Solo: Facilitating structured or emergent learning outcomes for young adults
Dr Andy Williams
Abstract
Spending time alone in the natural environment is not something that many young (or for that matter, older) adults do / have done. This is not too surprising given the urbanised mode of living that has come to dominate UK society in the last two hundred years and the latter day paranoia around ‘stranger danger’ that has paralysed young peoples opportunities to go off and explore the places and localities that surround them (Gill, 2007; Palmer, 2006).What is a little more surprising perhaps, is that very few of these same young adults, who have chosen to study outdoor education as a university programme and who intend, in the near future, to enter the outdoor profession as a career, have likewise never spent time alone in the natural environment. The purpose of this study is to report on the learning experiences of second year undergraduate students who have undertaken a series of three and two day solo camping experiences as part of a BA degree in outdoor education. In contrast to the dominant discourse on solo experiences in which student learning is heavily influenced by the facilitators approach, in particular related to the setting and reviewing of learning outcomes, the solo experiences reported upon here were facilitated via a ‘let the mountains speak for themselves’ approach with no specific learning outcomes identified and no pre-post solo brief/debrief undertaken. Findings suggest that not only do less facilitated approaches compare favourably with more structured facilitation approaches but that they also allow for emergent, individual and unexpected learning to take place that is not recognised or valued within more structured approaches.
Introduction
Research into impact of solo camping suggests it has the potential to be an incredibly positive and powerful learning experience that can help transform a person’s view of themselves (including their spiritual awareness), their relationships with others, and their connection to the natural world, (Bobilya et al, 2005; Daniel, 2005; Potter and O’Connell, 2005; Maxted, 2005, 129). Hammond (2005) highlights the long tradition of the solo as a source of religious inspiration in many of the world’s leading religions over thousands of years. ‘Moses went to the mountain, Jesus Christ often went into the wilderness, Buddha went on his quest, and Mohammed is said to have done the same’ (p.54). Likewise, Bevington (2005, 77) notes ‘many great heroes, philosophers, artists, theologians and scientists sought time alone’ identifying Descartes, Earhart, Newton, Locke, Pascal, Nietzsche, Tubman, Kierkgaard, Dickinsen amongst others. More recently Kurt Hahn, Colin Mortlock, Richard Gibbons and John Kelk have all espoused the virtues of solo time as an opportunity for personal reflection that connects with the whole range of human interests including the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual (Maxted, 125-6 in Carson etc p54). Smith (2005) echoes Mortlock (1984) in drawing parallels between the outward and physical nature of a solo journey and the inward and affective journey of personal reflection by connecting ‘the wilderness beyond to the wilderness within’(4). However, not all solo experiences necessarily involve a physical journey or for that matter require lengthy periods of time alone. In their seminal collection of papers Exploring the Power of Solo, Silence and Solitude Knapp and Smith (2005) define the term solo in broad terms.
We consider the solo experience to include multi-day wilderness quests involving consideration and fasting (like those many Plains Indians completed as part of their coming of age rituals), or an experience as short and simple as a 20 minute retreat to a quiet spot to meditate, reflect, or journal to relieve stress, enhance awareness of self and nature, or reflect on life experiences. The solo can be completed with or without a teacher or facilitator and can include walking a labyrinth, hiking in the wilderness, sitting alone in a park, or finding inner peace in a crowd by going inside your mind.
Knapp and Smith, 2005, vi
Many would argue with the breadth of the definition provided by Knapp and Smith in particular perhaps with the notion of fasting to enhance the experience as well as sitting alone in a park or finding inner peace in a crowd. Indeed whilst there is no reference within their collection of papers to either of the last two situations I do not dismiss such situations as non-solos. For example, in Australia Martin (2002, 242) elaborates on the concept of “solo mind-space, the capacity to find time with minimal distractions from external sources” as a state of mind experienced by individuals taking part in an extended group journey. Similarly Wilson’s (1984) concept of Biophilia suggests that a closer connection to nature can be nurtured from an indirect or passive experience of nature in the same way as a more activity based approach. Researching Wilson’s hypothesis Pretty et al (2005) identify three levels of interaction with nature that make a positive contribution to individual well being and social engagement.
