Foundations for Tertiary and Senior Secondary Education (2nd ed.)

Abstract

Foundations for Tertiary and Senior Secondary Education (2nd ed.) Reviewed by Nicole Taylor University of Wollongong Froude, C., & Polley, S. (2011). Outdoor Education, Foundations for Tertiary and Senior Secondary Education (2nd ed.). Cottesloe, WA: Impact Publishing. ISBN:978-1-921734-42-7, 436 pages.Christine Froude and Scott Polley have done a thorough job of providing readers with the information and tools needed to teach Outdoor Education to tertiary and senior secondary students. With Froude's background in school Outdoor Education programs and Polley's experience within the tertiary Outdoor Education sector, this textbook provides service to a range of students studying at the secondary and tertiary levels. The book highlights outdoor teaching methods and presents educators with the opportunity to apply theory to practice in developing instructional strategies to best suit their audience. The end of each chapter is summarised with a brief test to assess student understanding, and provides example short answer and essay questions.First impressions reveal this text book to be ideal for students and entry level outdoor education practitioners. The information presented is succinct, straightforward and would be the perfect springboard for those wishing to expand their knowledge in the field. Chapters cover key concepts in planning and preparation for an outdoor experience, practical skills necessary to succeed in the outdoors and an integration of leadership skills and theory.Particularly impressive is Froude & Polley's underlying sense of Eco-pedagogy. I use this term to depict the inclusion of chapters addressing ecology, human connections to nature and Indigenous environmental perspectives. The authors have cleverly interwoven a sense of teaching for the natural world as opposed to simply in it. These issues are a relatively unique inclusion in a foundational outdoor education textbook and reflect the current societal concerns around sustaining biodiversity and the potential decline of the human / nature connection. It was refreshing to find the authors surrounding the well documented principles and ethics of Leave no Trace, with such current significance. If anything, it was disappointing to find the chapter on Indigenous environmental perspectives as brief as it was. I found myself wishing the authors had taken this one step further and really addressed the significance of indigenous connections with the land. However, the inclusion of such topics is a promising one, hinting at potential future directions for outdoor education.In contrast with the timely and contemporary eco-pedagogy mentioned above is the lack of modernity in regards to reflection. The book identifies technology's role in modifying risk and in planning an expedition, however, there is no mention or debate about the place of technology in reflection. …