SPECTRUM COLLEAGUES
Frederik Gobbels
Fontys University, Sittard , Netherlands
Email:
frederik.gobbels@fontys.nl
After becoming a physical educator, I received my Msc. from the Faculty of Psychology and Education of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I specialised in psycho-social problems and special educational. I moved after 15 years from the clinical field of mildly retarded youngsters at risk in a residential treatment centre to Fontys University of applied Science department Sports, We;lness, Leisure and Education.
I started my career in physical education in 1986 in Holland. As a project manager for a local government department of sports I recognised the opportunities of sports and exercise for the less fortunate youngsters at risk. In the years that followed I developed the POLE learning concept and POLE method for mildly retarded youngsters based and experiential in adventurous learning. Since 2000 I have been the managing director of POLE Counselling & Consultancy.
One of the dilemmas in the development of the POLE method was ‘teaching’ staff. Some came from healthcare and social studies, other were physical educators. The first were specialists in the process of care, the others were competent in leading and organise activities, games and initiatives. Working with the POLE method implicates working in different roles and provides a challenging environment for learning. Explaining this to staff and students was a very difficult task.
In September 2007 I had the opportunity to go to the FEPSAC Conference and meet Sara Ashworth Lankler in a workshop about the Spectrum. Not knowing anything about the Spectrum, I was guided in my discovery that the Spectrum was the missing part of the POLE concept. But there is more. During the innovation process of Sports Leisure and Wellness at our University, I discovered also the power of the Spectrum for students. Introducing the Spectrum last year made explaining the variety to support learning processes of others to students much easier.