility and safety. The topics of the course will be examined in view of the following concepts: dynamics, diversity, interactivity and, last but not least, processes – and how experience and reflection intertwine with these themes.
Teaching and learning
An interdisciplinary team of experts and teachers will be involved in the course and we intend to invite professionals from the areas visited to join the course, with special emphasis on purposeful presentations, conversations, perception and reflection. Learning takes place from morning to evening, exploring the unclear borders between teaching and learning, and between learning from the environment, other people and the journey itself.
The assessment emphasizes that students are able to reflect on their experiences and place them into context with theoretical topics introduced in the course and their previous experiences. Students will also work on projects where they connect the topics, and their own experience and knowledge to real life practices. This can e.g. take place within schools and leisure activities, social affairs, tourism or research.
The course is a development project connecting parties from e.g. the School of Education, University of Iceland, the Research Center Hornafjörður and Austur-Skaftafellssýsla Secondary School.
Face-to-face learning
Prerequisites
Attendance required in class
Extra material fee collected