The first is viewing nature, as through a window or in a painting…. the second is being in the presence of nearby nature, which may be incidental to some other activity, such as walking or cycling to work reading on a garden seat or talking to friends in a park….The third is active participation and involvement with nature, such as gardening or farming, trekking or camping.
Pretty, 2005, 21
Such research supports a broader appreciation of the potential of the solo experience that is deserving of future enquiry in a range of previously unexplored settings including the home, school and the workplace.
What is particularly important about the definition provided by Knapp and Smith for this paper is the attention they draw to the involvement of a teacher or facilitator who structures the experience for the participant and guides them through it to achieve a positive outcome. Their position reflects the dominant North American discourse around facilitating solo experiences as a ‘structured framework’ in which the learning outcomes are heavily influenced by the input and ability of the facilitator who organises the experience (Smith, 2005, 4). Smith suggests ‘programme leaders should provide an underlying rationale (philosophy) for the experience, guide them (the soloists) in setting personal goals, and teach them appropriate activities for their time in solo’ (p.5). From a similar pedagogical standpoint Knapp (2005, 21) is even more didactic in suggesting six specific factors ‘that can contribute to successfully facilitating the solo’ that facilitators need to direct. These are identified as:
(a) committing to the central role of briefing and debriefing in experience-based learning; (b) deliberately planning for opportunities to brief and debrief; (c) realising that a high level of facilitation skill is needed; (d) establishing clear intentions and objectives for the activity…. (e) identifying types of knowledge that the solo experience imparts; and (f) establishing a relationship with the vision quester (soloist) based upon trust, acceptance, risk taking, and mutual respect
(my italics, Knapp, 1992, 35-36)
Not everyone would agree with the structured approach espoused by Knapp and Smith. For this study the concerns raised are twofold. Firstly, it raises significant power relation issues that undermine the individuality and uniqueness of each person’s experience and learning. Drawing upon research with a group of students entering higher education in the USA Bobilya et al (2005) are clear in identifying the impact that the facilitator has upon the learning experiences of participants. They identify three stages at which the facilitator can influence the soloists experience as the pre-solo briefing, a visit during the solo and the solo debriefing. What is of particular concern in regard to the debriefing of participants at the end of their experience is the concerns they (the soloists) raised as they sought to respond to the facilitator, “because they wondered what they ‘should have experienced’ and if they would have the ‘right’ answers” (p112). Whilst Bobilya et al (2005, 112) rightly identify the need for facilitators to be given training on how to “frame, conduct and debrief the solo experience” in order to avoid undermining the soloists learning I would suggest what is more important in the training of facilitators is the more fundamental question of whose learning experience is it and should the facilitator seek to influence both the objectives and outcomes of the solo in the first place? Higgins (1997) sheds light on the importance of participants having ‘ownership’ of their own learning and the influential role of the teacher / facilitator in facilitating participants learning. However, Williams (2003, 73)goes further in proposing a continuum of teaching / facilitation roles that range from letting the experience speak for itself (James, 1980), to sharing the experience and directing the experience. What is important here is that each role has the potential to impact upon student learning in similar, as well as contrasting ways, and that outdoor facilitators are aware of the impact they can and do have upon participants’ learning.
A second concern with the structured approach is that it leaves no room for emergent, unexpected or individual learning to take place. Greenaway (2008, 359) compares this to a highly organised industrial process in which, “the educator is now busy programming the experience, delivering the experience, frontloading the experience, framing the experience, funnelling the experience and processing the experience.” In other words, and quite ironically, he identifies within the predominantly (but not exclusively) North American approach a move, to take ‘experiential learning theory back into the didactic paradigm’ from which progressive educators such as John Dewey, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Carl Rogers, Paulo Friere and Howard Gardner have striven to break free (Greenaway, 2008, 359). In contrast to the limitations of a rigorously structured approach to outdoor learning, in earlier research into Outdoor Development Training, Greenaway (1995, 172) found that facilitators and students do not always agree on the nature of their learning or what is important to take forward. He concluded that it is possible to identify two distinct models of learning that were in operation on such courses.
