Outdoor education as a path to skills building, nature connectedness, and pro-environmental actions

Outdoor education is a complex concept that holds different meanings for different people. For some it connotes wilderness adventuring; for others it is synonymous with environmental education. Regardless of definitional differences, practitioners agree that the environment shapes values and influences cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. More specifically, many believe that outdoor education is a powerful way to instill pro-environmental values, foster nature connectedness, and inspire sustainable behaviors. This paper explored the role that the outdoors plays in education and critically examined the connection between outdoor education and pro-environmental behaviors.

This paper began as an email conversation about outdoor education among three expert practitioners in New Zealand and Canada. These experts have between 25-40 years of experience each as outdoor educators. This initial thread grew into a thoughtful, organized, intentional, and evidence-based email exchange. The authors engaged in critical conversation, a type of conversation in which different ideas are thoughtfully shared and conversational outcomes have important implications, to explore different viewpoints. The authors used the following questions to guide reflection and spark new conversational directions: (1) What is the difference between the “outdoors” and “wilderness”? (2) What role do the outdoors play in education? (3) How does outdoor education translate into pro-environmental behaviors? The authors' email exchange integrated insights and findings from their own research projects and experiences as well as evidence from other studies.

The authors began their conversation by exploring how they (and others) interpreted the concept of the “outdoors” and how this interpretation impacts outdoor education. They wrote that some environmental and outdoor educators emphasize the importance of place-based education. They described how place-based education immerses students in local, natural environments so that they learn about and connect with the ecology and cultural heritage of their homelands. In contrast, other outdoor educators prioritize taking people to remote environments, minimally influenced by humans, to build deep connections with the natural world. They found that people derive benefit from learning about their local environments, as this helps them connect to and feel protective of the land, both of which are important for spurring sustainable actions. Additionally, the authors found that traveling to remote, pristine wilderness locations can be a powerful way to elicit empathetic responses to nature, which can build nature connectedness and inspire pro-environmental behaviors. Thus, they felt it was important to strike a balance between these two approaches to outdoor education.

The authors emphasized that the full range of outdoor experiences—from schoolyard play to wilderness excursions—are valuable to the learning process. From their review of the literature as well as their own research and experience, the authors found that learning outdoors offers an infinite array of opportunities for problem solving, creative thinking, and critical consideration of issues. Many of the parameters and restrictions imposed by a classroom disappear when students move outdoors; the openness and freedom of the outdoors can encourage students to consider new perspectives. Outdoor education can encourage students to shift their thinking so that it is less human centric and more respectful of the natural world. Learning outdoors also elicits emotional responses and helps students build connections with nature and other people. For example, wilderness excursions encourage participants to work together to solve problems. Spending time in nature can foster a spirit of adventure and sense of wonder that promote different ways of interacting with nature. In all these ways, outdoor education is uniquely positioned to foster critical thinkers, who challenge the status quo and adopt practices that are sustainable, socially just, kind, and inclusive.

This paper was an edited version of an email exchange among three expert outdoor educators. As such, there are limitations with regards to generalizability. The authors' writings—albeit derived from research—were reflective of their own beliefs. The authors selected and presented evidence to make their cases regarding the guiding principles and merits of outdoor education. The paper offers insights that could be very valuable to practitioners, but it should be read as a reflective piece rather than a rigorous review of the literature.

The authors believe that outdoor educators have a responsibility to encourage critical consideration of human-nature interactions, to promote pro-environmental action, and to offer enjoyable experiences in nature. They also celebrate the fact that most of the outdoor educators with whom they have spoken integrate all three of these principles into their practices. They recommend that practitioners help students build the skills they need to develop environmental solutions (e.g., critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking) and offer them ways to take action. Service project participation and civic engagement (e.g., speaking to policymakers, participating in lobbying days) are ways for students to build these skills while simultaneously engaging in environmental protection efforts. The authors also recommend that practitioners focus their efforts on fostering nature connectedness, as this can help build a sustainability consciousness, through balancing exposure to local environments with travel to pristine wilderness.