Children's Outdoor Education

Forest School offers opportunities for children and young adults to come into regular contact with nature. Although, in relevant literature, Forest School is seen as highly conducive to participants' motivation to learn, there is no theoretical framework that examines how this motivation can be optimized in relation to Forest School pedagogy. Self-Determination Theory offers a broad perspective for motivational processes and will be used as a guide in this article to advance such a framework. Self-Determination Theory proposes that well-being, which has been identified as an aim of Forest School, is promoted through the support of three basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. In this conceptual article, we make links between Forest School pedagogical practices and Self-Determination Theory, mainly focusing on the support of children's basic psychological needs. Furthermore, we make suggestions for ways in which to enhance practice through explicit links with need-supportive teaching practices, as these are identified in the Self-Determination Theory literature.

Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual is a ground-breaking book, which shines a permaculture lens to inspire child-friendly, sustainable education.

Full of innovative information, a new curriculum, hundreds of inspirations for activities, session plans, holistic pedagogy and reflection questions, this book will inspire educators to get outdoors and learn from nature.

It is for primary, nursery and kindergarten teachers, policy makers, permaculture designers, Forest School leaders, Scout leaders, parents, carers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and anyone else who is interested in holistic education for sustainability and resilience.

The book may be bought from here: https://www.permaculture.org.uk/books/children-in-permaculture-manual

Współczesność to czas wymagający głębokiej refleksji nad dzieciństwem. Wymaga ona przede wszystkim podmiotowego spojrzenia na dziecko jako na Osobę wpisaną w historię, kulturę i społeczeństwo. Współczesność obliguje zatem w pewnym sensie do rekonstrukcji Korczakowskich pytań o dziecko i zapytania o to, kim tak naprawdę jest dziecko, jakie są jego prawdziwe cechy, prawdziwe potrzeby, jakie kryją się w nim prawdziwe możliwości? Taka refleksja nad dzieciństwem towarzyszy od wielu lat organizowanym przez nas na Wydziale Studiów Edukacyjnych UAM w Poznaniu konferencjom z cyklu Świat małego dziecka oraz wydawanym przez Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM pod naszą redakcją książkom o takim samym tytule. Podczas piątej edycji konferencji (odbywają się one co dwa lata od 2010 roku) i w chwili wydania piątego naukowego tomu Świata małego dziecka, podjęliśmy decyzję o wydaniu Świata małego dziecka w formie podręcznika akademickiego, który będzie wykorzystywany przez nasze środowisko zajmujące się pedagogiką dziecka, podczas zajęć dla studentów, które prowadzimy. Debaty na naszych konferencjach zawsze bowiem ukazywały, iż takiego podręcznika brakuje na polskim rynku, że nasi studenci go potrzebują i oczekują niejako od nas, że taki podręcznik dla nich stworzymy. Jesteśmy jednak w pełni świadomi, że oddawany Czytelnikom podręcznik stanowi jedynie zalążek oczekiwanego dzieła – liczymy, że będzie on systematycznie rozwijany i rozszerzany.

Centrale nella storia dell’educazione è il rapporto natura/infanzia e scuola, che riaffora quasi come elemento ‘carsico’ nel corso dei secoli. Il volume sofferma l’attenzione su una particolare stagione di questo rapporto, quella delle scuole all’aperto. Nate ai primi del Novecento per accogliere alunni/e gracili e predisposti alla tubercolosi, esse si diffusero in tutto il mondo con caratteristiche diverse, ma accomunate da pratiche igieniche e pratiche didattiche svolte prevalentemente all’aperto, in natura, outdoor, sulla scia del recupero dei classici della storia dell’educazione. Il volume delinea il fenomeno a livello internazionale rintracciando le aree ed i network di diffusione e individuando i legami con il coevo movimento dell’éducation nouvelle. Lo sguardo poi si concentra sul caso italiano, illustrando le principali esperienze di scuole all’aperto della penisola, diffuse in maniera diversificata ma caratterizzate da un fervore di medici, igienisti, accademici, politici, amministratori e mondo della scuola, tra età giolittiana, fascismo e secondo dopoguerra. Lo studio di caso della città di Bologna permette di entrare nei segreti delle scelte politiche ed educative di un microcosmo particolare, evidenziando il ruolo dei singoli ‘attori in carne e ossa’, gli intrecci, le reti di relazioni e l’azione svolta dal mondo della scuola e dalle insegnanti per attivare il cambiamento e il rinnovamento dei metodi e dei contenuti dell’insegnamento. Volumi a stampa, riviste, fonti archivistiche e iconografiche restituiscono così una ricostruzione a tre livelli di analisi tra loro intrecciati –internazionale, nazionale e locale – che raccontano le vicende e la cultura scolastica prodotta nelle scuole all’aperto, originali istituzioni educative poste ad intersezione della storia sociale dell’infanzia, dell’educazione speciale e delle pratiche didattiche, capaci, ancor oggi, di rilanciare la sfida del rapporto tra bambini, scuola e natura, con rinnovata passione educativa, tesa tra passato e futuro.