One for structured learning experiences in which the trainer is involved and another (or several others) for more powerful (student centred) and less controlled learning experiences in which they are not involved.
(Greenaway, 1995, 172, emphasis as original)
In research with young people Williams (2006, 35) echoes the findings of Greenaway in advocating “a more open-ended, less prescriptive and more learner–centered process of outdoor education that also recognises the potential for different and unplanned learning to occur”. However, he goes further in locating the decision to acknowledge emergent and serendipitous learning within the broader context of the facilitator and student as ‘co-learners’ in which both parties have the potential to learn from each other.
We need, in particular, to be more honest and open with the young people we work with in recognising that not only does outdoor education value their unplanned learning but that we, the outdoor educators, are still learning ourselves and that we can and do learn from them.
(Williams, 2006, 35)
Whilst this paper is not in any way trying to argue for outdoor educators to stop the practice of reviewing outdoor experiences I am suggesting that there are some experiences and some occasions that do not require a facilitators intervention to draw out the real significance of the experience or to add value to it. Greenaway (2008) eloquently maps out the paradox around facilitator-led reviewing.
Some experiences produce more identifiable learning than others, but the fact that some experiences are best left untouched is not an
argument for leaving all experiences alone; likewise, the fact that reviewing of experiences can bring out valuable learning is not an argument for reviewing all experiences. There is no rule that states “You shall have only one model to guide your practice.”
Greenaway, 2008, 350
Given the powerful and life-changing potential of solo experiences identified in the discourse this research sought to investigate whether such outcomes as heightened environmental, spiritual and relationship awareness, could be achieved without the intervention of a facilitator and whether any other emergent learning would take place?
Organisational and safety facilitation
In order to facilitate a more open ended, student-owned, less facilitated solo experience I eschewed much of the structured approach advocated by Knapp and Smith. Limited facilitation on my part was focused on the organisational and physical / emotional safety of the students including careful matching of selected individuals to locations (closer or more distant) depending upon amongst other things their previous camping experience, evident pre-solo anxiety, navigation and campcraft skills, awareness of coping strategies and anxiety protocols if a participant needed to exit the solo early. Students were not allowed to take with them any personal telephones, watches, cameras, radios or music players which would have acted as an external distraction from the experience of solitude. The removal of these items was both a direct attempt to enhance the physical and mental sense of solitude students would experience, as well as a symbolic gesture to distance them from many of the personal technologies and cultural products deemed by many in western, materialistic societies to be essential to modern day living (Sharp, 2004).
The solo was organised as a static camping experience in a sparely populated, upland area of mid Wales with students allocated an individual solo camping territory that radiated outwards, like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, from a central hub (mountain bothy) in which facilitation staff were located. All students were given a safety brief that included a visual sighting of the bothy, an awareness of where their fellow soloists were located, the use of a red flag outside their tent / camp if they wanted one of the facilitation team to visit them, and an agreement that should they feel overwhelmed at any point during the solo they should make their way as quickly as possible to the nearest source of human contact (irrespective of whether this was a fellow soloist or the facilitation team). The agreed understanding being that an individual’s emotional and mental safety was more important than intruding on another’s solo experience.
Two of the year groups undertook a three day / two night solo whilst the other group undertook a two day / one night experience. Students were informed that they could end the solo whenever they wished and it was not necessary for them to stick it out in order to avoid losing face with the facilitation team or their peers as they were not being assessed and neither was their learning to be formally reviewed. Each soloist was allocated a specific area in which they were to make camp and encouraged, if they wished, to explore the immediate area. Territories ranged from approximately 1 square kilometre for those closest to the bothy, and up to ten square kilometres for the more distant locations. Due to the hilly terrain none of the camp locations were visible to each other. All students had the appropriate skills, knowledge and equipment to be able to camp and explore their area. On all three occasions the weather was good.
