Abstract
Australia has a state-based educational system. In some of these states, outdoor education exists as part of the formal accredited secondary school curriculum. In this paper I analyse the content of these senior secondary school outdoor courses as a means to help delineate and describe the body of knowledge of outdoor education. I suggest outdoor education’s body of knowledge reflected in these courses fall into six different content categories or areas. Only two of these areas, outdoor pursuits knowledge and skill, and journey based knowledge and skill are common to all courses reviewed. The remaining four content categories each provide a pathway to extend outdoor education into the conceptually more rigorous realms of senior schooling. I conclude with reflective comment on these four pathways and the future of outdoor education in senior schooling.
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About the author Peter Martin PhD has worked in outdoor education since the late 1970s and been centrally involved in writing outdoor education curriculum at the secondary and tertiary level. A member of La Trobe’s Centre for Excellence in Outdoor Education and Environment he strives to encourage debate and clarity about outdoor education’s contribution to environmental and human futures. Email: p.martin@latrobe.edu.au
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Martin, P. Outdoor education in senior schooling: Clarifying the body of knowledge. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 12, 13–24 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03401020
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03401020