Dr John Allan's new role at Camp Beaumont, and the Inspiring Learning group, really brings to life the importance of learning through adventure and play, and its impact on character development from a young age. John will be helping to both shape our activity programmes and educate our teams in delivering the most outstanding day camps. We want to set the bar that bit higher for school holiday day camps in terms of creating opportunities for children to build life skills, such as confidence, and learn whilst playing and having fun. Find out more about Dr John Allan in our Q&A.
Q: What experience do you have in the field of education?
A: For the past 25 years, I have worked across the education sector, leading ‘teaching and learning’ in schools, and heading up the Sport and Leisure provision in Further Education, before going on to become a lead academic in Sports Pedagogy, Psychology and Adventure Education in Higher Education. I have a Doctorate (PhD) in Positive Psychology and Building Psychological Resilience through Outdoor Adventure; an area I am very passionate about. I am also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), and a qualified outdoor practitioner.
Q: Tell us more about your area of expertise
A: My expertise is centred in sports pedagogy (teaching and learning) in the area of positive psychology, outdoor adventure and play. I have designed and led a range of positive psychology intervention programmes with elite mountaineers, school children, business leaders, asylum seekers and refugees. My research includes international and national journal publications, book chapters, keynote addresses, conference symposiums, presentations and on-line teaching and learning packages.
Q: What is positive psychology?
A: Positive psychology empowers individuals to thrive. This includes; changing individual’s self-perceptions, creating pro-social attitudes, building resilience and enhancing health and well-being. When purposefully applied, outdoor adventure learning and play can develop a range of strength-based behaviours from a young age.
Q: How is your work used in practice?
A: Specifically for Camp Beaumont, my work aligns perfectly with their vision, to create experiential learning opportunities through play and adventure, and to further enhance what they already do.
Q: What is adventure learning and why is it important?
A: Adventure learning is central to any understanding of human development, namely the importance of powerful first-hand learning. By actively engaging in outdoor nature-based activities and play, we invariably discover new adaptive approaches in how we think, feel and act. Well-delivered activity programmes, such as those available at Camp Beaumont, allow children to discover their strengths and create opportunities to improve confidence and communication skills. I really believe in the impact of learning through adventure and play, and the benefits of being exposed to positive, real-life, immersive experiences from a very young age.
The staff are brilliant: enthusiastic, kind and engaged. The range of activities is great and the hours are really helpful for working parents. Most importantly our son always comes home happy and tired from a fun day.
