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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education and Sport : Education

Postgraduate Course: Outdoor and Environmental Education Praxis (EDUA11452)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education and Sport CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course focuses on the theory practice nexus of the outdoor and environmental education programmes' academic and field courses through an exploration of historical and contemporary approaches, place, non-human dimensions, and educational activities through directed, and self-directed personal critical reflection.
Course description Outdoor and Environmental Education Praxis explores historical and contemporary approaches to outdoor and environmental education practice through a critical theoretical lens, in practice. The academic courses in your programme introduce theoretical ideas in relation to, and through, lived experiences. Field courses specifically provide opportunities to explore key ideas/theories/models in direct experience with the outdoors and develop some personal competence in work commonly associated with outdoor and environmental education. This course introduces you to the growing body of experiential education literature, and gives you the tools with which to both critically analyse your practice in relation to other pedagogical approaches. You will engage with learning about the non-human dimensions of the location of individual academic/field courses, consider the layers of human culture that have been laid down over the location, affordances of place(s) and develop your personal competency in the educational activities being undertaken. This all takes place within the context of critical personal reflection and facilitated discussion drawing on, and making links with, the theoretical content covered in the academic courses.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  27
Course Start Full Year
Course Start Date 16/09/2024
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Fieldwork Hours 40, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 126 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Professional Journal 100% completed in 2 submissions
Submission 1 - 2000 words
Submission 2 - 2000 words
Final Grade an average of the two submissions with compensation.
Feedback Option to submit outline of reflection prior to first submission available. 500 words. Students will be provided feedback on two submissions of their Professional Journal, once at the end of each semester.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Take responsibility and demonstrate initiative in meeting learning outcomes for all core field courses for their degree programme.
  2. Work cooperatively and efficiently with peers to accomplish common goals, while accounting for individual needs, ideas and abilities.
  3. Engage in and evaluate processes of experiential education by reflecting on the importance of field courses in light of experiences from the academic programme, and beyond.
Reading List
Breunig, M. (2005). Turning Experiential Education and Critical Pedagogy Theory into Praxis. Journal of Experiential Education, 28(2), 106 122. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382590502800205
Kemmis, S., & Smith.T.J. (Eds.). (2008). Enabling praxis: Challenges for education. Sense.
Mahon, K., & Smith, H. (2019). Moving beyond methodising theory in preparing for the profession. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 1-12. doi:10.1080/14729679.2019.1686039
O'Connell, T. S., Dyment, J. E., & Smith, H. (2015). Students' appropriation, rejection and perceptions of creativity in reflective journals. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(1), 1-13.
Roberts, J. (2012). Beyond learning by doing: Theoretical currents in experiential education. New York: Routledge.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills With its focus on reflection, the course offers multiple opportunities for developing a wide range of graduate attributes in both the areas of mindset and skills. The course makes specific contributions in the areas of developing:
- curiosity for learning that makes a positive difference
- courage to expand and fulfil their potential
- critical and reflective thinkers
- skilled communicators
Keywordsoutdoor,environmental,education,praxis
Contacts
Course organiserDr Heidi Smith
Tel:
Email: Heidi.Smith@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Malgorzata Litwinska
Tel: (0131 6)51 6363
Email: Maggie.Litwinska@ed.ac.uk
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