Making connections with nature: bridging the theory--practice gap in outdoor and environmental education
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe their experience in attempting to assist tertiary students connect with the natural environment through outdoor and environmental education experiences and provide some practical strategies to engage young people in a direct and meaningful way.
Abstract: In this paper I describe my experience in attempting to assist tertiary students connect with the natural environment through outdoor and environmental education experiences The paper addresses research conducted with students undertaking an outdoor and environmental education degree and focuses on the pedagogical methods employed in this context I argue that outdoor and environmental education practitioners may benefit from moving away from a mode of teaching based upon 'generic' methods and look instead to a more local, specific and contextual form of education By describing an outdoor and environmental education journey in a local, 'ordinary' place and students' experiences in unearthing the stories embedded in this place, I aim to provide some practical strategies to engage young people in a direct and meaningful way The intention is to broaden the pedagogical possibilities related to facilitating experiences in natural environments and thus contribute to bridging the rhetoric/reality gap in outdoor education
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TL;DR: In this article, a critical reflection on practice is drawn on student encounters with the Murray River to highlight ways of placing personal experiential learning into a broader cultural context in order to counter colonial understandings of nature and foster deeper awareness of our relationships with the river and the land.
Abstract: How Australians experience a place such as the Murray River has been extensively shaped by our colonial heritage. Colonial notions of how the river ought to behave and be utilised have contributed to the transformation of the river physically, ecologically and culturally. Colonisation has also left behind an intellectual legacy in the way Australians conceptualise ‘nature.’ At a practical level, outdoor education experiences of the Murray that do not make reference to the particulars of the place, such as the current declining ecological health of the Murray, might well be read as an act of colonisation. In order to decolonise encounters with places, I suggest that outdoor education pedagogy develop experiences that are place specific and responsive. In this critical reflection on practice, I draw on student encounters with the Murray River to highlight ways of placing personal experiential learning into a broader cultural context in order to counter colonial understandings of ‘nature’ and foster deeper awareness of our relationships with the river and the land.
77 citations
Cites background from "Making connections with nature: bri..."
...While I find it encouraging that within outdoor education some attention has been given to developing place sensitive education (see for example Brookes, 2002a; Lugg, 2004; Preston, 2004), I believe there is still considerable work to be done....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw on literature from cultural history and environmental history to explore how these disciplines might inform outdoor education research and pedagogy that addresses current cultural and environmental issues of specific communities and geographical places.
Abstract: Outdoor education practice around the world occurs in diverse circumstances, environments and cultures. The application of outdoor education to specific cultural and environmental issues in particular places and communities has received little attention in research. While research in fields such as cultural geography has addressed the relationships between cultures, communities and geographical places, this is largely overlooked in outdoor education research. In this paper I draw on literature from cultural history and environmental history to explore how these disciplines might inform outdoor education research and pedagogy that addresses current cultural and environmental issues of specific communities and geographical places. With the aid of the rhizome metaphor for (re)structuring knowledge, I use examples from my practice in Australia to demonstrate how reading the landscape and the use of stories, or historical accounts, can assist outdoor educators and participants to probe and reflect on the relat...
72 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored possible intersections between sustainability education outdoor learning and place-responsive or sustainable approaches, focusing on two key ideas: First, the nexus of experience and place offers significant promise for educational endeavours that seek to educate for a sustainable future, and traditional conceptions of wilderness as a pedagogical site, can be problematic for outdoor education programs which seek to claim the ground of sustainability.
Abstract: As social, economic and environmental issues have become more prominent in the 21st century, there has been increased critical scrutiny into the ways that outdoor learning interacts with sustainability issues and concepts. As a result, a number of discourses have emerged which interrogate human/nature relationships in traditional outdoor education and propose greater engagement with place-responsive or sustainable approaches. Drawing on research with teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand, this article explores possible intersections between sustainability education outdoor learning. Accordingly, this article focuses on two key ideas: First, the nexus of experience and place offers significant promise for educational endeavours that seek to educate for a sustainable future. Second, traditional conceptions of wilderness as a pedagogical site, can be problematic for outdoor education programs which seek to claim the ground of sustainability. While there is much that can be gained from journeys in remote pristine environments, not all of these experiences necessarily lead to the development of attitudes, understandings, skills, and motivation to live more sustainably. Furthermore, approaches to outdoor learning that seek to develop connection to and care for remote, pristine places, at the same time ignoring more local or impacted places, could present a dichotomous view of 'nature' to students, thereby disrupting efforts to educate for sustainability.