Under våren och försommaren 2017 genomförde arkeologer från Stiftelsen Kulturmiljövård (KM) en arkeologisk undersökning av två gravfält (L2015:4575 och L2015:5634)  från främst järnåldern, vilka låg på var sin sida om länsväg 267 – Stäketleden/Rotebroleden. Undersökningen drog till sig ett stort allmänintresse och visningar hölls för en bred allmänhet såväl som för skolor i närområdet. Till det publika arbetet hörde att ta fram denna lärarhandledning.

Detta är en mindre lärarhandledning med översiktlig information om arkeologi generellt och om forntiden i trakten. Här finns också exempel på fornlämningar i närområdet, vilka kan besökas i samband med undervisning. Vidare hittar du här exempel på övningar och lekar som kan genomföras på plats vid till exempel en runsten eller ett gravfält från järnålder/vikingatid. Lärarhandledningen följer skolans läroplan och är främst till för lärare i årskurserna 3-4 i grundskolan i Sollentuna kommun, Stockholms län.

The present paper aims to investigate the pedagogical possibilities of nocturnal games. These games involve role-playing characters that contextualize a previously elaborated story, and are frequently realized in Brazilian vacation camps. This paper focuses on a case study of a nocturnal game that took place in a vacation camp in the city of São Carlos (São Paulo, Brazil). The central theme of the game was based on stories and characters of Greek mythology, and it involved children from the age of seven to the age of twelve. The data analysis involved direct observation and photographic and filming recordings of the activity. Some of the main observed manifestations that occurred during the activity involved stimulation of curiosity, participative apprenticeship, union and protection of the older participants in relation to the younger participants, respect for the role-playing characters, group resolution of presented problems and joint construction of dialog between characters and children in the decision of the ending of the story involving relevant questions regarding the human-world relations in contemporary life.

The polysemy of the term ‘sport’ has a tendency to contribute to a generalized view that associates all corporeal practices with sportive practices, making the development of educative processes through these practices difficult. This reality becomes evident when thinking about environmental education, by the predominance of sportive practices that are performed in a ‘distant’ nature, hoping that the participant will develop an ‘ecologically correct’ conscience. This is a simplistic approach that contributes to a fragmental relation between humans and the world. On an opposite direction, we will propose the use of the nomenclature ecomotricity, defining it as corporal practices developed with intentionality, associated with educative processes of recognition of the human-environment relations that support the synergies between environmental education, human motricity and dialogic pedagogy. In this paper we developed this synergy in theory, opening the way for future practical studies.

