Nature and well-being in outdoor learning: authenticity or performativity

Abstract

In this paper we look at the ways in which the experience of the natural environment was made available to the pupils and the types of activities provided for specific engagement with the local natural environment. It draws upon research undertaken for the Well-being and Outdoor Pedagogies project and previous PhD research. These projects explored the processes of teaching and learning at one outdoor residential education centre. Data were collected through ethnographic research and included participant observation, interviews with teachers, parents and centre staff, and group interviews with pupils. Previous analyses of this research have highlighted a number of aspects of the experience, such as, for example, whilst the interviewed children reflected positively on the experience, the research highlighted the importance of teachers' interaction with the children in providing for democratic, shared, positive learning. The activities undertaken by the pupils included physical activities focusing upon team work and problem-solving, and activities that focused on exploring nature and the natural environment, which surrounded the residential centre. The dominant philosophy of the residential centre is considered, as are the ways in which nature and the natural environment appear largely taken for granted, but for reasons of safety.