Outdoor Environmental Education: Concept-based Practice (P01112)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : EDU-P-ED0561

The concept of environmental education is undergoing change. Within public discourse there is a lot more talk of Education for Sustainable Development. Environmental education has traditionally been about the green environment with an implicit hope that children will develop the skills and attitudes to enable them to make informed decisions about environmental issues.

Education for sustainable development contains all of the content of environmental education but starts from the aim of people altering their behaviour to achieve sustainable living, ie living in a way that does not deplete non-renewable resources which will be needed by future generations. It acknowledges that people are the problem and the solution to most environmental problems and recognises that economic, political, social and cultural behaviour have a big part to play in sustainable living.

These developing ideas create exciting opportunities for outdoor educationalists. Because outdoor education depends to a large extent on direct experience of different environments, and multi-sensory approaches to learning, there are specific opportunities to engage in ESD not readily available through class-based education. However, research suggests that outdoor educators tend to define environmental education very narrowly focussing on, for example, avoiding trampling over rare plants, not disturbing birds, taking care to limit erosion at abseil sites, creating wildlife habitats and instructing pupils that litter can be harmful to wildlife. These differing definitions provide a starting point from which this course will explore the role of outdoor education in relation to values and attitudes. This will be done by looking at theoretical positions which transcend the belief that environmental education is simply about the 'green' environment. A central theme of the course is the relationship between human beings and the non-human world.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : No prior requirements

? Costs : Food and linen.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Education, (The Moray House School of Education, Schedule C)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 40 hour(s) per week for 1 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
07/01/2008	09:00	:	Woodlands, Kingussie	External

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course students will:
1 have explored a range of theoretical positions and their implications for environmental education;
2 understand the historical development of environmental education and the emergence of education for sustainable development;
3 be able to relate an ontological assumption with an epistemological position in order to formulate a programme of outdoor environmental education;
4 explore a range of thematic approaches to environmental education and be able to draw on these in the compilation of a programme of outdoor environmental education;
5 be able to understand the concept of environmental education from the perspective of different providers;
6 have arrived at an individual ethic of environmental responsibility as a guiding principle for professional practice;
7 have taken part in experiential environmental education activities;
8 have taken part in a group to deliver a programme of outdoor environmental education to peers.

Assessment Information

Assessment will be in the form of a written assignment of 4000 words. This covers LO 1-6. However, this does not include the assessment of LO 7-8. To maintain flexibility within the mode of assessment the course tutor may set a more practical assignment where students will prepare a lesson plan for an activiity within the scope of the course(s) and deliver the lesson to the group at a local outdoor venue. Students will be assessed on this activity by course tutors and subsequently on their own critically reflective evaluation of their lesson plan and exercise. This may form part of a combined assignment with other courses as validated. This assignment would cover the assessment of LO 7-8.