Esse plano de trabalho é associado ao projeto de pesquisa “A ecomotricidade no estado de Sergipe”, iniciado no ano de 2014. Ecomotricidade é compreendida como a intencionalidade do ser em suas inter-ações com a natureza, desde que essa inter-ação seja lúdica e ecológica. A relação é lúdica quando o que traz significação para a experiência é a alegria ou o prazer circunscritos à própria experiência. A relação é ecológica quando se satisfazem os preceitos (ecosomaestéticos-ambientalmente éticos-ecopolíticos) da justiça ambiental. Justificando-se na crítica à associação direta entre o contato com a natureza e as possibilidades de conscientização/educação ambiental e compreendendo a importância do engajamento ecopedagógico para a concretização de mudanças no habitus ecológico do sujeito, o objetivo do projeto é investigar aspectos fundamentais da relação de homens e mulheres com suas experiências de ecomotricidade no estado de Sergipe buscando a identificação de categorias analíticas que fundamentem percepções sobre como essas relações influenciam percepções ser humano-mundo. Tal investigação é realizada a partir do desenvolvimento de dezoito estudos de caso com indivíduos com experiências regulares na natureza. A análise dos dados destaca o potencial para se (re)conhecer possibilidades e limitações para o desenvolvimento de processos educativos nas relações corpo-meio ambiente, especialmente pela “normalização” de valores (estéticos, éticos e políticos) da ecomotricidade localizados geo-epistemologicamente no habitus de movimento do indivíduo.

In the UK, teachers are increasingly being encouraged to support and undertake outdoor learning. Despite such support there is a paucity of research that has considered how outdoor learning can be implemented and offered on a regular basis by teachers. The lack of empirical research that has centralised the role of the teacher is at odds with the interest in this topic and the need for theory-driven guidance suited to teachers. Research is reported that aimed to support the provision of outdoor learning opportunities for children aged between three and eleven at nine settings (pre- or primary schools) in Scotland and England. A set of flexible guidelines that link theory and practice were used by 14 teachers. This article focuses on teachers’ reports of their activity. The incorporation of outdoor learning within conventional teaching and learning approaches is found to be feasible and the implications for practice and future research are explored.

Esse plano de trabalho é associado ao projeto de pesquisa “A ecomotricidade no estado de Sergipe”, iniciado no ano de 2014. Ecomotricidade é compreendida como a intencionalidade do ser em suas inter-ações com a natureza, desde que essa inter-ação seja lúdica e ecológica. A relação é lúdica quando o que traz significação para a experiência é a alegria ou o prazer circunscritos à própria experiência. A relação é ecológica quando se satisfazem os preceitos (ecosomaestéticos-ambientalmente éticos-ecopolíticos) da justiça ambiental. Nesse ano de pesquisa foram finalizadas as etapas de unitarização e categorização (Análise Textual Qualitativa) dos 93 textos que totalizam o corpus da pesquisa. Dessa análise emergiram sete (7) categorias, nas quais foram enquadradas todas as unidades de significado destacadas do corpus, a saber: Relação com meio ambiente/natureza; Relações com o jogo e com o esporte; Risco; aventura; radical; Benefícios e sensações positivas; Espaço e tempo para educação (ambiental); Opção de lazer; Formação de culturas e identidades. A análise interpretativa dessas categorias possibilitou discussões e conclusões em relação aos objetivos centrais da pesquisa.

Creativity in adults is highly valued in our society. Personal creativity contributes to inventiveness, innovation, social and cultural change as well as political development and economic progression. The creator is an innovator, a problem solver, an entrepreneur, an artist. Creative people have rapid and effective responses that help them to achieve their life goals and allow them to enjoy the journey. Creativity is both a skill set and a unique and individual character structure that is developed throughout childhood and fine-tuned in adolescence and adulthood. Education has a key role to play in its development. Positive creativity inspiring experiences at every stage of the educational journey are needed. This is especially true in early childhood. Educators who rise to the creativity challenge will be well rewarded in rich teaching experiences and the joy of seeing children reach their creative potential in supportive and integrated learning communities.

Complete conference proceedings for the II Brazilian Congress of Leisure Studies that took place September 2016 in the city of Belém, Brazil.
Anais completos do II Congresso Brasileiro de Estudos do Lazer, realizado em setembro de 2016 na cidade de Belém-PA.

Under 2018 genomförde arkeologer från Stiftelsen Kulturmiljövård (KM) en arkeologisk undersökning av en stenåldersboplats vid Norvik strax utanför Nynäshamn. Undersökningen drog till sig ett stort allmänintresse och visningar hölls för allmänheten såväl som för skolor, äldreboenden, SFI-undervisningen och föreningar i närområdet. Till det publika arbetet hörde att ta fram denna lärarhandledning.

