Feedback - Jojo Johnson

As a late starter in paddling it is thanks to inspirational coaches such as Mark that I have gained the skills and confidence to develop and become a kayak coach. Mark creates a very rewarding learning environment for his students and mock students alike. I found his approach to be supportive and encouraging during the day and appreciated his discreet appraisal and positive involvement during the session. I look forward to further courses in the future....thankyou! Jojo

Feedback - Andy Morris

Cheers Mark for conviencing me that to give sea kayaking a go 

All these years I've fancied myself as a bit of a whizz at paddling rivers in kayaks and open boats but never really thought of what experiences sea kayaking could open up for me 

Well, I just thought I'd post these pictures and say thanks for opening my eyes to the potential 

Perhaps we should get that Scottish paddling course off the ground :0)

Feedback - Dave Hills

After completing my L3 Coach (Sea) assessment with Mark Tozer (& Pete Jones) naturally I was extremely happy at having passed it but even happier about how much I had also learnt through the process. 

Everything about Mark's courses and assessments are geared towards learning even though at the time, it was occuring at a subconscious level. At a first glance the paperwork surrounding the delivery of Mark’s session may seam excessive, but in the grand scheme of things its still a very small percentage! 

At the end of the day, the written word allows us to organize our thoughts and understand complex processes that cannot be described practically. Mark does this very well and dispels the myth that paper work has no place in the outdoor world! And from my experience is one of the few coaches in North Wales that successfully bridges the gap between sound theory and good practice. 

Doing a great job as RCO and North Wales is much better of because of it!

Feedback - Adam Harmer

I have just completed a 5* sea assessment, and its all down to Mark, so a huge thank you. 

Mark managed to arrange and process the course in such short notice, so thank you very much. Unforunately Mark wasn't the assessor but he was the assessor on my Level 3 Sea with Pete Jones last year. 

Mark has a great way of assessing and allowing individuals to learn through leadership and development, it so nice to be on an assessment that is relaxed and chilled. 

I would also like to thank Mark for the great job he is doing as RCO in North Wales, and wish him well in his own forthcoming assessment 

(Remember CLAP - centre line avoid portaging) 

Adam

Mark Tozer - Expedition Leader

Mark is a seasoned expedition leader with a breadth of global travel experience in the mountains and on the sea

If you are need the expertise to get a trip off the ground or require that extra element of safety cover, you should think about getting in touch

Countries that Mark has been to that he can advise on include: Greenland, Norway, Morrocco, Tanzania, Kenya, Ecuador, Alaska, Baja and across Europe

Mountain Instruction

Mark can provide guided rock climbing, scrambling or hill walking trips in the Snowdonia mountains or further a field in the UK for individuals or small groups, whatever the season.

If you wish to improve your climbing performance Mark can create a workable coaching programme that will go towards developing better technique and more robust skills.

Mark is able to offer specialist skills development courses in mountaineering and rock climbing. These one, two or five day programmes focus on: 

• The Fundamentals of Mountaineering – Summer & Winter 

• Map and Mountains

• Scrambling & Beyond

• The Fundamentals of Climbing

• The Vertical Dance

• Safety, Rescue and Recovery for Climbers

Most of the training Mark can provide is bespoke and is tailored around people’s exact needs and timescales. Courses and coaching address all ability ranges from complete beginner to experienced practitioners.

Mark is also in a position to offer MLTUK training and assessment courses for:

• Single Pitch Award

• Climbing Wall Award

Research

Initially, my interest in researching issues relating to outdoor practice came from my time as an undergraduate student at the University of Wales, Bangor where I studied sports science , health promotion and physical education (SHAPE). Subsequently, I returned to complete a PhD as a post-gradaute student within the School of Education.

My PhD research set out to examine adaptive expertise within leadership and how this might impact on the development cycle for participants and practitioners alike. A particular focus was that of overseas expedition leadership and the processes of recruitment, selection and continued training. This area received recognition from the Royal Geographical Society and the Expeditions Providers Association. The funding for this project was made possible as a result of sponsorship from the European Social Fund and Outlook Expeditions.

The final thesis was entitled The Leadership Pathway: An Epistemological Exploration of Outdoor Leadership and Expedition Dynamics Using Theory Elaboration.

At present, my research interests include examining the effect of epistemological beliefs on approaches to leadership in the outdoors, as well  continuing to investigate practitioner behaviours and how these impact on participants’ engagement and learning processes.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Tozer, M., Collins, D., & Hathaway, T. (2011) Learning Through Expeditions: The Need For Method As Well As Opportunity - A Response To Allison & Von Wald (2010) Journal of Pastoral Care in Education 29 (1): 51-56

Hathaway, T & Tozer, M. (2010) Opening the space of variation and learning during teaching: the importance of research to discipline-based expertise. Pedagogic Research in Maximising Education

Tozer, M., Fazey, I., & Fazey, J (2007) Recognising and Developing Adaptive Expertise Within Expedition Leaders. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 7 (1), 55-75

Knowledge Transfer Publications

The Art and Science of Leadership. Ocean Paddler 26 (40-44).

