A Pedagogy of Place

A pedagogy of place refers to an alternative vision for outdoor education practice. This timely book, A Pedagogy of Place, calls into question some of the underlying assumptions and truths about outdoor education, and in turn offers alternatives to current practice that are responsive to local conditions and cultural traditions. In this renewal of outdoor education philosophy and practice, the emphasis is upon responding to, and empathising with, the outdoors as particular places, rich in local meaning and significance. Current outdoor education theory and practice is influenced by cultural ideas about risk and adventure, and by psychological theories of personal and social development. However, in recent decades the professional discourse of outdoor education has made a noticeable shift to include education for the environment and nature.This has resulted in a mismatch between theory and practice: traditional notions of proving oneself against the challenges of the outdoors are antithetical to the development of an empathetic relationship with outdoor places, which growing concern with todays environment demands.

This book will be the first of its kind to articulate a renewal of philosophy and practice for outdoor education that is in keeping with the educational needs of todays young people as they grapple with considerable social and ecological changes in a rapidly changing world.

The authors draw extensively on international, national and local literature and provide compelling case studies drawn from the Australian and New Zealand contexts. Mike Brown is a Senior Lecturer in the Sport and Leisure Studies Department, Faculty of Education, University of Waikato. Brian Wattchow is a Senior Lecturer in the Sport and Outdoor Recreation in the Faculty of Education, Monash University.