Students were required to walk into their solo individually and to locate their camp / tent within the allocated area eg. south west corner of lake, according to their interpretation of the terrain. The facilitation team arranged to visit each soloist on the second morning as part of a safety check to ensure they had reached their allocated territory as well as it being a chance to check on the general demeanour and disposition of each soloist. Facilitators were specifically briefed to stay with each soloist for the minimum amount of time they felt was necessary and to avoid commenting upon what soloist should be doing or thinking. No other face to face contact was arranged though students were further observed from afar, with their knowledge and approval, in order to monitor their use of the red flag.
Methodology
A conscious decision was taken not to ‘frontload’ the experience with a set of prescribed learning outcomes or activities to be undertaken, or for specific types of knowledge to be identified ,or for their learning to be dependent upon a facilitator led review of the experience. For this reason the use of fasting as a strategy to enhance spiritual learning was dismissed (though I did not preclude the potential of it being a spiritual experience for some I just did not wish to suggest to the soloists that this should happen).This was partly to do with Maxted’s (2005) belief that soloists need to be adequately fed (as well as warm, dry and emotionally stable) for them to be able to reflect on their lives during the solo. Similarly, it is a reflection on the increasingly secular nature of British society (especially for many, but not all, young adults) in which God and spirituality appears to have little relevance.
Likewise, other than essential organisational and safety strategies no tutor-led preparatory facilitation took place. Students were not briefed on what they should do or think, nor were their experiences reviewed by the tutor individually or as a group when they left the solo. This is not to say that students were discouraged from discussing their experiences with each other on their return to the mountain bothy. On the contrary this was a consistent and logical part of the research approach that sought to minimise the influence and impact of the facilitator upon the students learning and to recognise that in this experience (if not elsewhere) they had greater ownership of their learning and should evaluate the meaning of their experience for themselves and with each other, but not with or through a staff facilitator.
Students were given a notebook and pencil as a way of recording their experiences if they wished to make use of it in any way, though it was not compulsory. The primary use of the notebook was to act as a personal record of their experience to take away with them when they finished the solo. This also served as a rich data source from which insight was gained into individual solo experiences. Only students who wanted to be part of the research study were asked to submit their notebooks for photocopying and future analysis and they were returned to students within four days.
Post solo data gathering continued via email, with students being contacted on two occasions asking them to reflect on their experience and to consider whether it had impacted in any way upon their lives when they were back in their normal university environment. This data gathering occurred two weeks and six months after the solo was completed.
Within this framework three learning objectives were identified for the soloists. They should:
- Have the opportunity to be alone with and in nature
- Have the time and space to relax for themselves
- Have the opportunity to reflect (if they wanted to, on anything they wanted to).
The Soloists
Data was collected over a three year period from a group of male and female students studying in the second year of an undergraduate degree in outdoor education. All participants were offered the choice of taking part in the solo camp experience as an optional part of their personal and professional development. All the students who took part in the solo were offered the chance to be part of the research though it was not a necessary pre-condition for them to take part. Only two (from a total of forty-five) students had ever camped alone previously. Virtually all (forty two) of the students professed themselves to be concerned about the state of the environment and interested in deepening their understanding of flora and fauna. Three students openly espoused a spiritual / religious dimension in their life and outdoor studies.
Findings
Similar to Maxted (2005) students spent their time developed personal strategies for passing the time. These included sleeping, relaxing, resting: being bored and wondering about what they should be experiencing: being anxious / concerned and wondering about how they were going to cope and whether they could stay in situ for another hour/day/night; and reflecting upon the opportunity that being alone for an extended period of time gave them to consider different aspects of their lives. It is these personal reflections that are reported here within the context of the three dominant outcomes identified in solo discourse – awareness of self (including spiritual awareness); social relationships and environmental awareness – as well as emergent and unplanned reflections outside of these three interests.
Awareness of self
Reflections upon the self fall into two main areas. Some students identified strongly with the ‘freedom from responsibility’ that came with the solo experience:
Five weeks more and I’ll be home. Back to routine, chores, responsibilities. Going to so miss this freedom and independence.
FM9J
Since I got here I have been trying not to worry about deadlines but the only thing that keeps popping into my mind is if I was not here I could be back at uni trying to get on with some of the work. But when I got up this morning and looked out of my tent down the valley I decided that it is lovely here and maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the work waited.
