Outdoor Education - Philosophy and Theory

Philosophy and Theory

Philosophy and theory about outdoor education tends to emphasise the effect of natural environments on human beings, the educative role of stress and challenge, and experiential learning.

One view is that participants are at their "rawest" level when outdoors because they are "stripped" of many of the conveniences of modern life. Participants can become more aware that they are part of a greater ecosystem and are not as bound by social customs and norms. In essence participants can be true to themselves and more able to see others as people regardless of race, class, religion etc. Outdoor education also helps instill the basic elements of teamwork because participants often need to work together and rely on others. For many people a high ropes course or an outdoor activity may stretch their comfort zone and cause them to challenge themselves physically which in turn can lead to challenging oneself mentally.

The roots of modern outdoor education can be found in the philosophical work of:

• Comenius
• John Dewey
• William James
• Aldo Leopold
• John Locke
• John Muir
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Henry David Thoreau
• Pestalozzi

Foundational work on the philosophy of outdoor education includes work by:

• Kurt Hahn
• Willi Unsoeld

A wide range of social science and specific outdoor education theories and models have been applied in an effort to better understand outdoor education. Amongst the key theoretical models or concepts are:

• Experiential education theories
• Group development theories
• the Outward Bound Process Model
• Stress, optimal arousal, comfort zone, and psychological flow theories
• Psychoevolutionary theory and the Biophilia hypothesis