Understanding Expedition Dynamics. Ocean Paddler 28 (36-38).

Leadership Essentials. Ocean Paddler 30 (50-53).

Efficient Forward Paddling. California Kayaker Magazine (Issue #9 - Summer 2012).

Book Reviews

Tozer, M & Hathaway, T. (2010) Understanding Educational Expeditions. Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 10 (2), 161

Conference Presentations

Equal Adventure Lecture, Royal Geographical Society London (2010) - A Dispositional Approach Towards Inclusive Adaptive Leadership (Suresh Paul and Mark Tozer)

The Wilderness Education Association's National Conference for Outdoor Leadership, Indiana February 2009 - Sustaining Expertise And Leadership in the Outdoors

The Outdoor Show, Friedrischafen, Germany June 2008 - Outdoor Leadership in a Sustainable World

RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference, Edinburgh February 2007 - Recognising and Developing Adaptive Expertise Within Expedition Leaders

UWB Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference, Edinburgh January 2007 - Learning More Effectively From Experience For Good Leadership In The Outdoors

RGS-IBG Annual Conference, London August 2006 - Leading More Effectively From Experience On Overseas Expeditions

IOL UK Outdoor Learning Research Forum, Exmouth November 2005 - Towards A Dispositional Model of Leadership

Reports and Technical Papers

Expedition Leadership – Competency Grid : A technical paper for use in achieving a recruitment standards framework (Outlook Expeditions) March 2007

Building a Standards Framework for Recruitment and Training of Expedition Leaders - Evaluation Report November 2006

Knowledge Exploitation Fund Training and Development Programme For Entrepreneurship Champions - Evaluation Report June 2005

Invitation

Collaboration is often the key to understanding and mutual progression in learning. I would like to extend this invitation to anyone who wishes to engage in joint research or co-authored articles to get in touch. Let's all keep sharing what we know

Certifications & Credentials

Mark is certified and credentialed in the following areas:

Urban Emergency Medicine

NREMT - Advanced EMT

NREMT - Emergency Medical Technician

NREMT - Emergency Medical Responder

ABA - Advanced Burns Life Support Provider

AHA - Basic Life Support Provider

AHA - Advanced Life Support Provider

AHA - Pediatric Life Support Provider

AHA - Neonatal Resuscitation Provider

Wilderness Emergency Medicine

NOLS - Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician

NOLS - Wilderness First Responder

NOLS - Wilderness First Aid

REC - Emergency First Aid

WMT - Far From Help

On The Water

BCU - Level 5 Coach (Sea)

BCU - Level 3 Coach (Inland)

BCU - Level 3 Coach (Canoe)

RYA - Safety Boat Handler

WRI River Rescue Technician

In the Mountains

Leave No Trace - Master Educator

MLTUK - Mountain Instructor Award

MLTUK - Winter Mountain Leader

In The Classroom

Mark has also obtained a number of academic accolades:

Doctor of Philosophy - The Leadership Pathway

Accredited Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

NAEMT First On The Scene (FOTS) Instructor

NAEMT GEMS Instructor

NAEMSE Level 1 Instructor Course

Post Graduate Certificate of Education - Secondary Education

Post Graduate Certificate of Education - Higher Education

Post Graduate Certificate of Education - Experiential Learning

Wyoming OEMS Course Coordinator - EMR & EMT

Shareware Resources

These are a number of resources that I have gathered together over recent years that I give to students on my courses 

As very few ideas are completely original these days, this stuff is essentially shareware and original sources have been acknowledged where possible

Download what you feel is relevant and if you make any additions or alterations let me know so I can keep things up to date 

All the best

BCU History

Beaufort Scale

IALA 'A' Bouyage Markers

Environmental Awareness

Fundamental Paddling Skills

Greenland Clothing History

Greenland Paddles

Paddling Locations in North Wales

Hypothermia

Incident Management Plan

Leadership

Learning Styles

LTPD Pathway

Making Presentations

Meteorology

Phonetic Alphabet

Repair Kit Ideas

Sea Kayak Safety

Sea Kayak Risk Assessment

Sea Safety and Rescues

Undertsanding The Shipping Forecast

Surf Locations In North Wales

Tidal Constants For North Wales

Towing Systems

Trip Planner

Trip Planning

Use Of Video In Coaching

VAK Test Including Indicators

Weather & Tides

Effects of Wind & Land On The Sea-1

Effects of Wind & Land On The Sea-1

Please revisit the main forum from time to time for additional material in the coaching and instructional notes category