Mountain biking as experiential education: Biking as an experience for life

When children master a long climb, they can learn that effort pays off. When they motivate their friends to ride to the top, they have the opportunity to show empathy. When young bikers bring home a scraped knee, it can teach them about their own mistakes and how to overcome them. When they have finally mastered the whole lap, children can learn something about their own capabilities. When they look back on the tour with their fellow riders and tell others about it, they can learn what it means to be part of a social group. From this perspective, a mountain bike is a brilliant educational toy for learning important self and social skills. So why isn't biking on every curriculum? In reality, it's not always easy to replicate the experiences of a Mountain bike tour pedagogically. We clarify what it takes.

You can read more about mountain biking and children in BIKE 04/23. In a large children's special, we give buying advice, show the latest accessories and the coolest clothes. Of course we also tested them: Who builds the best mountain bike for kids and which towing system is the favourite of parents and kids?

Experiential education from a scientific perspective

Social scientists disagree on the exact definition of the term experiential education. The main problem is the lack of measurability in the results of experiential education programmes and the impossibility of controlling or reconstructing individual experiences. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Thoreau and Kurt Hahn are among the most important figures in the early scientific foundations. Since the 1990s, Heckmair, Michl and Paffrath, among others, have shaped the discourse. What all theoretical debates have in common is the description of experiential education as an action- and goal-orientated method of social pedagogy.

By reflecting on community and experiences in natural and pedagogically undeveloped spaces, the method is intended to help children and young people build up resources for future action. Physical, psychological and social challenges with a first-time character are intended to enable borderline experiences and thus exemplary learning processes. Experiential education has been repeatedly criticised for its instrumentalisation in youth education during the Third Reich and in military boot camps. This is another reason why Germany, unlike the USA, Switzerland and England, has not yet developed its own theory and experiential education often only appears as a stand-alone programme offered by individual groups of reform pedagogues.

Experiential education encompasses a multifaceted spectrum on a common conceptual basis with a socio-critical dimension. It thematises the body, boundaries and nature in educationally relevant experiential processes. On the one hand, it has fundamental theoretical and methodological deficits, while on the other hand it is supported by professionalisation efforts and a certain popularity. It is currently benefiting more than ever from its symbiotic relationship with risk society elements and adventure society ideologies. - Jan Timmermann, BIKE volunteer and educational scientist

How biking becomes an experiential educational method

As the examples from mountain bike tour situations show, the activity basically contains many elements relevant to experiential education. When biking, children ride from A to B, do sport and face technical challenges. In contrast to the example of frontal teaching at school, there is an action-orientation and a physical aspect. Children usually bike in the forest and not primarily to learn something, but to have fun. This means that they are out and about in natural and pedagogically undeveloped spaces. Cycling can be excellently integrated into children's lives, as it is one of the most important forms of transport for young people and contains many playful aspects. Experiencing mental and physical limits is a basic component of mountain biking. However, social challenges can also arise when children ride with their peers or adults. Mountain biking can support adolescents in forming their identity and teach them social skills such as teamwork in an educational setting, Dealing with pressure to succeedfairness, tolerance, acceptance of rules, initiative, risk-taking skills, critical faculties, leadership skills, physical experience, communication, sympathy and trust.

A bicycle is a suitable tool for providing direct feedback to both groups and individuals, enabling them to gain significant socio-educational experience with regard to their physicality, environment and self-efficacy. Socio-educational moments can be observed in cycling programmes, particularly in their components of communication, group processes, behavioural changes, self-help and empowerment, assumption of responsibility, education, acquisition of social skills and the establishment of contacts. - Jan Timmermann

Only reflection makes mountain biking useful for social education

When children or young people are out on a bike tour, people, or the group, are usually the centre of their attention. This distinguishes mountain biking from other sports where the focus is on a piece of sports equipment, such as a football. The experiences that children have in this social setting require reflection. Only when experiences are reflected upon can they be used pedagogically. Otherwise, they usually remain random events with no concrete reference to everyday life. If trainers, parents or educators want to utilise the experiential educational potential of biking, they need to be sensitive to everyday experiences and be prepared to reflect on them.

For example, a fall is an extraordinary experience for children. If this is not discussed together, all kinds of negative associations can arise for the affected child. It is better if an adult helps to categorise the significance of the fall: "Crashes happen and they happen to the best bikers. Come on, get up and let's find out together how the crash happened." Even positive experiences outside of everyday life require reflection: "It's the first time you've ridden up this climb without dismounting. That's really strong and means you're getting better and better. Come on, we'll cheer your friend on so that he can do it too." Some positive experiences also need a hint in order to be recognised by children at all: "Wow, we climbed 400 metres today. That's a lot and I wouldn't have managed that at your age." In order to transfer the learning processes into everyday life, experiential educators should always ask: How does this experience relate to the child's everyday life? What can it teach them for school, family and life?

>> We have put together the right equipment for children and young people here. <<

>> Read here which child seats are suitable for mountain bikes. <<

In experiential education programmes involving mountain biking, the best way to reflect on everyday experiences is by professionals. Experiential education, sport and exercise are often neglected in socio-educational training. On the other hand, sports educators often lack the necessary socio-educational skills. Real experts are rare. Only they can fully utilise the experiential educational potential of leisure bike groups. However, it is worthwhile for all educators and parents who are out and about with children on bikes to sensitise themselves to this potential. - Jan Timmermann

When is mountain biking not experiential education?

As described, bike programmes without permanent pedagogical reflection cannot be classified as experiential education. They are Leisure and sports programme nevertheless have educational value, but leave socio-educational potential unutilised. This applies to most offers in sports clubs, holiday camps and bike schools. Another common feature of these non-experiential education offers is the commercialisation of the experience. In doing so, they are picking up on a highly topical social trend, as today everything is advertised as an "experience", "event" or "experience". Sociologists even speak of an "experience society" in which products and services, such as cars, perfumes or even bike groups, are marketed as particularly exciting experiences. There is no experiential educational concept behind a mountain bike offer that advertises the "coolest descents", the "coolest Instagram photo" or the "total flow". The out-of-this-world experiences that can really be used for experiential education cannot be forced or controlled. An experience can look different for every child. Even with biking, experiential educators can only create the right framework in which out-of-day experiences become more likely and can be reflected upon.

Mountain bike pedagogy is only credible and effective in its critical function as experiential pedagogy as long as it does not adopt the principles of experiential society and the logic of enhancement of the entertainment industry without reflection at the expense of its educational philosophical ideals in the course of its commercialisation tendencies and does not degenerate into experience-oriented short-term pedagogy 'just for fun' despite economic pressure. - Jan Timmermann