Place-responsive pedagogy: learning from teachers' experiences of excursions in nature

Citation

Mannion G, Fenwick A & Lynch J (2013) Place-responsive pedagogy: learning from teachers' experiences of excursions in nature. Environmental Education Research, 19 (6), pp. 792-809. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.749980

Abstract
The nature-based excursion has been a significant teaching strategy in environmental education for decades. This article draws upon empirical data from a collaborative research project where teachers were encouraged to visit natural areas to provide an understanding of their roles and experiences of planning and enacting excursions. The analysis indicates that teachers' sensitisation towards 10 place was aided by collaboration, advance planning visits and the very practice of making place-responsive excursions with pupils. The authors build on the analysis to propose a theory of place-responsive pedagogy. At its core, place-responsive pedagogy involves the explicit efforts to teach by means of an environment with the aim of understanding and improving human-environment 15 relations. Some implications for teacher professional development are offered.

Keywords
environmental education; place; nature; pedagogy; excursions; outdoor; learning; teacher development; teacher expertise; place-responsive

Journal
Environmental Education Research: Volume 19, Issue 6

People

Mrs Ashley Fenwick

Teaching Fellow, Education

Professor Gregory Mannion

Professor, Education