Ken Bell, associate professor for the School of Allied Health Sciences Department of Kinesiology, led a combined team of 15 Boise State students, 20 Timberline High School students, and 20 North Junior High students on a wilderness survival skills field trip in Garden Valley on Sept. 22.
Bell and the students put into practice the outdoor adventure skills the students were learning, including how to build primitive shelters, purify water, fly fish, and build fires, among other things. The collaborative outdoor adventure project developed from a workshop Bell completed with other teachers last summer.
“We thought, let’s take these kids, in my case P.E. majors, out into nature and help them apply their skills in a fun setting,” Bell said. “Each set of students was learning different skill sets, so they were able mentor each other.”
Bell earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction in physical education pedagogy at Virginia Tech State University in 1997. His dissertation, The Correlation between Children’s Physical Activity Patterns and Perceptions of Physical Competence in 5th and 7th Grade Children, examined the relationship between the physical activity that children choose to engage, and their personal perceptions of physical abilities in a variety of activities. This initial research coupled with his experience as a teacher and coach drive his passion to effectively blend theory with practice. His areas of interest include physical education teacher education, self-esteem in physical education and sport settings, effective teaching and coaching, children’s fitness, and overweight and obesity in children.
The overnight trip was featured in the Idaho Statesman.