FB7JI’m starting to realise that I don’t actually mind being by myself. Being out here alone is allowing me to forget about what’s going on in Uni. or how my family and friends are. This is then allowing me to have ‘me time’ which is quite hard to do in everyday life.
FJ7J
Others alluded to the need to take more control of their lives rather than waiting for good things to happen to them
If I want success I’ll have to go and get it on my own. I’m going to stop waiting for tings to come to me and start working for what I want. I need to chase the life I want. The mountains won’t come to me.
FG8JI think I need to determine what I value and what I hold important to methen try and work towards the more in life in order to decrease and eventually wean myself off the distractions.
FA7JI feel I need to grow up a little…be more realistic about things.
FD9E2Since the expedition the things that I wrote down definitely cemented themselves into my thinking and I now act differently.
MU9E6Since returning from the solo I have noticed a definite change in my attitude towards my work. I feel that I am far more focused and motivated. I have found that instead of ‘running away’ or ignoring tings that I find difficult, I have faced them head on.
FG9E2I think the solo experience was part of a larger pattern of change in my perception; moving from fast to slow, far to close, multiple to single focus, shallow to deep. I’ve started changing the direction of my life to settle down in one place, but this is a long journey in itself
MI8E6The solo was a great chance for me to think about the future. Whilst lying in the sun I found myself thinking about the person I am now and the person Iwant to be in the future.
FG9E2I learnt a lot about myself personally and what drives me to learn.
MU7E6
Spiritual awareness
Only three students referred directly to the experience as a spiritual / religious experience. All three students openly acknowledged their religious / spiritual disposition in their lives. No other students made any reference to the solo as a spiritually enlightening experience.
I walked to the highest point in the area yesterday…I found this journey extremely good as a medative experience. I am free to pray and sing aloud without anyone hearing or judging. I can read my bible on the shingle beach or in the sun or in the privacy of my tent.
MG8JSo it’s a big risk for God to put his trust and love in people who, even though love him, still do things for themselves often knowing that it’ll hurt Him. But that is why I must always strive to please God, because He inspires me to do so and he deserves it….
God’s given me far more potential than I’m ever aware of yet…I don’t want to be a half finished painting when I die. I want to be ready to be shown to God.
MB9J
One soloist described his feelings of the spiritual connection he felt as dawn broke.
It was 4ish and my sleep was over….that morning sitting perched on a steep rock, the lake beneath me, the mountains all around me, the sun hidden from me, the clouds parting ahead, the sky mirroring something inside me, I cried. Joy and sadness were chasing each other around my face, hiding behind teary eyes and around the curves of a smile. I do not know who won but I cried and laughed and cried again, until ….i was alone again and did not wish to cry and had no reason fro laughter and the mountains were just mountains and the sun had come down, out from its hiding and filled my reality with light, not necessarily a good light that everything is clear and all the shadows disappear, together with all the life and mystery that shadows are, For you see there’s nothing holy about day and night, light and dark. It’s just a fact of life and as the shadows left the land, they left me too and there was no more play of laugh and cry, it was all clear.
MI8J
Social relationships
Solo reflections on social relationships focused on a recognition of the importance of personal friendships with friends and family.
I miss my mate…she called me re my engagement and talked a while. She’s so happy and I’m so proud of her. She’s a fab mate and I love her to bits.
FD9JMy mother has been living alone for 7 years since I got married and moved out. I always thought I knew how difficult it is for her to stay alone though within a city environment. Post the solo, for some reason, I just feel a deeper sense of empathy towards her and a sense of guilt at the same time that all these years I should have visited her more often than I did. I know that on my return I am going to make more efforts in meeting her as often as I possibly can.
FM9E2I realized that I have been moving too fast, not taking time to deeply observe and absorb. I also realized that I wasn't as happy being alone and silent as I used to be… I felt like I had to move, explore – but since I was fasting it was difficult – I had to stay because I didn't have much energy. I used to be a very anti social individual, I preferred being alone, on this solo I realized that that had changed, I was missing human company and I was glad to come out of the solo and talk…
MI8E6The time by myself made me realise that I like to be involved in social situations and I’ve learnt that this is an important part of my life.
