Theories and Practice of Outdoor Education and Learning, 15 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Master´s Programme in Outdoor Environmental Education and Outdoor Life

Entry requirements

-

Intended learning outcomes

- to give an account of both practical and theoretical knowledge about the effect that natural and outdoor environment has on health, concentration, physical and motor development
- to describe the importance of the natural environment for learning
- to demonstrate knowledge of the history of outdoor education and its philosophical and pedagogical background
- summarise an academic text
- know how to use quotations and to refer accoring to academic system.

Course content

The course has an environmental profile and is laborative, treating learning for sustainable development. The content proceeds from current research on man's relationship with the physical environment and the importance of the natural outdoor environment for health and mobility. Through laborative, experimental and field-based forms of work the pedagogical effects of physical activity are studied. Knowledge in action and reflection in action are practiced in natural and outdoor environments from theoretical perspectives drawn from both physical geography and biology. Further, the importance of evolutionary and cultural history perspectives on learning are taken up.

Central concepts that are emphasised are: pragmatism, constructivism, situated learning, reform and learning by doing. The course also elucidates the connection between cognitive research and neuropedagogy. Similarly, a survey is provided of earlier traditions in the field, of theoretical and practical educational ideals, the difference between theory and practice in the modern school as well as of educational philosophy traditions concerning questions of the nature of reality.

The course will approach writing from a micro perspective in order to increase students' awareness of different kinds of text structure and to practice writing with grammatical accuracy and in a manner that is suitable to the task in hand. There will be a special focus on citations and regulations of plagiarism.

Teaching and working methods

Instruction takes place mainly in outdoor environments with the natural landscape as point of departure. Forms of work are varied and consist of experimental field studies and field analyses, excursions, lectures, seminars, study visits, literature study, individual work and self-instruction.

Examination

Testing is done by written and oral individual reflective tasks connected to the activities of the course meetings. Literature is examined in literary seminars.

Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course two times are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for the reexamination.

Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus. The course is carried out in such a way that both men´s and women´s experience and knowledge is made visible and developed.

Department