What future/s for outdoor and environmental education in a world that has contended with COVID-19?

Abstract

This is an unusual article in that it brings together the perspectives of many on this journal's editorial board, around the issue of contending with COVID-19. Twenty statements showcase a range of thoughts and experiences, highlighting the differences and similarities in the way the pandemic is impacting on the educational practice of outdoor and environmental education. The future is not yet written, of course, so it is worth thinking about how the current moment may impact on the months and years to come. The aim of this article is to influence and support such thinking.

After the Plague: Revisiting Experiential and Adventure Education Outcome Variables After Covid-19

“…Ayotte-Beaudet et al (2020) examined the impacts on outdoor program operations, Barton (2020) studied the changes in teaching strategies and techniques from the pandemic, and Mackenzie and Goodnow (2020) examined recreation user trends. In addition, Quay and his colleagues (2020) provided a more intimate and global perspective from 20 outdoor and experiential leaders and instructors on the impact of the virus on a broad variety of OAEE and environmental education programs across the globe.…”

Environmental education using distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown in Israel

“…The shortcomings of distance learningwhich include a lack of engagement in content learning, a lack of physical interaction with friends and a lack of immersion in the local environments (Azorín, 2020) -were even more prominent in the context of environmental education, in which the local outdoor environment plays a fundamental role. Research has found that students under lockdown conditions expressed their desire for the real learning that occurs during outdoor education (Quay et al, 2020). It is therefore important to explore environmental education in this situation.…”

“…The pandemic sparked a global reaction that involved the influencing of policy makers, changing education systems and shifting environmental resource management practices (Quay et al, 2020). These different levels of change (the local, the national and the international) make the social-ecological system approach, and environmental education as part of it, well suited as a framework for this study.…”

“…Single-loop learning is a form of specific learning with minor adaptations in light of errors (Plummer, 2013). For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental education has been able to shift to online teaching about nature-related topics without using the outdoors (Quay et al, 2020). The system's response can also occur through double-loop learning and attempts to change organisational norms (Löf, 2010).…”

“…The system's response can also occur through double-loop learning and attempts to change organisational norms (Löf, 2010). For example, the education system has been able to afford teachers greater autonomy during the COVID-19 crisis than during times of normalcy and can continue doing so in the future (Quay et al, 2020). Research has shown that even in times of normalcy, teachers with a sense of autonomy demonstrate positive relationships with their students as well as greater adaptability, which has been found to be extremely important during the pandemic (Collie & Martin, 2020;Reimers & Schleicher, 2020).…”