FG7E6I have started to value the time spent with other people more and I’ve enjoyed spending time in my normal environment (home).
MU8E2
Environmental awareness
Many examples of soloists reflecting upon the environment around them were evident and ranged from more sensory observation of nature to detailed drawings of fauna and flora.
Very strange when the birds stop tweeting and there’s no wind. Very still and very quiet.
MD9JAs I was walking by myself I noticed things that I might not if I was with another person. Such as a small lizard and some tiny flowers.
MJ8JI have come to be addicted to my camera over the last 3 years or so, and carry it everywhere I go especially in the outdoors. I feel
for some reason that if I have the facilities why not make use of it to document my travels/ sightings. When I view them later there are so many things(mentally) in every picture that even years down the line the emotions come flooding back when viewing them. They act like anchors for me to trigger the state of mind I had while capturing the scenes. I had however made a conscious decision to leave it behind on those 2 days to see how I deal with it. Funny enough when I reached there with the knowledge that I did not have a camera I paid more attention to details in topography/ botanical features etc which I otherwise would have missed through the viewfinder window(eyepiece) of the camera......
Frankly I have more vivid mental images of the sights and sounds there without the crutch of the camera!
FM9E2What was new to me with this experience was a new environmental awareness. I was walking around ‘my’ lake trying to get to know it better, knowing its shape, its colour, its grasses and plants on its banks…This new attention to my surrounding culminated when I was sitting on my sleeping mat, legs high up on a mound of peat, closing my eyes, soaking up the sun, when suddenly the overall background noise started breaking up into a natural orchestra. I could hear the wind blowing through the high grass and making waves in the little lake, to my far right and back was a big bumblebee making circles in the air, from its flapping wings I could discern this black and white bird (I do not know its name but I could see its picture in my head) flying above the lake, the sheep were grazing on both slopes to my east and west, lambs and ewes were exchanging calls….This experience was very new to me and I loved it. It made me feel even more a part of the landscape, it made me realize that this kind of intimate knowledge (which was only just beginning) is truly necessary in order to be part of a place and know it.
MI8E6
Emergent themes
One theme to emerge from the research that is not widely acknowledged in the literature was the recognition by some soloists of their over reliance on time as a means to order their personal lives.
Still really want to know the time.
FH8JI’m still desperate for my watch.
FU7JMissing my watch badly. Just want to know what time it is so I known what I should be doing. Do I really mean that? Need to think this through.
MA8JI have also realised how much I dislike like being run by a clock. Thinking at night ‘I have to be up in 7 hours, I should be asleep’, being more aware of that kind of thing is annoying. I hate that if you are shattered and want to lay in bed and then you realise that its 12 noon or early afternoon, its a bad thing. Rather than thinking, I needed that sleep and being glad it’s taken to a bad place. That annoys me. That if you eat late some people criticise that as a bad thing, although I have always been one to eat when I am hungry no matter what the time is. It is all associated as bad, if you are running late from a session kayaking with friends or climbing, that being late make people think that something is wrong rather than thinking that maybe they are enjoying themselves and have lost track of time; time a factor of negativity.
FD9E2Can’t say I want to stay like this forever but I think the experience is higlighting how much time I waste and what I miss out on when I‘m glued to technology…although this is not an epiphany on my account more a re-assessment of my lifelstyle.
FA8J
Discussion
The findings noted above reflect broad groupings of comments drawn from the data collected and interpreted by the researcher. Whilst these comments are loosely grouped together into identifiable themes this should not be interpreted as a simple causal relationship by which the solo experience can be used to elicit pre-determined outcomes. Such an interpretation would be far too simplistic and fails to recognise the complex individual background, previous experiences and personal expectations of each and every soloist. Maxted (2005, 125) supports this assertion in stating that it is inappropriate “to draw collective meaning from what is essentially an individual experience.” However, these findings clearly suggest that different individuals can and do interpret the solo experience in similar ways within three shared human interests related to their awareness of self (including spiritual awareness); social relationships and environmental awareness. This I would suggest is more in keeping with Lave and Wenger’s (1991) concept of a ‘community of practice’ in which groups of people share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.
