What the Boy Scouts Taught Me About Teaching

Too often Academia today acts as if itself were the professor in front of the classroom lecturing the world on the how, when, where, and why learning takes place. That would be like McDonald's claiming that they own the trademark on the hamburger, telling all other hamburger restaurants how to make their hamburgers. As educators we should be cognizant so as to avoid this point of view. There are many institutions, besides academia, that know a thing or two about learning. One of those is the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts have

Yes it's true, I was a Boy Scout. Scratch that; I AM a Boy Scout. I have been since I was 3 weeks old when my parents took me to Boy Scout camp for the summer, not to mention nearly every summer after until I was 15. Furthermore, I've taken my own children to Boy Scout camp a few summers. My time in Scouting has taught me more than I can tell you in a paltry blog post. Suffice it to say, it was instrumental in my up-bringing.

Although on the facade, Scouting may not appear to be much more than merit badges and camp outs, anyone ever involved in Scouting will attest to the fact it is so much more . Today, as an

educator, I look back on all my experiences in Scouting and I see many elements of education that I didn't understand while as a youth. Scouting is home to a legion of elements that provide scaffolding designed to help young men learn and grow in ways that are both common and uncommon to modern education systems.

Scouting's founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, was an astute military leader in the British Army. With the experiences gained as a military leader he penned many books on military reconnaissance and scouting. Many of his books were read by young men of that day. Powell saw many aspects in the lives of the young men he lead in military, in which the education system of his day left voids and was thereby insufficient in preparing them for life. With these facts in mind he wrote a book, "Scouting for Boys," specifically for boys of a younger age based on his military books. Baden-Powell tested his ideas in the book on a camping trip, The Brownsea Island Scout Camp in 1907. The Brownsea Island experiment was a success and the Scouting Movement began. The "movement, " however, wouldn't be around 100 years later if it weren't founded on a rock of principals and strategies. The foundation is known as the Aims and Methods of Scouting; and these are the principals that I feel from which educators could glean valuable information about learning. Perhaps one of the most interesting facts about these principals of learning is that they have changed very little in 100 years, and they are just as effective today as they were in their humble beginnings.

Here are the Aims and Methods of Scouting how I think they correlate to education. (For a full explanation of the Aims and Methods of Scouting click here.)

Ideals

The ideals of Boy Scouting are spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Scout motto, and the Scout slogan. The Boy Scout measures himself against these ideals and continually tries to improve. The goals are high, and, as he reaches for them, he has some control over what and who he becomes.

Each scout is given a set of standards he can strive to live by and measure himself against. These standards are tested inherently in daily tasks, both scout-related as well as personal. Self-measurement is vital to the program as it encourages the boy to be honest with himself. Seeing as how most human-beings are harder on themselves, this strategy works well. Unfortunately due to the political and social climates of today I doubt the public education system will be able to agree upon and adopt strong ideals.

Patrols

The patrol method gives Boy Scouts an experience in group living and participating citizenship. It places responsibility on young shoulders and teaches boys how to accept it. The patrol method allows Scouts to interact in small groups where they can easily relate to each other. These small groups determine troop activities through their elected representatives.

The patrol method facilitates various learning opportunities. Two examples of these learning opportunies are repetition & peer teaching. Each boy is given and chooses requirements that he must accomplish. Repetition happens naturally as older boys in the patrol teach younger boys to pass off the requirements that they themselves have previously learned. This helps each boy to see and practice the same material, over and over. I picture a school where time is given to students from one class to visit other classes to help answer questions or give one on one instruction. Learning happens on both ends. Some could even say that it is differentiated

learning (shameless plugg of overused buzz-word). Consequently, as the boys lead the program and not the scoutmaster, the scoutmaster's (aka: the Teacher's) role becomes more that of a coach, facilitator, or safety net.

Outdoor Programs

Boy Scouting is designed to take place outdoors. It is in the outdoor setting that Scouts share responsibilities and learn to live with one another. It is here that the skills and activities practiced at troop meetings come alive with purpose. Being close to nature helps Boy Scouts gain an appreciation for God's handiwork and humankind's place in it. The outdoors is the laboratory for Boy Scouts to learn ecology and practice conservation of nature's resources.

Outdoor activities are the labs of Scouting. It's where learning is practiced, tested, and re-taught. It is Scouting's take on higher order thinking skills. It is the fertilizer that helps learning's roots grow deeper and stronger. In Scouting, outdoor activities happen about once a month. With 4 meetings each month, that is 4 classroom meetings for every lab activity. If the activities happen with enough frequency, the boys begin to see the correlation and importance of the weekly classes. It is also important to note, that failures in this setting are a powerful key to opening the doors of learning. While the amount of learning that can take place with this method is arguable, the depth of understanding that it accomplishes is unparalleled.

Advancement

Boy Scouting provides a series of surmountable obstacles and steps in overcoming them through the advancement method. The Boy Scout plans his advancement and progresses at his own pace as he meets each challenge. The Boy Scout is rewarded for each achievement, which helps him gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help a Boy Scout grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others.