Detta är en mindre lärarhandledning med översiktlig information om arkeologi generellt såväl samt om forntiden i trakten. Här finns också exempel på fornlämningar i närområdet, vilka kan besökas i samband med undervisning. Vidare hittar du här exempel på övningar och lekar som kan genomföras på plats vid vissa fornlämningar, till exempel en runsten från vikingatiden eller ett gravfält från järnåldern. Lärarhandledningen följer skolans läroplan och är främst till för lärare i årskurserna 3–4 i grundskolan i Nynäshamns kommun, Stockholms län.

Sustained by theoretical research, the aim of this paper is to investigate the possible emergence of educational processes in spaces of “co-existence” (com-vivência) seeking to understand, in particular, the role of cultural diversity in this process. To do so, the paper will be divided into three parts: the first part will have a greater emphasis on the conceptualization of the term “com-vivência” (“co-existence”), especially through a phenomenological perspective; b) the second part highlights the discussion on the role of cultural diversity in the possible emergence of educational processes in spaces of “co-existence” (com-vivência); c) the last part of the text brings our final remarks, pointing out the possibilities and limitations of this study. The work contributes to the literature bringing a critical perspective of the relations between leisure, education and cultural diversity, especially by the emergence of educational processes within the perspective of “co-existing” (“living-with”) in culturally diverse settings.

"""Neighbourhood Play Research Study
IT Sligo and Early Childhood Ireland joined forces this summer on an exciting research project on neighbourhood play. The project was initiated as a collaborative action led by D. O’Connor from The Department of Social Sciences in IT Sligo and M. McCormack from the Knowledge Directorate of Early Childhood Ireland and supported in the research by IT Sligo Research Students P. MacLaughlin and J. Angus.
The study involved almost 1700 families and 240 communities to capture data on how children in modern Ireland in the age categories 0-15 are playing within neighbourhood spaces including streets, greens, playgrounds, laneways and parks among others.  An all-island approach was taken incorporating neighbourhoods in cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings.
Some interesting findings arose from the data including very low levels of risk within current play patterns and low levels of engagement with nature during outdoor play.
Children from disadvantaged communities are playing most and enjoying the most freedom within their play. The reverse is also the case with children from affluent backgrounds having more limited neighbourhood play opportunities and narrower windows of freedom within play while being much more likely to be heavily scheduled within structured and timetabled extracurricular activities. Children within middle class communities are spending a far greater time on homework than other children, they also spend the most time reading books and their parents are the most worried about them not having enough time to engage in play.
Children in medium sized towns fared worst in terms of outdoor play time with children in cities and rural areas enjoying significantly more time outdoors than their town based contemporaries. Within cities, however, children in urban apartments are faring worst of all with the least amount of outdoor play opportunities and time allotted to outdoor play. They also had the lowest instances of traditional play and play which their parents recognised as having engaged in when they were children.
The generational changes in play were a recurring theme within the findings with the vast majority of parents expressing that they had more freedom and more time outdoors than their children do. The parents were also more than twice as likely to have walked to school as their children are.
Indoor activities were shown to be highly prevalent in children’s lives with watching TV and playing with electronic equipment both featuring in the top three of all activities.
Gender differences were quite marked with more boys than girls engaging in outdoor play but girls much more likely to engage nature within their outdoor play. Boys are also engaging more with electronics than girls. Gender interactions were surprisingly low, with children in urban areas more likely to mix across gender lines.
Age difference analysis also presented interesting findings with creative and artistic activities as well as games that children invent themselves decreasing markedly after the age of eight. Engagement with electronics increases steadily with age.

