Whose place, whose history? Outdoor environmental education pedagogy as ‘reading’ the landscape

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 relationships between personal experience and the complex cultural-ecological processes that have shaped the places in which we live and work.

Perceived learning experiences regarding Education for sustainable development – within Swedish outdoor education traditions

“…Student learning in authentic contexts has been seen as a key to engage, develop a sense of connection, and relate not only to environmental, but also to cultural and historical perspectives in ESD (cf. Smeds, Jeronen, Kurppa & Vieraankivi, 2011;Stewart, 2008).…”

Enacting a place-responsive research methodology: walking interviews with educators

“…We exemplify what this might mean in practice with a description of one place-responsive research method -the walking interview -and a commentary on how this approach generated data and led to data analysis. We argue that the development of a more place-responsive research methodology is now required as a deeper concern for place becomes more important in expressions of the purposes and practices of outdoor and environmental education (Brookes, 2002;Brown, 2012;Quay and Seaman 2013;Somerville et al, 2009Somerville et al, , 2011Stewart, 2008;Cameron, 2003, Mannion, et al 2011. Our contribution sits within a wider burgeoning concern for the F o r P e e r R e v i e w O n l y 2 Thrift, 1999;Urry 2007).…”

“…Place: a preeminent concern F o r P e e r R e v i e w O n l y 3 2002Beames, Higgins and Nicol, 2012;Bentsen, Mygind and Randrup, 2009;Brookes, 2002;Harrison, 2010;Higgins and Wattchow, 2012;Mannion, Fenwick and Lynch, 2013;Mygind, 2009;Somerville et al, 2009Somerville et al, , 2011Stewart, 2008;Waite 2011;Wattchow and Brown, 2011).…”

More than activities: using a ‘sense of place’ to enrich student experience in adventure sport

“…It reflects an educational philosophy that is more wide-ranging than the 'learning for qualifications to secure employment' as it connects place with self and community (Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000). We were particularly influenced by the work of Gruenewald (2003) who argued for the cultural, political, economic, and ecological dynamics of places and Stewart (2008) who used reading of the landscape and use of historical accounts to explore complex cultural-ecological processes that shape places, as well as Harrison (2010) who explored the ontological and epistemological framework of place from the disciplines of human geography, phenomenology as well as anthropological and environmental psychological writing. In particular, and with our students we used the work of Wattchow & Brown (2011) which contextualises place for outdoor educators as well as the work of eminent geographer Tuan (1977).…”