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EDUCATION IN THE OUTDOORS ’05 Lecturer - Andrew Brookes Latrobe University, Bendigo
Education in the Outdoors - Four Part Assignment
Questions chosen:
1. Topic 2 - Using examples and referring to the reading, discuss one or two ways in
which the main reading (Astride a long-dead horse) helped you understand how
to write or evaluate educational aims and purposes.
2. Topic 4 - Drawing on your reading and your own experiences, explain how
different ways of shaping experiences and patterns of experiences may
influence how a place is understood, and what a place, or some aspect of a
place, means to particular people.
3. Topic 6 - With reference to your reading and using examples summarise and
discuss the issues that should be considered when deciding on the educational
value of nature based tourism
4. Topic 7 - Drawing on your reading and using examples discuss the reasons why
outdoor education curriculum should take into account specific local (which
may include national) circumstances.
Note: I am using the 2004 Readings packet plus print outs of the relevant new articles. I
have struggled at times to properly reference page numbers of these web-based pdfs
and so for consistency have used the pdf page number as that is what I’ve referred to.
< ASSIGNMENT - 4 QUESTIONS> Tom Walter 14302377
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Question 1 - Using examples and referring to the reading, discuss one or two ways in
which the main reading (Astride a long-dead horse) helped you understand how to
write or evaluate educational aims and purposes.
The Andy Brookes article in question argues that mainstream OE theory has lagged
behind the post-Enlightenment revolution of contemporary curriculum discourse (which
includes the traditions of critique and dissent, based on reason, empiricism, and cultural
relativism). His argument is that mainstream OE theory has failed to recognise, respond
and change to come into line with Spencer’s dictum of 1859, that the key curriculum
issue is not what might be included but what should be left out. This marked the end of
fundamental or absolutist approaches to curriculum. Thus OE theory is akin to riding an
“absolutist horse that died 150 years ago” (Brookes 2004: 23).
My impression from the main reading is that universal approaches to OE curriculum that
do not take into account the context (social, environment and otherwise) of what is
included are difficult, if not impossible, to justify inclusion in curriculum discourse.
As with any educational aims and purposes based on the premise of Spencer’s dictum
(i.e. justifications for inclusion in curriculum), OE aims and purposes must convincingly
answer the questions of “whether or not outdoor experiences can or do uniquely fulfil
any essential educational purpose” (2004: 2). Brookes’ main argument is that for as long
as this question cannot be convincingly answered, from an ‘outsiders’ perspective, OE
curriculum stands on shaky ground, so much so that it cannot be rendered
indispensable.
Brookes refers to three universal groupings of mainstream OE aims and purposes. These
include those referring to individual development (which discounts the social and
cultural contexts of education), treating place either as educationally insignificant or as
monolithic, and speaking of aims and purposes in such general or abstract terms that
they cannot guide the specific requirements of OE programs and practice.
I made this very mistake during my first assessment to becoming a rock climbing guide.
When responding to the question of what would I do if a school approached me
wanting to run a 5-day climbing program at Mt Arapiles, I launched into my own
concept of an appropriate program that would include a series of activities beginning
with bouldering around to get used to moving on rock followed by sequential instruction
of how to climb.
While I could try to defend myself by saying that I didn’t understand the nature of the
question, the thing I did not consider first was to ask the school (i.e. the teachers and
students) what they would like included. How could I know what they already knew
about the place, their level of experience, their own educational aims and purposes? A
program designed for a group of mainly Anglo-Celtic students studying VCE Outdoor
Education from a private school in nearby Horsham would necessarily have to differ
from a year 9 class from a state school in Melbourne’s western suburbs where there is the
greater likelihood that many of the students to come from widely varied socio-
economic and cultural backgrounds. It is an experience I still cringe at when I think
about it. But, it summed up what my understanding was at the time - how to apply a
skill-based learning template that I could apply to any rock climbing situation, regardless
of location, social and cultural context.
Brookes’ argument is that this sort of program planning is the result of an implied social
context which is reflected in a study of aims and purposes in OE textbooks.
If I am to focus on one way that this article has helped me understand how to write or
evaluate OE aims and purposes it is simply that the aims and purposes of any program
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must make the program educationally indispensable, in that, they can or do employ
unique ways to address specific educational problems. It has taught me that when
assessing the worth of any OE program, the hard question must be asked - can it be
dispensed with? If the aims and purposes do not use unique ways to address specific
educational problems, then a program is not indispensable.
To be considered indispensable, the inclusion of ‘personal development’ would mean
that certain personal qualities can only be gained through OE; that experience of
nature or the outdoors, no matter what the setting, has the same sort of restorative
effect on all participants or that the same objectives can be achieved regardless of the
place in which a program is conducted; and that finally, the broad and abstract aims
like “personal, social and educational development” (Gair (1997:2) cited in Brookes
(2004:20)) can justify education conducted in the outdoors.