Neighbourhood Play Research Study
IT Sligo and Early Childhood Ireland joined forces this summer on an exciting research project on neighbourhood play. The project was initiated as a collaborative action led by D.O’Connor from The Department of Social Sciences in IT Sligo and M.McCormack from the Knowledge Directorate of Early Childhood Ireland and supported by IT Sligo Research Students P.MacLaughlin and J.Angus.
The study involved almost 1700 families and 240 communities to capture data on how children in modern Ireland in the age categories 0-15 are playing within neighbourhood spaces including streets, greens, playgrounds, laneways and parks among others.  An all-island approach was taken incorporating neighbourhoods in cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings.
Some interesting findings arose from the data including very low levels of risk within current play patterns and low levels of engagement with nature during outdoor play.
Children from disadvantaged communities are playing most and enjoying the most freedom within their play. The reverse is also the case with children from affluent backgrounds having more limited neighbourhood play opportunities and narrower windows of freedom within play while being much more likely to be heavily scheduled within structured and timetabled extracurricular activities. Children within middle class communities are spending a far greater time on homework than other children, they also spend the most time reading books and their parents are the most worried about them not having enough time to engage in play.
Children in medium sized towns fared worst in terms of outdoor play time with children in cities and rural areas enjoying significantly more time outdoors than their town based contemporaries. Within cities, however, children in urban apartments are faring worst of all with the least amount of outdoor play opportunities and time allotted to outdoor play. They also had the lowest instances of traditional play and play which their parents recognised as having engaged in when they were children.
The generational changes in play were a recurring theme within the findings with the vast majority of parents expressing that they had more freedom and more time outdoors than their children do. The parents were also more than twice as likely to have walked to school as their children are.
Indoor activities were shown to be highly prevalent in children’s lives with watching TV and playing with electronic equipment both featuring in the top three of all activities.
Gender differences were quite marked with more boys than girls engaging in outdoor play but girls much more likely to engage nature within their outdoor play. Boys are also engaging more with electronics than girls. Gender interactions were surprisingly low, with children in urban areas more likely to mix across gender lines.
Age difference analysis also presented interesting findings with creative and artistic activities as well as games that children invent themselves decreasing markedly after the age of eight. Engagement with electronics increases steadily with age.


"""

La naturaleza es el lugar ideal para educar de manera integral desde diferentes áreas de conocimiento. La Educación Física tiene una oportunidad única para hacerlo mediante el bloque de contenidos " Actividades en el medio natural ". El desarrollo de competencias ligadas al acceso y permanencia en la naturaleza facilita la formación de personas comprometidas con un desarrollo sostenible.

Distinct discourses related to the socioenvironmental issue emerge from the insertion of the environmental dimension in different fields of knowledge. Considering the historical force of games, sports and leisure as sociocultural phenomena in the field of physical education, the aim of this article is to analyze how these phenomena influence the constitution of environmental ideals considering, more broadly, discourses that emerge from dialogues between the physical education and the environmental fields. To this end, the corpus of analysis comprised articles in scientific journals that address the insertion of the environmental dimension in physical education in Brazil. In general, the results of the Discursive Textual Analysis on the researched corpus showed that the influence of games, sports and activities in leisure contexts in the constitution of environmental ideals is still quite rudimentary.

Despite the fact that the environmental event is one of the most debated issues in contemporary life, and that environmental education undoubtedly occupies a central place in educational agendas worldwide, we can state that, in most cases, the reality of schools are still far from the ideals of environmental education, especially in early childhood education. Therefore, the aim of this paper, result of theoretical research, is to highlight the important synergies between environmental education and early childhood education in contemporary times. Thus, the text was organized into three parts: the first provides a brief conceptual history of environmental education, aiming to understand the trajectory of contemporary concepts; the second part seeks to understand the integration of environmental education in preschool; the final considerations bring the possibilities brought forward by the synergy between preschool education and environmental education, seeking meeting points between theoretical approaches and educational practices.

Ever wonder what it would be like to hike 2,174 miles from Georgia to Maine along the world’s longest continuously marked footpath? Join “Marathon” as he provides a humorous autobiographical account of a “real” walk in the woods. Anyone who enjoys travel or adventure will love Marathon’s story. This book is required reading for any outdoor enthusiast and will certainly assist anyone wanting to plan an Appalachian Trail (AT) section or thru-hike. Live vicariously through this entertaining account, which includes over 350 accompanying pictures. This book is the culmination of 34 articles that were written for the author’s hometown newspaper as he thru-hiked the entire AT. All articles were written while still on the trail. Appendices also include the author’s daily mileage and location log, his thru-hike equipment list, a suggested AT readings list, and a comprehensive collection of reflective thoughts and suggestions by another AT thru-hiker, “Bonespur.”