Advancements are similar to benchmarks. They are a measurable standard by which a boy can measure his progress. They are awards for accomplishing sets of requirements that help each boy to stretch himself beyond his comfort level as he strives to reach his goals. They guide and teach the importance of goal setting. They provide measurement, showing each boy where he is and the distance he has come. Advancement is one area in which Education has struggled for a long time.

Advancement refers to 2 different aspects of the Scouting program; 1-Merit Badges; 2-Rank Advancement.

Merit badges are like classes. There are some that are required for Rank advancement; a core curriculum. While the majority are electives that each boy chooses to take. Many of the rank advancements require a number of required and elective merit badges to be earned before advancement is awarded, not dissimilar to many high schools. To earn Scouting's highest rank, The Eagle Scout, a boy must earn 21 merit badges 10 of which are of the boy's own choosing. This encourages each boy to choose his electives according to his desires, taking responsibility for becoming a well-rounded young man. He get's to dip his toes in the waters of many vocations and interests.

Rank advancement combines specific requirements of knowledge and skills with Merit badges. Many of the rank advancements contain requirements that involve a minimum time requirement. This ensures that a boy take his time with some tasks

Before anyone is awarded a rank advancement he must pass through a "Board of Review." A board of review is a panel of adult leaders that ask the candidate about his knowledge, skills, and experiences on the latest leg of his journey toward Eagle. The experience of passing through a board of review helps the boy become comfortable in an interview setting. It teaches him how to communicate with Leaders and adults. Teaches him that adults and leaders are to be respected but not feared. I have yet to meet an Eagle Scout that interviews poorly.

When a boy advances his accomplishments are recognized and celebrated. The scoutmaster does his best to help each boy achieve some kind of advancement for the next recognition ceremony (called "A Court of Honor" held once a quarter). A boy who does not advance, however, is not castigated or belittled. He celebrates the accomplishments of his fellow scouts and hopefully feels the urge to do better and recommits himself to his own advancement goals for the next quarter.

Leadership Development

The Boy Scout program encourages boys to learn and practice leadership skills. Every Boy Scout has the opportunity to participate in both shared and total leadership situations. Understanding the concepts of leadership helps a boy accept the leadership role of others and guides him toward the citizenship aim of Scouting.

One thing I am ashamed to admit is that in today's classroom leadership is seldom taught, learned, discussed, or practiced. It's not that we don't need it, because we do. Group and paired work is a staple of the classroom. Especially with current economic conditions forcing student to teacher ratios to go up each year. Even more so today with the emergence of technology based collaboration tools such as Google Docs. The Boy Scouts do an excellent job of teaching young men not only how to lead, but also when and how to follow. As teachers today we desperately need to be able to discuss group and team dynamics. Discussion and practice of roles like leader, follower, and team player could make group work a vastly more efficient learning tool.

Maybe we do use leadership in schools more than I give us credit for, but if we do, the key element missing the actual labeling of the roles. In scouts the boys periodically elect their own patrol leader. That leader can then choose the boys who elected him to fill positions in the patrol. Each position then plays it's part in helping the patrol work like a machine. Perhaps the most important element that we can take away from this practice is the formal naming of each person's role along with his corresponding duties.

Uniform

The uniform makes the Boy Scout troop visible as a force for good and creates a positive youth image in the community. Boy Scouting is an action program, and wearing the uniform is an action that shows each Boy Scout's commitment to the aims and purposes of Scouting. The uniform gives the Boy Scout identity in a world brotherhood of youth who believe in the same ideals. The uniform is practical attire for Boy Scout activities and provides a way for Boy Scouts to wear the badges that show what they have accomplished.

Uniforms and schools...this is a topic that has been discussed for decades with no real consensus. I do think it is important to point out that the Scouting uniform is recognized throughout the world as a "force for good." Each boy that joins the Scouts automatically becomes a part of that force, that team, even that movement.

What about allowing kids to show their individuality? Clothing has and always will be a superficial display of individuality. It places focus on insignificant things. The Boy Scout uniform is also used to display the individual's accomplishments and advancements. This is not dissimilar from football where the player is awarded stickers to place on his helmet. Each player has the same uniform and same helmet, yet it is easy to see by the stickers his accomplishments, consequently motivating others to strive for higher heights.

In the days of the cold war, it has been rumored, the Russians kept lists of Eagle Scouts because the unique skills they possessed and the frequency with which they ascended to positions of high importance. Boy Scouts have successfully created an institution of learning that has survived for over 100 years. If our enemies knew enough about Scouting to fear the products of it's programs, then I believe it deserves a second look by those involved in educational policy and reform at all levels from local, to state, to national. The Boy Scouts have a proven formula for learning and I say it's time for Educators to take a look.

(Images from: bsa-cvc.org; troop456.com; 0.tqn.com; u1.ipernity.com; montrosetroop123.com)