Brookes argues that OE ‘insiders’ who are already convinced of these things have
research bias, and so any assumptions made need to be even more critically examined.
Based on the above list of aims and purposes it is clear to me that certain things need to
be considered when deciding on OE aims and purposes.
Context must be established, which includes social, cultural and geographic
considerations. The relative worth of each inclusion must be established based on the
understandings gained by not only considering what might be taught but more
importantly what should be taught.
Brookes, A. (2004). Astride a long-dead horse. Mainstream outdoor education theory
and the central curriculum problem. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 8(2), 22-
33.
3

Question 2 - Drawing on your reading and your own experiences, explain how different
ways of shaping experiences and patterns of experiences may influence how a place is
understood, and what a place, or some aspect of a place, means to particular people.
“…for what people make of their places is closely connected to what they
make of themselves as members of society and inhabitants of the earth, and
while the two activities may be separable in principle, they are deeply joined
in practice.” (Basso 1996:7)
To answer this question I will relate my own experience of a specific region I have visited
repeatedly for the last ten years, Mt Stapylton and its surrounds at the Northern tip of the
Grampians, Gariwerd. I have visited this region repeatedly for various reasons. A
personal trip to Summerday Valley with friends was my first outdoor rock climbing
experience.
I have since spent more time exploring the rock environment here than anywhere else. I
worked for a couple of months pruning olive trees at the biodynamic olive grove at the
base of Mt Zero. I have brought many friends (from Melbourne, interstate and overseas)
and family to share with them my experiences of this region. More recently I have taken
solo-photographic trips and recently submitted an article for publication in a rock
climbing magazine relating to my experiences in the region, focussing on a sense of
place. I have spent days at a time scrambling around exploring on my own. I have been
here in different seasons, in different weather, both at night and during the day. I visited
many times before and after the bushfires that swept through the area a few years ago.
I have slept in a number of different caves, in my tent in a campground, in a B&B. I have
guided different groups of adults and children on different outdoor programs. I have
watched others and tried to consider their perspectives.
Each of these experiences has helped me to understand aspects of this place. It is only
in more recent years that I realised that not only was I learning as much about the place
as about myself in this place. By adopting different roles and experiencing the place in a
variety of ways my own understanding changes and the place means different things to
me each time along with an evolving understanding. Recently, I have engaged in
personally and educationally driven studies of the original inhabitants of the region,
reading about and visiting sites of indigenous significance. As my own understanding
and resulting sense of attachment and inseparability grows in this place, its meaning to
me changes. I have tried to imagine what an indigenous understanding might entail,
what a forced dislocation might mean, what impact my presence might have, what
impact the people I bring here might have.
In many ways, I have been engaged in a process of shaping and subtly changing my
own experiences of this place as my knowledge of it develops. I can recall clearly the
first time I brought friends (fellow rock climbers) to the area for the first time. We pitched
tents in the campground and then spent the whole weekend hurrying between different
crags. I would point out the ‘classic’ lines as we walked past different cliffs, only stopping
to climb what I though was a route of appropriate difficulty and aesthetic appeal.
In reflection, this is a rather contrived way to experience a place, especially for the first
time (I now see climbing can be quite a contrived activity). On subsequent experiences
with friends I have suggested we sleep in a nearby cave, away from the main paths,
tracks and climbing areas. We walk in to this area off track, often at night, sleeping out
in the open. Nocturnal animals can be heard. Insects congregate in different parts of
the cave depending on light and temperature. On waking, a short walk to a nearby
outcrop of rock gives each person the ability to view the region. While climbing is still a
part of the weekend, it ceases to be the dominant focus. Walking to the crag the next
morning requires a scrambling route, around the edge of Mt Stapylton. I notice the
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geological formation of rock features, how the vegetation changes depending on
rainfall runoff, how sandy the soil is and the amount of sunlight a particular spot receives.
Brookes (In press: 5) reminds us that “there is no final point at which an educator knows
‘enough’ about the local environment to be certain how to proceed”. My own
experience confirms this. By choosing the narrow paradigm of photography, a major
focus on each of my trips to the region, my intention has been to photographically
explore a different aspect of place, I am made aware of the infinite number of
translations each place has, changing light, differing perspectives, different subjects,
seasonal changes in vegetation and wildlife, subtlety of geological formations… the list
could go on forever.
Brookes (In Press: 1) considers White’s approach to naturalist knowledge in ‘Selbourne’
as being “infused with the tone and texture of experiences guided by curiosity, melded
with careful observation, and premised on the expectation of a lifetime in one area.”
While I do not intend to live in the Northern Grampians in the near future, I feel my own
experiences in the region to this point, with the knowledge that I will continue to visit the
region by conscious choice, are my own version of those experienced by White, of
careful observation, experiences guided by curiosity forming the tone and texture of my
own understandings.