Este trabajo analiza las estrategias utilizadas en los procesos de educación ambiental (EA) en cuatro primarias del estado de Chiapas, México, e identifica la manera como se incorporan o no en éstas, el contexto cultural y ambiental, así como las actividades cotidianas de los alumnos. Mediante la etnografía escolar y el método hermenéutico-dialéctico del construccionismo, se arriba a que al no ser suficientes las estrategias propuestas en los libros de texto oficiales, extracurricularmente en las prácticas cotidianas, por medio de las iniciativas de profesores y actores externos, se llevan a cabo actividades que fomentan el conocimiento, conservación, apropiación y  valoración de la naturaleza. Se constató que la consideración del con- texto ambiental y cultural, así como las actividades fuera del aula que ponen en contacto directo a los niños con elementos de la naturaleza, son las estrategias más útiles para la generación de una mayor motivación, articulación, significación e interés en los alumnos sobre los temas ambientales.

This paper analyzes the strategies used in the processes of Environ-mental Education in four primary schools in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and identifies the way they do or do not incorporate the cultural and environmental context, as well as the daily activities of the students. Using academic ethnography and the hermeneutic-dia-lectic method of constructionism, we conclude that since the strate-gies presented in official text books are not sufficient, professors and other figures initiate extracurricular activities in daily practices that encourage the knowledge, conservation, appropriation and ap-preciation of nature. It was demonstrated that the consideration of the environmental and cultural context, as well as the activities out-side of the classroom that put the students in direct contact with ele-ments of nature, are the most useful strategies for developing higher levels of motivation, articulation, meaning and interest in the stu-dents with regard to environmental topics.

Çoğu kez yaşadığımız günün temel tartışma konularının, geçmişte de tartışılıp tartışılmadığını görmezden geliyoruz. Hâlbuki geçmişin deneyimini hatırlamak bize Ivan Illich’in mirası. Belki de geçmişten bugüne ilerlemeci eğitim mitinin üretmiş olduğu söylemleri anlama çabası, bugünde ürettiklerimizle kurduğumuz diyaloğu gerçekçi kılacak. Geçmişin sorun çözme biçimleri kimi zaman bizlere ilham verecek, kimi zamansa ayna vazifesi görerek refleksif düşünmemizi sağlayacak. Aşağıdaki alıntı, özellikle teknolojik gelişmeler göz önüne alındığında, geçmişe nazaran daha iyi bir konumda olduğunu düşünen bizlere önemli bir yanıt niteliğinde:

“Fröbel çocukları özellikle kendileri için oluşturulmuş bir ortamda; sıcakkanlı, tatlı, sakin, samimi bir hava içinde yaşatma fikri kuruyor; tarlalar, bahçeler arıyor. Çocuklara çiçekler, faydalı yahut da süs için bitkiler yetiştirmek ve evcil hayvanlar besleme yöntemini öğretmek istiyordu. Fröbel bahçesi bir çocuk topluluğu halini alıyordu ki orada oyunlar, şarkılar eğlence ve sevinci devam ettirmeye hizmet ediyor, çocuğun hayatının ilk dönemlerindeki çalışması adeta bir şiir oluyor, hayali bir ömre benziyordu. Daha doğrusu bu; bin türlü ıstırap ve endişe ile çırpınan hâlihazırdaki toplumda pek nadir olarak ve belki bin türlü problem ile gerçekleştirilecek bir düşünce idi.”

Bu metin 1914’te yazıldı. Yani dünyanın çalkantılı dönemlerine, kan ve gözyaşı ile hatırlanan yıllarına ait. Ancak dönemin çocukları, bugün dört duvar arasında sıkışmış öğretmen ve öğrencilerin hayal bile edemeyeceği öğrenme ortamını o günlerde sadece hayal etmekle kalmadılar, aynı zamanda deneyimlediler.