In considering the findings from this specific piece of research what is most noteworthy is the value that soloists attached to the opportunity to have an extended period of what could be called ‘me time.’ How this ‘me time’ was used and the personal reflections it generated were interpreted in different ways. For some there was a recognition that this was a special and unique opportunity for them to be free of the demands, deadlines and responsibilities of their normal life. One soloist commented on it as Going to so miss this freedom and independence. Such an opportunity is one she recognised as not to be missed that should be enjoyed and repeated by her and others at some point in the future. Others recognised in their ‘me time’ reflections the chance to consider, perhaps for the first time, the direction their life was taking and the need to be more assertive and dynamic in directing their life in the direction they wanted it to go - If I want success I’ll have to go and get it on my own. Such interpretations resonate strongly with the dominant discourse around the solo as a life changing event in the lives of participants (Bobilya et al 2005). Whilst it would be wrong to generalise from the comments made in this study it is suggested that for some of the students the solo experience was indeed a profound and potentially defining moment in their lives that has helped to shape the direction they wish to take and to become the people they want to be. Whilst this is not an outcome unique to the solo experience (see Alison’s, 2000, post group expedition findings linked to self-self and self-career learning) it is noteworthy that students attached such importance to their experience. Another explanation for these comments could be provided by the context and background of the group, who were at the end of their second year of undergraduate study and would, quite naturally, be expected to be thinking more carefully about their future lives and possible career opportunities. Not that such considerations in any way undermine the value of the solo. On the contrary they provide a clear indication that students need to be given time and space to consider the direction they want their lives to take and if the solo can provide the opportunity then it should be used.
Closely linked to the ‘awareness of self’ theme in the literature around solo experiences is the belief that it acts as a vehicle to a heightened spiritual and religious awareness. Soloist comments suggest that in a limited number of cases individual students did understand the solo in religious / spiritual terms and described their experiences in terms that were both fulfilling and revealing. For example one soloist commented - I am free to pray and sing aloud without anyone hearing or judging. I can read my bible on the shingle beach or in the sun. However, it is significant that each of these three individuals had a lifestyle pre-disposition to religion and spirituality and it was an accepted and public part of their personality and belief system. As such it is to be expected that time alone would provide the opportunity for them to be able to explore this part of their lives further. What was not evident however was a similar spiritual / religious value being attached to others’ solo experiences. Not one other participant reflected upon such an interpretation across the three different year groups. Such findings differ markedly to the profound spiritual / religious outcomes noted in much of the North American literature (Knapp and Smith, 2005; Bobilya et al, 2005). As such they raise important questions about both the role of the facilitator in influencing soloist learning at both the preparatory and review stages and about the cultural context and background of the individual soloist. No data is available about the religious / spiritual beliefs of other members of this research study however these findings do suggest that for the other participant’s religion and spirituality are not important concerns. This would be in keeping with the broader decline in church attendance and the rise in secularism that has been apparent in British society since the Enlightenment and in particular over the last century. Likewise, it does draw attention to the culture of outdoor education experienced by those students within their degree programme. Spirituality is not a topic that is given high priority within their studies when maybe it should be? It was in part for this reason that students were not encouraged to fast during the solo. However, it could equally be said that this facilitator decision not to suggest fasting could have been just as influential upon students experience as the opposite decision would have been, and had students fasted maybe they would have had a more spiritual / religious experience? The only conclusion that can be drawn from the data in this study is that for a small number of students the solo provided a meaningful spiritual / religious experience that may have been enhanced by their proximity to nature and the environment. For the remainder no connection was made between the solo and an enhanced spiritual / religious awareness and for these students the mountains did not speak for themselves in spiritual or religious terms.
