Humans are currently living in a way that profoundly affects the planet, and the lives of future generations. Our value system promotes economic gain over environmental health. We are taking more than we are giving back, stretching beyond the limits of sustainability. Earth cannot sustain the current human lifestyle under these conditions. This is paired with the fact that the current system of education focuses on producing economically productive individuals instead of environmentally and socially aware persons who carefully consider the impacts of their actions. This study examines the capacity for “ecological living” to use outdoor education as a tool for changing the present human way of life. Thirty three ecological farms responded to a questionnaire examining the importance each placed on current vs. alternative values. The respondents also answered questions displaying the relationship between life on their farms and the key components of outdoor education. Results show a positive opportunity exists for using ecological farms and the ecological lifestyle to promote a change in way of life. The results also exhibit a high level of connection between the ideals of outdoor education and the activities that are part of life on an ecological farm. This suggests that by specifically tailoring ecological farms to be educational institutions, a further change in way of life could be expanded. The ecological lifestyle shows potential to educate people in greater awareness of others and the environment, thereby decreasing the human impact on earth and creating an opportunity for future generations.

Bakgrund: Utomhuspedagogik syftar till lärande i samverkan mellan upplevelse ochreflektion utifrån konkreta erfarenheter i verkliga situationer. Det är ett handlingsriktatlärande utomhus där teori och praktik kopplas samman i ett erfarenhetsbaserat lärande,vilket leder till djupare kunskaper. Utomhuspedagogik är ett komplement till traditionellundervisning där eleverna lär med hela kroppen och fler sinnen. Pedagoger medutbildning i utomhuspedagogik ser skillnader mellan traditionellt lärande ochutomhuspedagogik. Ämnen som oftast undervisas utomhus är språk och matematik.Närheten till bra utemiljö är nödvändig för att lämna skolgården. Syfte: Undersöka hurskolans närmiljö påverkar pedagogers syn på utomhuspedagogik och användandet avnärmiljön? Metod: Studien bygger på kvalitativa enkäter som är genomförda iförskoleklasser på två skolor, den ena skolan är placerad i stadsmiljö och den andra ärbelägen nära naturmiljö. Enkäterna har besvarats av tio pedagoger, varav åtta deltog frånden naturnära skolan och två från den stadsnära. Resultat: Det finns tydliga skillnadermellan skolorna när det gäller synen på utomhuspedagogik, den naturnära skolan harbredare kunskaper om utomhuspedagogik. Den naturnära skolan ser fler möjligheter förlärandet utomhus och undervisar i fler ämnen utomhus än den stadsnära skolan. Bådaskolorna har lektioner i matematik, språk och idrott utomhus, dessutom tar leken en stordel av utepassen. Slutsats: Närmiljön påverkar de olika skolornas sätt att arbeta utomhus.Goda förutsättningar och närhet till naturmiljö ökar intresset och kunskaperna iutomhuspedagogik.

This thesis considers outdoor education as a pedagogical approach which enables students to explore the natural world and learn its value when guided by an adult, be they teacher or community member. In order to provide a full account of this distinctive pedagogy, the thesis critically examines three approaches to outdoor education: a discipline-based approach used in a course on phenology at Capital Normal University in Beijing; a multidisciplinary approach currently utilized at the Outdoor School in Saskatoon; and a place-based approach as exemplified in the CO-SEED project (Community-Based School Environmental Education project) in the United States. The theoretical framework used throughout the thesis is the philosophy of education of Alfred North Whitehead coupled with concepts from his philosophy of organism. It is within this framework that each approach is interpreted and its strengths and weaknesses explained.<p> Based on consideration of the three examples and on an analysis of the literature concerning outdoor education, I argue that outdoor education is not fully recognized by educators as a way for students to learn to appreciate their connection with nature. The educational value of outdoor education has yet to be acknowledged, and as a result students with little or no regular outdoor experience tend to feel alienated from nature, and are losing any sense of connectedness and rootedness to the places where they live. By way of contrast, outdoor education has the potential to restore students appreciation of nature.<p> I propose that a place-based approach to outdoor education is the most inclusive and adequate of the three approaches. At the same time, this approach would benefit from a full understanding and integration of Whiteheads key concepts of the rhythmic cycles of growth, internal relations, wisdom, value, and the art of life. Together they would strengthen place-based education, making it an effective approach to outdoor education.

This thesis considers outdoor education as a pedagogical approach which enables students to explore the natural world and learn its value when guided by an adult, be they teacher or community member. In order to provide a full account of this distinctive pedagogy, the thesis critically examines three approaches to outdoor education: a discipline-based approach used in a course on phenology at Capital Normal University in Beijing; a multidisciplinary approach currently utilized at the Outdoor School in Saskatoon; and a place-based approach as exemplified in the CO-SEED project (Community-Based School Environmental Education project) in the United States. The theoretical framework used throughout the thesis is the philosophy of education of Alfred North Whitehead coupled with concepts from his philosophy of organism. It is within this framework that each approach is interpreted and its strengths and weaknesses explained.<p> Based on consideration of the three examples and on an analysis of the literature concerning outdoor education, I argue that outdoor education is not fully recognized by educators as a way for students to learn to appreciate their connection with nature. The educational value of outdoor education has yet to be acknowledged, and as a result students with little or no regular outdoor experience tend to feel alienated from nature, and are losing any sense of connectedness and rootedness to the places where they live. By way of contrast, outdoor education has the potential to restore students appreciation of nature.<p> I propose that a place-based approach to outdoor education is the most inclusive and adequate of the three approaches. At the same time, this approach would benefit from a full understanding and integration of Whiteheads key concepts of the rhythmic cycles of growth, internal relations, wisdom, value, and the art of life. Together they would strengthen place-based education, making it an effective approach to outdoor education.

