Directions In Outdoor Education Curriculum

1999

This paper examines the current state of outdoor education in primary schools in England and Wales and presents arguments to counter current constraints on its provision. Within the national curriculum, outdoor education has been interpreted in the sense of "outdoor and adventurous activities" and, as a result of recent pruning, is now confined to a very small part of the official primary curriculum for children over 7 years of age. Nevertheless, closer scrutiny of the national curriculum reveals real opportunity for outdoor education, and some primary schools have developed effective and imaginative outdoor practices. Examples are given of potential outdoor activities related to math, science, craft and technology, history, geography, art, music, physical education, and English. A sample outdoor education syllabus is outlined for grades 1-6. Six attitudes and misconceptions that constrain delivery of outdoor education at the primary level are discussed and refuted. These are: (1) desires to focus school efforts on passing inspections and to be uncontroversial; (2) perceived lack of outdoor education skills in teachers; (3) perceived need for expensive equipment; (4) fears about the risks of outdoor education; (5) perception that outdoor education is irrelevant; and (6) perception that primary-aged children are too young for outdoor education. (Contains 17 references.) (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

2011

Snapshot one Kaitiakitanga is looking aft er places, things and people. We have observed our children gain a sense of pride and respect for our kindergarten environment. We believe that when children have the opportunity to engage and care for the natural environment they will gain the skills, knowledge and desire to care for it in the future. Th e environment is the third teacher. Th ere is a learning opportunity in every space. We have gardens that are sensory, edible, native and fl owering. We have composting and recycling systems, including water conservation and ecosystems. Children are having a shared responsibility to look aft er our place and this is valued as real work, so everything that we do in the kindergarten here is included with the children. (Carolyn O'Connor, teacher at Papamoa kindergarten in Ritchie, 2010b, p.13) Outdoor education in early childhood settings and schools in Aotearoa New Zealand has a long and rich tradition (see Lynch, 2006 for the history in schools). It remains a key component of school life (Haddock, 2007; Zink & Boyes, 2005/06, 2007), with a wide variety of outdoor education experiences currently off ered in centres and schools nationwide. Th ese school-based experiences are the focus of this chapter.

1997

Abstract Although outdoor education has become firmly established in many school curriculums, it remains unclear what this has achieved. This paper reviews the current state of research on a wide range of school outdoor education programs. The surprising lack of good quality studies prompted this paper to emphasize a rationale for research and evaluation and to provide strategies for implementing more systematic study of outdoor education programs.

As Australia heads into a new era of implementing a National Curriculum, the place of Outdoor Education in Australian schools is under question. In the initial drafts of the National Curriculum, Outdoor Education has been marginalised. The authors argue that Outdoor Education should maintain a strong role, especially as processes of experiential learning are applied across the curriculum. Moreover, Outdoor Education offers distinctive content and learning experiences that would be lost in the current draft framework. This paper considers the role and place of Outdoor Education in the National Curriculum and frames possible considerations, challenges and risks

This paper reports on a study conducted in 2002 and 2003 investigating the nature and scope of outdoor education in New Zealand primary and secondary schools. The aim of the study was to gather data on teachers' practices in outdoor education in New Zealand, the beliefs and values that shape those practices, some of the barriers teachers faced teaching in the outdoors and resources that they felt would support them in their teaching. Findings suggest that teachers use the outdoors to support teaching across the whole curriculum but the types of activities undertaken and the reasons for using the outdoors to enhance learning varied across the primary and secondary sectors. The learning outcomes that respondents considered most important were primarily around personal and social development. The study highlights that there is considerable ambiguity in terminology and understanding around teaching and learning in the outdoors that merits further investigation.

There can often be confusion among practitioners about the relationship between outdoor education and outdoor recreation and how they relate to personal and social development. This article provides an overview of the relationship of both fields. Consequently, it is important for practitioners to understand and as an eye opener about the roots and its notions. The discussion hopefully will enlighten the issues of sceptical perception for both groups of practitioners’ due to lack of understanding the notion, method, fundamental theoretical and objectives of each field.

Outdoor education has a long and well documented history in Great Britain which is regularly linked to Hahn, Gordonstoun School, and the Outward Bound movement. A kayaking tragedy in 1993 resulted in the introduction of new legislation through Parliament. This has led to major changes in outdoor education in Great Britain and extensive debates, which are only partially documented. This paper outlines some of these changes and offers readers references that direct them to more detailed information. In addition, some of the resulting trends and debates that have emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy are provided. The paper concludes by considering some implications for outdoor education as a profession and argues that outdoor educators in Great Britain ought to consider the value of becoming a profession before striving to become one. Finally, some suggestions are made as to why these reflections on' turbulent times' might be relevant to the field of outdoor education in Australia and other countries.

The 1998 review of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) recommended that VCE Outdoor Education should be amalgamated with VCE Environmental Studies to make outdoor education a more academic subject. The resultant new subject, VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies, raised questions about relationships and knowledge in outdoor education, the role of cultural and geographical context and the pedagogical process in developing such relationships and knowledge, and the connections between theory and practice. The new subject can also be seen, in part, as embodying many of connections and disconnections the between outdoor experiences and everyday lives, and home and remote settings. This paper will discuss the change processes involved in creating the new subject, and the issues arising from it for the field of outdoor education, the teachers of the subject, and the constitution of a more academic outdoor education curriculum from a broader social, cultural and education theory perspective, particularly Foucaultian.

2001

Abstract This paper describes and critiques the development of outdoor education (OE) programs in Australia. It is argued that attention should be paid to a country's history, geography and culture when investigating the application of outdoor education programs. Australia has a highly urbanized Western culture which has been heavily influenced by nineteenth century British colonialism and twentieth century American culture.

This brief article examines the underlying assumptions present in mainstream outdoor education in Victoria, Australia. It critiques the educational and social values readily assumed, yet rarely considered, by outdoor educators in Victoria.