Reshaping the outdoors through education: exploring the potentials and challenges of ecological restoration education

Abstract

This paper explores and critically discusses a new concept with relevance to outdoor and environmental education: Ecological Restoration Education (ERE). The background of ERE is a recently launched project by the Swedish Anglers Association (SAA) called ‘Skolbäcken’ with an aim to teach children about fish and fish habitats, and how to protect and conserve both, through practical restoration activities. The project is a reaction to an awakening concern about children’s reduced contact with and understanding of nature, both in the Scandinavian countries and elsewhere in the world. With a point of departure in this concern and project Skolbäcken, the paper explores the idea and practice of ERE, drawing from its conceptual roots; ‘ecological restoration’ and ‘outdoor education’. Results show a concept that is both timely and relevant as it not only emphasizes the critique of the children-nature disconnect, but also contributes with strategies to meet the critique with solutions that are appreciated both by the children and their teachers. However, there are also important challenges, including concerns about normative education and the ‘projectification’ of ERE and how these factors may influence the short or long term success and potential continuation of ERE as a learning strategy in schools. Future needs in terms of further grounding of ERE are also discussed.

Diverse perspectives: gender and leadership in the outdoor education workplace

Abstract

Gender roles invariably shape the styles of leadership people assume in outdoor education. This research investigates how society’s value of masculine leadership styles influence instructor and participant understandings of, and experiences in, the outdoors. Six practiced outdoor leaders were interviewed to critique their gendered experiences within the industry. While each of their stories were singular, collectively, the interwoven threads reveal marked intersectional similarities. The emergent themes observed included: breaking gender roles is a positive; leaders encourage gender incongruency; and, organisations focus on gender-balanced hiring. Interestingly, the findings, which were not overtly apparent to all participants included: female leaders feel the need to prove themselves; and, the mechanisms to better address gender fluidity in the industry are needed. The investigation also revealed unconscious bias and sexist views still prevalent in the industry. These included: the belief that women are less physically able; sexual harassment is normalized; and, working with female instructors can be more challenging. Our study raises questions about the buried dynamics of gender expectations and the undercurrents shaping both participants’ and leaders’ experiences in the outdoors. Conclusions are drawn which call for reimagining ways of moving our gendered leadership understandings and practices forward both at the coalface and during professional training.

Investigating the effectiveness of subject-integrated school garden teaching

Abstract

This article maps out existing research regarding the effectiveness of subject-integrated school garden teaching. The school subjects of interest are mathematics, languages and science, and subject integration is defined as a link between these subjects and school garden teaching. The article is based on an integrative review and is derived from existing research, which claims that teaching in school gardens has a predominantly positive influence on students’ academic learning outcome. However, experimental studies indicate that some programmes are less effective than more traditional teaching in the subjects concerned. The review extracts and discusses factors that are consistently regarded as vital to ensure the effectiveness of school garden teaching in terms of the integration of mathematics, languages and science. It is concluded that developing a school garden curriculum is essential with a view to planning, carrying out and evaluating subject-integrated school garden teaching. The teaching should include experiential learning and hands-on activities as teaching methods, making the subject content less abstract, stimulating the students’ senses, and increasing the feeling of meaningfulness. Furthermore, collaboration across subjects and links between indoor and outdoor teaching are central factors in ensuring the effectiveness of subject-integrated school garden teaching.

Threshold concepts for Australian university outdoor education programs: findings from a Delphi research study

Abstract

In Australia, when a person wants to work in the outdoor education or recreation field, they can follow a number of different pathways to gain the required knowledge, skills and experience. Typically, this involves the completion of a formal program with either a training organisation or a university, depending on the qualification sought. Programs delivered by training organisations typically use a national training package to define the specific competencies (knowledge and skills) and the curriculum and outcomes of these programs are clearly defined, and qualifications are usually transferable around the country. Outdoor education programs delivered by universities in Australia, however, have no such clarity. This paper describes a research study that used the Delphi research method to consult with academics working in university outdoor education programs across Australia. The research set out to establish a set of threshold concepts that articulate what a student who completes at least a major in outdoor education knows and is able to do. Over two rounds of consultation the six authors of this paper formed the Delphi facilitation team, which solicited input and feedback from an expert panel. Nineteen different university academics participated in the research and produced seven threshold concepts, which are shared in this paper to encourage discussion and invite feedback from a wider range of stakeholders. More research is required to ascertain the efficacy of these threshold concepts in describing what graduates of university outdoor education programs know and can do.

