Outdoor Education--Its Origin and Purpose.

Overview & Synopsis

Outdoor education is potentially a powerful tool for teaching children about conservation, the beauty of nature, the interrelatedness of the natural and social sciences, and the meaning of life. These goals are not accomplished through an emphasis on any single aspect of the curriculum, but rather through all subject areas. This has resulted in development of integrated curricula from kindergarten through twelfth grade in the few schools which have been able or willing to provide a coherent ongoing program. One of the major obstacles confronting schools is the cost of establishing an outdoor education program. However, even when financial problems are surmounted, staffing problems remain since few teachers are trained to utilize the natural resources available to them. In order to provide a framework for understanding its present status, a brief history of outdoor education and descriptions of some existing outdoor education programs are presented. In addition, outlines for inservice and university programs to train teachers are suggested. (TL)