50 citations
Cites background from "Making connections with nature: bri..."
...I acknowledge that calls for engagement with local places is not new (see Bowers, 2001; Boyes, 2011; Gruenewald & Smith, 2008; Payne, 2002; Preston, 2004; Wattchow & Brown, 2011)....
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...Place-based or place-responsive approaches have also been explored in outdoor education contexts in recent years through the work of authors such as Wattchow and Brown (2011), Stewart (2004) and Preston (2004)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the findings of an ongoing action research project exploring ways to resolve the tension between using adventure activities and helping participants to learn about particular regions, communities, and their histories.
Abstract: Recently, the place of adventure activities in outdoor education has become contentious, particularly in Australia and the United Kingdom. It can be challenging for outdoor leaders to incorporate adventure activities with attempts to foster environmental awareness, understanding and action. Recently, some authors have suggested practitioners eliminate the tension by removing adventure activities from outdoor environmental education programs altogether. This paper presents the findings of an ongoing action research project exploring ways to resolve the tension between using adventure activities and helping participants to learn about particular regions, communities, and their histories. The research described in this paper utilised thematic analysis of data collected through a professional journal, focus groups, and student writing. The emerging themes included: the need to capitalise on teachable moments; the importance of managing the technical nature of adventure activities; the importance of deliberate planning and facilitation; and the need for careful consideration of the impact of program length or duration.
47 citations
Cites background from "Making connections with nature: bri..."
...Preston (2004) expressed concerns that adventure activities such as rock climbing and whitewater paddling allow the environment to become the backdrop to the activity encouraging students to focus their attention on the activity and themselves rather than the place....
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...…to concerns about the negative impact of adventure activities on environmental outcomes in outdoor education some authors have recently provided descriptions of alternate approaches which de-emphasise traditional, activity-focused, outdoor education (Lugg, 2004; Payne, 2002; Preston, 2004)....
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...In response to concerns about the negative impact of adventure activities on environmental outcomes in outdoor education some authors have recently provided descriptions of alternate approaches which de-emphasise traditional, activity-focused, outdoor education (Lugg, 2004; Payne, 2002; Preston, 2004)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the epistemology and ontology of place-based education are investigated and a suitable fit in the search for an appropriate research methodology for placebased education is proposed.
Abstract: ‘Place’ is an under-researched and poorly documented element of UK outdoor environmental education. In the international literature, North American and Australian researchers and practitioners show considerable attention to ‘place’. Yet UK outdoor environmental educators and researchers seem to have neglected this area despite calls for increased attention to this element of education in the outdoors. This paper starts from an example of environmental education practice and develops various questions around the role of ‘place’. Investigating the epistemology and ontology of place-based education, the paper draws on the considerable and diverse non-educational literature on ‘place’. Action research is put forward as a suitable fit in the search for an appropriate research methodology for place-based education, and a further set of pressing questions are raised.
45 citations
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Book•
01 Jan 1949
TL;DR: The Sand County Almanac as discussed by the authors is a best seller publication in the world with fantastic worth as well as material is incorporated with fascinating words, which has been composed by a competent sand county almanac writer.
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Book•
01 Jan 1993
399 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1995
TL;DR: The foundations of community work: An Ecological Perspective Environmental crisis Environmental responses and green responses Themes within green analysis An ecological perspective: is it enough? *Foundations of Community Work: A Social Justice Perspective Structural disadvantage Empowerment Need Rights Peace and non-violence Participatory democracy *Ecology and Social Justice: A Vision for Community Development Ecology and social justice Emerging concepts Community Development An alternative vision: grounds for hope.