Escaping to nature to learn: emotional highs of adult learners

Abstract

This study examines the role of nature in relation to emotional highs in adult learning. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used as an overarching methodology and contained both descriptive and interpretive elements. The methodology enabled access to an exploration of the phenomenon with further interpretation of the experiences of the 21 adults who participated in one of three outdoor learning courses. As a part of the findings, three emerging themes are discussed: nature as a sense of escape; learning in nature; and sense of therapy in emotional highs. The study found that nature profoundly affected the experiences of the participants and at times operated as a co-therapist to foster unique learning opportunities. Nature was seen by participants as a learning environment where temporary escape from one’s customary life is possible. Sense of escape in the education settings was found beneficial because it enabled participants, as learners, to get away from life’s usual distractions and routines, and with available time and permission to reflect – to become someone else. This in turn positively affected learning capacity as participants re-connected with themselves without being bound to familiar and taken-for-granted practices.

Peeling back the layers: an exploration of dietary perspectives and practices of journey-based outdoor leaders in an Australian context

Abstract

Journey-based outdoor leaders can be at risk of nutrient deficiencies due to repetitive menus and/or poor dietary practices, with implications for resultant personal health and work performance. Careful meal planning and nutritional understanding can help alleviate this risk. However, overall intakes are also partly dependent on the dietary practices and preferences of outdoor leaders in the field as well as during their days off. This study identifies factors influencing the dietary practices of outdoor leaders from an Australian outdoor education provider and the resultant strategies they implement to manage their diets. Focus groups explored dietary preferences and motivations for dietary practices, with findings corroborated by field observations on two journey-based programs. Inductive thematic analysis identified three key themes influencing the dietary practices of outdoor leaders: food limitations, personal preferences, and social context.

Evaluating the Outdoor Adventure Leadership Experience (OALE) program using the Aboriginal Children’s Health and Well-being Measure (ACHWM©)

Abstract

The Outdoor Adventure Leadership Experience (OALE) is an outdoor health promotion initiative primarily designed for youth. This program was developed through community-based participatory research in a First Nations Community in northern Ontario: Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. It is a 9- or 10-day intensive program involving a wilderness canoe expedition homeward through the traditional territory of Wiikwemkoong. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the OALE on youth well-being, using a culturally appropriate measure of health: The Aboriginal Children’s Health and Well-being Measure (ACHWM©). A pre- and post-intervention study design was used to assess the impact of the OALE on health and well-being. Twenty-eight participants completed both the ACHWM and the Global Health Rating (GHR) instruments before and after the OALE intervention. In total, 68% of participants reported higher ACHWM scores after the OALE (Δ = 3.9, p = 0.014). There were improvements in the Medicine Wheel quadrants score of the ACHWM (spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental). Although 25% of participants had higher scores on the GHR, this did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.55). However, this study highlights the value of evaluating local programming in a culturally-relevant way. Using the ACHWM, it was demonstrated that there was a significant change in the well-being of the OALE youth participants; this was something that the GHR was unable to capture. Thus, the ACHWM appears to be sensitive to short-term changes in health. More research is needed to confirm the specificity and sensitivity of the ACHWM in different populations and contexts.

Review of The story of White Hall Centre: Outdoor education across the decades by Pete McDonald


Review of Ontology and closeness in human-nature relationships: Beyond dualisms, materialism and posthumanism by Neil H. Kessler