Basso, K. (1996) Wisdom Sits in Places. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
Brookes (In press). Gilbert White never came this far South. Naturalist knowledge and the
limits of universalist environmental education. Canadian Journal of Environmental
Education. (pp. 1-9 of Readings Packet Vol II)
Brookes, A. (2001). Doing the Franklin. Wilderness tourism and the construction of nature.
Tourism Recreation Research, 26(1), 11-18.
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Question 3 - With reference to your reading and using examples summarise and discuss
the issues that should be considered when deciding on the educational value of nature
based tourism (NBT).
The statement asks us to consider some simple questions - Does the experience (and any
interpretation offered by guides) justify the ‘cost’ of the NBT1
activity? What are these
‘costs’? What features must the aims and objectives of the activity embody to justify the
existence of the activity in terms of educational value?
Brookes alludes to the fact that ‘Eco’-tourism as opposed to tourism implies there is an
implied environmental and ecological focus. In this sense ecotourism uses sustainability
discourse to justify its existence. But, the reality is that the ‘eco’ prefix is often tacked-on
as a greening marketing strategy (1999/2000: 2). The implicit suggestion is that the
educational value participants derive from engaging in the activity is of greater value
than the negative impact of the activity (and what is involved to participate) itself.
This begs the question - can tourism, especially if it involves extensive travel and access
to remote and environmentally fragile areas be justified? Do broad or universal aims and
objectives do enough to justify the existence of certain NBT operations?
What does this sort of tourism do for the local community? Do one off encounters with a
site distant from home offer the same educational value as experiences that have been
developed in consultation with local communities and promoted within their bioregion?
Brookes (1999/2000: 8) asks the question, “(once) knowledge has been processed and
represented, what is the role of “direct” experience?” The implication is that if what is
learned by participants from “direct” experience (eg. rafting down the Franklin River
which is a particularly remote and environmentally fragile area) could be replicated
somewhere less remote and environmentally sensitive, or even by watching a film that
delivers the same reality then NBT becomes educationally redundant.
To take this a step further, even if participants in NBT experiences develop tacit,
embodied knowledge from the experience of the place visited, can the value of this
knowledge justify the experience once they leave? NBT is more often than not
categorised by one-off encounters rather than on-going relationships with places,
especially if they are a greater distance from home (1999/2000:8).
What are the ‘costs’? The first and most obvious cost is the one related to travel; travel to
get to the NBT site, especially if it is interstate or overseas. The environmental cost just in
terms of resource use and pollution almost renders this sort of travel unable to be justified
by any environmental education outcomes (1999/2000:7).
Another is the cost to the local environment. What impact does this have on the local
community, the local environment? Can the region sustain the increased traffic that
would result? What does the local community feel about development in their region?
Who are the stakeholders?
The nature of tourism is that participants often have no more than one-off experiences in
or with a place and then go home. What may be of far more value are studies related
to the way in which particular communities relate to their own bioregion or regions that
they control politically (Brookes, 1998).
If it is agreed that education has a role in determination and development of social
structure, then NBT aims defined in broad & abstract terms deny the role of education in
this process.
1
The terms Nature-based tourism (NBT) and ecotourism are used interchangeably.
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Individualism is particularly prevalent in relation to education in NBT (Brookes 1999/2000:
7). The tourist occupies the position of an individual consumer of knowledge and in
doing so the social role of education as a public good becomes almost redundant.
Without the social complexity and depth possible in education, NBT based on
individualism becomes “inherently conservative” (1999/2000: 7), and any profound or
unique educational outcomes are unlikely to be achieved.
Brookes (1999: 7) refers to a “considerable gulf” that exists between the potential for
educationally meaningful NBT and “the simplistic and undemanding notions of
education which predominate in ecotourism discourse”.
When considering educational value, Brookes, referring to a Norwegian project to
rejuvenate local traditions of outdoor life (1999: 6), suggests that the most defensible
forms of NBT are ones that address the expressed needs of the local community and
bioregion. The greatest value is gained when local experience offered to local people
results in them developing their own sense of place and connectedness. It is this, rather
than a generic translation that people from outside that local community are
encouraged to share in. The result of this is to promote ways of knowing and doing
rather than applying generic templates that don’t fit local situations, circumstances,
needs or desires.
Further, this understanding then shows that broad and abstract educational aims along
with “a constellation of flexible terms and concepts” (Brookes, 1999/2000:9) in NBT act to
allow educational aims to be reconfigured to suit many purposes which prove to be of
little real value.
Brookes, A. (1998). Place and experience in Australian outdoor education and nature
tourism. Paper presented at Outdoor recreation - Practice and Ideology from an
International Comparative Perspective, pp.1-10, Umeå, Sweden, September 2-6, 1998.
