An examination of the constraints to teaching and learning outdoors in public elementary and high schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Main Author: Light, Mallory
• Other Authors: Campbell, Michael (Natural Resources Institute)
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Outdoor education; Nature deficit disorder; Leisure constraints theory; Biophilia; Public education system
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/31521

Alternating traditional classroom-based teaching techniques with hands-on learning activities outdoors is beneficial for children of all ages. The purpose of this thesis was to explore whether and how teachers may negotiate the constraints to facilitating hands-on learning opportunities outdoors. A snowball sample was used to identify twelve outdoor educators for semi-structured interviews documenting their characteristics, skills and experiences, perceptions of the constraints to outdoor education and recommendations for building interest in and supporting outdoor education. The findings suggested that participants’ childhood experiences outdoors were influential on their decisions to start teaching outdoor education, and that the participants’ perceptions of the constraints varied dependent on their experiences, objectives and attitudes. The participants’ recommendations were focused on what teachers could do to help themselves and each other to succeed. Altogether, the participants’ experiences suggest that passionate and engaged outdoor educators can have a lasting impact on students’ relationships with the natural world. === October 2016