Situational Awareness & Dynamic Problem Solving in Outdoor Education
David Gregory
No matter how well you plan, as outdoor educators it’s rare that Plan A or even B actually works. Consequently, outdoor leaders need to have dynamic problem solving skills to be able to dynamically manage changing conditions and situations. This interactive session explores how outdoor educators can enhance their situational awareness and problem-solving capabilities in complex, changing environments. Participants will examine practical frameworks for reading environmental, group and operational dynamics, recognizing early warning signs and making adaptive decisions under uncertainty. Drawing from real-world scenarios, this session equips educators with tools to move beyond reactive responses toward proactive, situationally-informed practice that enhances both safety and good educational outcomes.
About David
David is a seasoned educational and trip safety leader with over two decades of experience in operational management and risk management in outdoor education. As the CEO of Xcursion Safety a software and training company, David leads a team of industry specialists supporting schools throughout Australia, in NZ, SE Asia & the Middle East with practical approaches to risk management for trips and activities outside the classroom with a focus on empowering school leaders and teachers to understand and effectively manage the range of dynamic risks for their activities and build a culture of safety.
David has worked in and lead long-stay residential programs as well as large outdoor education programs and international school tours for a number of Australian private schools including Xavier College, Scots College, Kinross Wolaroi & SCECGS Redlands. In addition to this he has worked in retail, hospitality and with a number of politicians through which he developed some well-practiced media and crisis communications skills.
David’s work has been strongly influenced by the need to provide great educational opportunities for students to grow personally and academically through experiential education as well as ensure the risks associated with these programs are minimised and well managed.