EXTRACT from: Brookes, A. (1999). Nature-based tourism as education for sustainability:
possibilities, limitations, contradictions. 34th
World Congress of the International Institute
of Sociology. (pp.1-8), Tel Aviv, Israel, July 11-15.
Brookes, A. (1999/2000). Nature-based tourism as education for sustainability:
possibilities, limitations, contradictions. AJOE 15, 2-12.
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Question 4 - Drawing on your reading and using examples discuss the reasons why
outdoor education curriculum should take into account specific local (which may
include national) circumstances.
Using Spencer’s observations about curriculum discourse as a basis for discussion,
Brookes (2004: 7) points out that “the answers to curriculum questions depend on who
answers in what circumstances.” In relation to outdoor education this means that
programs considered for inclusion in curriculum must be resolvable in relation to specific
aims and purposes.
Specific local circumstances give aims and purposes context. Without local
circumstances being taken into consideration, curriculum becomes detached from
those people it is supposed to serve and educate, bringing into question relevance and
relative worth of any such program. These considerations include particular the needs
and desires of the community in question (social and cultural factors), along with
specifics of the local geographic environment. Australia’s highly unique biodiversity
compared to the rest of the world is one example of this as are the difference between
the Flinders Ranges and the Victorian High Country (climate, local weather patterns,
flora and fauna and so on…).
A pertinent example of why specific local circumstances should be taken into account
was highlighted to me on completion of a recent rock climbing practicum trip to the
Grampians. The participants were a group of VCAL youth-at-risk students accompanied
by their BRIT teachers and five Latrobe leaders. The aims and purposes stated by the
institution involved a selection of challenge activities, the offer of educational
opportunities and vocational pathways, experiences outside of the students’ normal
comfort zone and access to outdoor adventure activities and journeys.
With the combination of students, BRIT staff, and Latrobe leaders, these general aims
and purposes were achieved by the group as a whole. However, the aims of the
Latrobe leaders needed to meet their obligation to the BRIT program as well as fulfil
OENT course requirements. Along with BRIT aims and purposes the Latrobe leaders’
program aims and purposes looked at the geographic challenges of the Northern
Grampians region, the areas Indigenous heritage, the specifics of rock climbing in and
around Summerday Valley along with the more general safety requirements of a cliff
environments in a wilderness setting.
This combination of both specific contextual aims and purposes and the universal aims
and purposes of BRIT often came into conflict when trying to design and deliver the
program. The supervising BRIT teachers perspective was that the focus of the trip
needed to be based around a wilderness journey, interspersed with rock climbing and
abseiling and culminating in a defining moment of a final ‘challenge’ (abseil off the top
of Wall of Fools in Summerday Valley). While this fulfilled BRITs program objectives, in
terms of curriculum justification, the location was almost completely redundant
(wilderness treated as one thing). In BRIT terms the Mt Stapylton region became a place
to which they could apply their youth-at-risk ‘template’.
On the other hand, whether due in part to how the program was structured and
delivered, the conflicting aims of the trip between Latrobe and BRIT made the more
specific contextual aims (such as introduction to Indigenous perspectives of the place
at Brambuk, specifics of the Northern Grampians geomorphology, geography, flora and
fauna, climate and weather patterns, etc…) had to achieve. As this was only ever
intended to be a one-off program, the Latrobe aim of helping students to form a
connection with the region was always going to be difficult.
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On reflection, the same BRIT aims could have been achieved much closer to home (in
and around Bendigo). A similar program could have been run at Kooyoora which would
have provided a similar fit for the ‘youth-at-risk’ template. In terms of our environmental
impact in either site, while the direct impact may not have been significant, the
economic and environmental cost of travel were far greater than if we had planned a
similar experience at Kooyoora. Also, considering the fact that all participants live locally
in and around Bendigo, repeat visits to a considerably closer destination would be more
likely and so too the chance of fostering a connection with the place. While our trip was
successful in many respects, when considering the ‘costs’ and relative worth of the
experience, if the same program were to be run again with the same aims and
purposes, a geographically closer destination would be easier to justify educationally for
the reasons I have expressed.
As a student of outdoor education, the question of indispensability of outdoor education
in the wider curriculum framework is of great importance. As Brookes (2004:2) points out,
even though “(i)t is not chiselled in granite that outdoor education achieve unique
educational benefits”, it is in the interests of those in the outdoor education profession to
work with local communities to create programs that can deliver unique outcomes and
thus ensure its indispensability in terms of its place in wider educational curriculum. Not
only does this approach mean that the question of ‘relative’ worth is addressed, it also
ensures that the health of local outdoor education community is maintained and
improved rather than continuing to invest imported ways of knowing our unique natural
and cultural heritage.
Brookes, A. (2004). Astride a long-dead horse. Mainstream outdoor education theory
and the central curriculum problem. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 8(2), 22-
33.
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