Abstract: *The Crisis in Human Services and the Need for Community The crisis in the welfare state Community-based services as an alternative The missing ingredient: community development The next steps *Foundations of Community Work: An Ecological Perspective Environmental crisis Environmental responses and green responses Themes within green analysis An ecological perspective: is it enough? *Foundations of Community Work: A Social Justice Perspective Structural disadvantage Empowerment Need Rights Peace and non-violence Participatory democracy *Ecology and Social Justice: A Vision for Community Development Ecology and social justice Emerging concepts Community Development An alternative vision: grounds for hope *Autonomy, Decentralisation, and Community Control Ideological foundations Autonomy Decentralisation Discretion Self-reliance Participation Co-operation Urban, suburban, and rural issues Community-based human services Getting there *Community Development: Social, economic and Political Integrated community development Social development Economic development Political development *Community Development: Cultural, environmental and Personal/Spiritual Cultural development Environmental development Personal and spiritual development Balanced development *Principles of Community Development The application of principles to practice The 22 principles Making connections *Community Work Roles The language of roles Facilitative roles Educational roles Representational roles Technical roles Two special cases: needs assessment and evaluation *Community Work Skills The problem with "cook books" Competencies Practice, theory, reflection and praxis Developing skills Demystifying skills Core community work skills Skill sharing *Practice Issues Practice frameworks Organisational context Values and ethics Professionalism Education and training The use and abuse of power Internal and external community work Long-term commitment Support Passion, vision, and hope
394 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical reading of outdoor education discourse in Victoria is presented, and it is argued that this discourse has been dominated by universalist and decontextualized understandings which fail to account adequately for the development of particular programs, ignore important social, cultural, geographical and historical differences, and are flawed as a basis on which to build outdoor education theory.
Abstract: In Victoria, Australia, school outdoor-education programmes are unusually wide-spread and well established. Is any form of outdoor education essential? I use this question to develop a critical reading of outdoor-education discourse in Victoria. I contend that this discourse has been dominated by universalist and decontextualized understandings of outdoor education which fail to account adequately for the development of particular programmes, ignore important social, cultural, geographical and historical differences, and are flawed as a basis on which to build outdoor-education theory. I show that outdoor education must be understood not only in broad national contexts, but also in local and regional contexts, and that outdoor-education programmes must be understood as particular contributions to existing relationships between particular communities and particular regions. To do so requires a critical reappraisal of how experience is comprehended and geographical location accounted for in curriculum studies.
153 citations
Book•
28 Oct 1997
TL;DR: Prelude Fugue for six voices Part I. Talking: The Language of Landscape: 1. The nature of nature 2. Words and weeds 3. Journeys through a landscape 4. On the road to Botany Bay 5. Perceiving: The Eyes and the Mind: 6. The evolution of perceptual attitudes 7. Eurocentrism and Australian science, some examples 8. Figures in the landscape 9. Home thoughts from abroad Part II. Locating: The Sense of Place: 11.
Abstract: Prelude Fugue for six voices Part I. Talking: The Language of Landscape: 1. The nature of nature 2. Words and weeds 3. Journeys through a landscape 4. On the road to Botany Bay 5. A Snowy River reader Part II. Perceiving: The Eyes and the Mind: 6. The evolution of perceptual attitudes 7. Eurocentrism and Australian science, some examples 8. Figures in the landscape 9. Dreaming up a rainforest 10. Home thoughts from abroad Part III. Locating: The Sense of Place: 11. Sense of place 12. The genius loci and the Australian landscape 13. Cuddlepie and other surrogates 14. Jet-set and parish pump 15. Placing the debate Part IV. Making: Creating Gardens and the Evolution of Styles: 16. The suburban garden in Australia 17. The Australian backyard 18. Gardening across Australia 19. The garden as paradise Part V. Analysing: Ideologies and Attitudes: 20. The rhetoric and ethics of the environmental protest movement 21. The perfectibility of Nature Part VI. Sharing and Caring: Ecological Frameworks: 22. Biological pollution 23. The lie of the land 24. Eating the future 25. Felling the 'Groves of Life' Coda: learning to be at home: 'and then came Venice'.
144 citations