Outdoor, Experiential, and Environmental Education: Converging or Diverging Approaches? ERIC Digest.

Overview & Synopsis

This digest examines the definitions of outdoor, experiential, and environmental education and clarifies the boundaries and essential elements of each tradition. Early in its history, outdoor education was influenced by advocates of camping education and nature study. Today outdoor education includes outdoor experiences designed to meet objectives in many areas and has emerged as a context for learning. Experiential education was embraced by outdoor and adventure educators as a method of using real-life experiences to achieve learning goals. Definitions have progressed from "learning by doing" to more constructivist notions of learning through carefully chosen experiences supported by reflection and critical analysis. While tracing its lineage, in part, to outdoor education, environmental education began to take concrete form in the late 1960s with the first Earth Day and publication of the first journal of environmental education. The basic aim of environmental education is to develop environmentally literate citizens with the core concepts and skills needed to take responsible action with regard to the natural environment. Educational practices commonly draw from combinations of outdoor, experiential, and environmental education. Examples of combined approaches are given. (Contains 16 references.) (SV)