Outdoor Education & Environmental Education

Centre for Excellence in Outdoor and Environmental Education

Staff Profile

Genny Blades

Associate Lecturer

Room/Location: Ironbark Centre, 2.07
Ph: 5444 7320
Fx: 5444 7848
Email: g.blades@latrobe.edu.au

Qualifications

Bachelor of Human Movement Studies (Education) Hons: University of Queensland (1985)

Master of Arts (Social Ecology): University of Western Sydney (2005)

Teaching Areas

•  1st year: tutor for Ways of Knowing and Worldviews; field experience/OLATS;
• 2nd year: Bush Environments OE (Unit Co-ordinator);
• 3rd year: tutor for Education in the Outdoors (teaching component at Kooyoora); tutor for Teaching and Program Development.

Professional Involvement

• 1988 - 2004: Committee member with the Outdoor Educators Association of Qld (including role as President). During that time was a Board member with the Australian Outdoor Education Council and the Qld Outdoor Recreation Federation.
• 1985 - 1998 Outdoor education teacher with the Qld Department of Education and worked at Maroon Outdoor Education Centre and a State Secondary School .
• 1998 - 2000 Curriculum writer and advisor for Outdoor Education and HPE P - 10 syllabus in Queensland .
• 2000 - 2003 Program co-ordinator at an independent outdoor/environmental education centre in Queensland .

Research Interests

• Ecology and spirituality
• Sense of place
• Auto-ethnography and the use of narrative and poetry in research

Publications and Presentations:

Blades, G. (2005) "If you don't mind going places without a map, follow me:" Re-stor(y)ing of self, place and educator. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education. Vol. 9 (2), pp. 3 - 13.

Note: This paper was presented in a workshop at the 14 th National Outdoor Education Conference, The Challenges We Face , Gold Coast, Qld., July 3 - 6.

Blades, G. (2004) Charting the margins of Experience through the lens of a 'vulnerable observer'. Paper presented at the International Outdoor Education Research Conference, Connections and Disconnections, La Trobe University, Bendigo July 6 - 9.