Or maybe they did? It could be argued that a raised awareness of nature and the flaura and fauna that create local eco-systems is indirectly and subliminally a recognition of the work and existence of a greater being. That many soloists became more aware of the natural world that surrounded them and observed nature closer and more intimately that they usually do cannot be denied. This is as evident in the pictures and drawings made by many soloists as it is in their words and reflections. One soloist commented - As I was walking by myself I noticed things that I might not if I was with another person. However, can these observations be interpreted as some form of sub-conscious, pseudo religious/spiritual experience? I do not think that is possible or appropriate to draw such a conclusion. Undoubtedly the solo experience did engender a greater environmental awareness in many, if not all the participants to a greater or lesser degree, but that is as far as the data can be interpreted. In the modern world of technology and materialism within which these soloists live this is no small achievement and it should be recognised and celebrated accordingly. That student’s should be more aware of their part in the local eco-system around them and, in some cases be able to link this to the greater eco-system of the planet is a significant finding. What is equally important is that students recognised in themselves a greater environmental awareness without the direct and overt guidance of a facilitator. It was a realisation they came to themselves and echoes Greenaway’s (2005) belief in the most powerful learning experiences being ones that are not facilitated or planned in advance. In respect of a raised awareness of the environment it is possible to say in this study that the mountains did speak for themselves.
A third theme identified in the study related to students having a greater awareness of the importance of their social relationships. Knapp and Smith (2005), Daniel (2005) and Maxted (2005) are amongst many who identify social relationships as a common outcome of solo experiences. For some students this was evident in their recognition of the importance of others’ friendship and that they were missing human company or alternatively in them being more supportive of others - on my return I am going to make more efforts in meeting her. Paradoxically where some students identified there need to be more socially active and supportive others identified their need to have time alone and away from friends and family - I’m starting to realise that I don’t actually mind being by myself. Whilst it is to be expected that most people would spend some time thinking about social relationships during an extended solo it is noteworthy that these reflections were all positive and forward looking statements. In this respect it could be argued that everyone should have the chance to spend some time alone if it facilitates in them a greater awareness and empathy for their friends and family. Finally, it is interesting to note once again that students identified with the theme of social relationships without any external facilitation. In this respect, as with the raised environmental awareness, it is possible once again to say that the mountains did speak for themselves.
A fourth and emergent theme that is not commonly discussed as an outcome of the solo experience was also evident in the findings. This emergent theme was identified by some soloists as an ‘over-reliance on time’ as a means to order their personal lives. One student commented on really needing to know the time and another on needing their watch. Most insightfully another commented Just want to know what time it is so I known what I should be doing. Knowing what to do with themselves is highlighted by Maxted (2005) as a common and frustrating feeling experienced by many soloists. The comments of another student clearly highlight her frustration with society’s fixation on time as a factor of negativity. What is important about these comments is not so much what they tell us of the soloists experience though that is obviously important, but they are heard in the first place. Other than Maxted (2005) who hails from New Zealand, none of the other North American studies that dominate solo discourse make reference to the importance or possibility of students learning something different, individual and independent of the solo facilitator. Yet, quite clearly from this research soloists can and do learn things that are unexpected, different and in many cases unique to themselves. Such findings echoed in the associated research of Greenaway (1995) and Williams (2003, 2006) suggest emphatically that solo learning is neither dependent on the guidance of a facilitator nor is its full potential being realised when it is facilitator-led. Once again the mountains did speak for themselves.
Conclusion
This research sought to consider the nature of solo learning experiences without the direct preparatory and reviewing guidance of a facilitator. Findings suggest that soloists can and do attach shared and important meanings to their experiences without the need for a facilitator to guide or structure the learning process for them. Meaningful learning was evident in relation to three themes - awareness of self (including spiritual awareness); social relationships and environmental awareness - that are identified as common outcomes of facilitator-led solo learning. Equally importantly, a fourth, unexpected and emergent theme – an over-reliance on time - that is not commonly associated with the outcomes discourse of solo experiences was also identified. The emergence of this fourth theme raises questions about the appropriateness of a highly structured framework by which to facilitate solo learning. At best this study suggests that solo learning is not dependent upon the facilitator and that complimentary learning can take place when the students are given more ownership of their own learning experience and are left to review and process the experience themselves. More importantly this research suggests that highly structured and facilitator-led experiences may actually be stifling the unique and individual learning potential of the solo, and when the facilitator steps back and gives ownership of the learning process to the soloist then the mountains can and do speak for themselves in ways that are otherwise hidden.
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