Out of doors and learning

Authors

C Eglington, Perth Waldorf High School (WA)

Abstract

Why does a teacher or student do outdoor education and what is its underlying philosophical position? Outdoor education has a great capacity to combine sustainable practices in nature with the development of technical skills. Students can become immersed in problem-solving situations in which relationship matter and in some cases can provide the opportunity for them to readjust their lives without the complexities of the modern world. In this way, outdoor education is essential education for a sustainable life for everyone. The author's outdoor education philosophy has its foundation in the image of ancient Greek warriors; such figures give living breathing form for the archetypal young man, while fiction and non-fiction further form this philosophical position. Outdoor education provides an opportunity to recapture the essence of those skills lost due to industrialisation and urbanisation and to re-establish sustainable environmental practices such as hunting and gathering, shelter construction and navigation. [Author abstract, ed]

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