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The study is of qualitative research method, where the interviews are the main material for the study. This study aims to analyze teachers and pupils perspectives on outdoor education in the early years of the elementary school. The main reason for this study is that all the literature in the area tends to lift up the positive aspects of the field. While the practice of education tends to go the other way, where the majority of our children’s classes takes place inside the classrooms. Thus we are left with a contradictory school environment. To examine the reasons why outdoor education gets the role (or lack of role) it gets I have formed these questions as guidelines: In what way does teachers use outdoor education? Where does the school board stand in the issue? How do teachers reflect on their own teacher training, and what role did outdoor education play? What do the students think about outdoor education? What perspectives of the term “learning” do the students have? The result of the study is that the lack of education for the teachers, and the fear of not having the time to do all that needs to be done lead to a culture in schools where outdoor education gets prioritized beneath other forms of learning, thus gets a lower status.

The purpose of this study was to conduct research to (a) better understand children’s perceptions of nature and (b) aid in opening the “black box” related to programmatic processes and outcomes in outdoor education research. Three separate studies were conducted. The first study used surveys, drawings and interviews to explore the assumption of a nature deficit-disorder for fifth grade youth living in an urban environment. The study investigated students’ definitions and perceptions of nature. Findings indicated variations in students’ perceptions and suggested that direct nature experiences can play a significant role in creating a connection with nature. The second study built upon the first. The study focused on the impact of an outdoor educational experience upon fifth grade children's perceptions of nature. The quasi-experimental mixed-method design provided valuable insights into outcomes associated with students’ participation in a four day, three night outdoor learning education program sponsored by the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and its Outdoor Education Center (HISD-OEC). As result of attending the program, students increased their scores on survey measures and changes in interview responses and illustrated drawings suggested that students ascribed new meaning and increased affection for nature. The final study used a case study approach to provide an in-depth review of the HISD-OEC program’s purpose, mission, philosophy, and program implementation practices. The findings linked student reported outcomes to program processes. The study was structured around the grounded theory approach of McKenzie (2000

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 97 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-92).

As a teacher educator, I was concerned at the passive roles that pre-service teachers (PSTs) seemed to take in my outdoor education (OE) courses and I believed that more authentic (teacher-like) experiences would assist PSTs to take more active roles. Early in this research I developed a metaphor of PSTs as passengers on the long distance flight (their degree) to the destination (of teaching) to explain some of this passivity. Using a self-study methodology, I examined a variety of ‘authentic’ learning experiences during a semester-long course. Guided by Schwab’s commonplaces, I accessed perspectives of learners, milieu, teacher educator and discipline to provide me with some certainty about the effects of my teaching. The authentic learning experiences included my use of transparent teaching (open journaling and thinking aloud), modelling of proposed graduating teacher standards, fatality case studies and handing over control on an OE camp. As the research progressed, it became apparent that my initial framing of the problem of PST passivity was flawed. In particular, the most authentic experiences of teaching on the OE camp did not necessarily result in the active learning I had anticipated. Through the self-study methodology, I came to realise that authenticity was impeding the learning of some students. I reframed my approach to teacher education and used Schwab’s eclecticism to also acknowledge the equal importance of passive learning, inauthenticity and teacher uncertainty. I argue that this eclectic approach provides a more nuanced and fuller understanding of teaching and learning in the OE course. Finally, I discuss the criteria within self-study for demonstrating improvement and representation of results.

Connecting with Courage (CWC) is a three-day Outward Bound self-discovery programme, designed by women for women. It was developed to bring feminist theory to bear on outdoor and experiential education (OEE). The re-thinking of OEE research from a feminist standpoint is less than two decades old. It began by challenging previous assumptions about participants in OEE as male and set out to explore women's different experiences and needs in OEE programmes. However while this new literature criticised the standard OEE literature for universalising male participants' experiences, it tended to provide a universalist and essentialist view of women's experiences and needs in OEE. More recently, this latter tendency has been criticised by a small number of writers within the women-and-OEE literature. This study examines women's experiences during and after four of Outward Bound's CWC courses in light of some branches of contemporary feminist theory. The study employs qualitative methodology placing the researcher at CWC as both a participant and observer, and carrying out individual open-ended, semi-structured, in-depth, ethnographic interviews with 21 women. The study explores the limitations of the standard OEE framework and the women-and-OEE literature. Its central contribution is to show how women's experiences at CWC and their subsequent understanding of these experiences can be interpreted differently depending on the theoretical framework used. The study highlights the potential of contemporary feminist theory in four respects. First it illustrates the value of re-thinking the universalist concept of woman by exploring how sexual identity, as one example of social difference, is relevant to experience. Second the study validates Carol Gilligan's notion of the self as relational while examining contemporary feminist theorisations of the self. Thus, third, it also demonstrates how far more nuanced and rich insights can be derived by employing a postmodern-inspired f