Eğitim Klasikleri Serisi’nin ilk kitabı olan Fröbel ve Pestalozzi Usullerinde Terbiye ve Talim Dersleri, hatırlama kültürünün bir parçası olmamıza olanak sağlıyor.

Silence is not noiselessness. Instead it is a state of mind that requires being understood as a route to access of what silence offers. Outdoors education is privileged when it comes to curricula experiences of silence because nature is, I suggest, the source of silence. It is the framework of the function of silence as a bringer of benefits such as peace, calm, heightened awareness and harmony. Outdoors education is then the point of introduction to silence as the source of a river is the point of introduction to the concept of water in the earth for the use of humans.

This paper promotes the adoption of Augmented Reality (AR) to inspire children and collaborative family engagement in the outdoor learning experience. AR, being a form of digital mobile technology, was deployed at the English Heritage site of Tintagel in Cornwall, on the south coast of Britain. Tintagel was selected for its dramatic coastal environment, as well as its rich history of myths and folklore around the Legend of King Arthur. The Enlighten Project for English Heritage was designed and trialled by the first author, forming a business case / proposal for further development of AR across other English Heritage sites. The implications and opportunities for AR in learning are discussed re: the uptake of ‘tech’ by digital natives – young people who have grown up with tech ever present in their lives. The tensions between experiencing the outdoors both with and without technology are navigated through a reflective log. In conclusion, it is acknowledged that the use of tech may be an unstoppable force in our daily lives, so embrace and enjoy the ride!

Slides for the "Physical education and environment" curricular unit in the Physical Education Program at the Federal University of Sergipe (2016 - readings for third debate).
Slides para a disciplina "Educação Física e Meio Ambiente" do Curso de Educação Física da Universidade Federal de Sergipe (2016 - leituras para terceiro debate).

Esse plano de trabalho é associado ao projeto de pesquisa “A ecomotricidade no estado de Sergipe”, iniciado no ano de 2014. Ecomotricidade é compreendida como a intencionalidade do ser em suas inter-ações com a natureza, desde que essa inter-ação seja lúdica e ecológica. A relação é lúdica quando o que traz significação para a experiência é a alegria ou o prazer circunscritos à própria experiência. A relação é ecológica quando se satisfazem os preceitos (ecosomaestéticos-ambientalmente éticos-ecopolíticos) da justiça ambiental. Com isso, esse plano de trabalho compreende a construção, o desenvolvimento e a atualização de uma plataforma virtual para a divulgação contínua dos resultados da pesquisa, além da comunicação direta com interessados no tema. A construção da plataforma virtual envolve a criação de padrões linguísticos e de estratégias de apresentação para que os conteúdos/dados coletados na pesquisa sejam inseridos, acessados e compreendidos por toda sociedade. O desenvolvimento da plataforma digital é um meio de divulgação científica, mas também para o contínuo desenvolvimento da pesquisa, uma vez que permite o diálogo constante com novos atores.

This paper is an opinion piece about the status of Outdoor Education in Australia in 2012 as the new National Curriculum is presently being developed. It appears that the National Curriculum body ACARA does not consider Outdoor Education as a necessary part of the learning of our future students. All this despite a wealth of research that states otherwise.

This paper gives an overview of this curriculum development process and a rationale as to why Outdoor Education should be part of every student's life while at school.

In its ontological presuppositions, epistemological interests and methodological deliberations, critical theory of environmental education research (EER) is simultaneously scientific, normatively (and reflexively) critical, and non-idealistically practical. It is, therefore, a theory of practice, or praxis. Critical EE and its research aim for personal, social and ecological forms of justices achieved transformatively through the de and reconstruction of pedagogical, curriculum, policy and research practices that reconstitute various injustices. Missing from this reconstructive critique is the crucial role of aesthetics and the importance of affectivity in generating meaning about the agency of the researched by the researcher/actor. In this small scale self study of aesthetics and affectivity, we report on the deliberations of a workshop spread over two days about the aim of framing EER as a triad of environmental aesthetics-environmental ethics-ecopolitics. We emphasize how sensuous ethnography in walking provided a methodological means within the mobility genre of interpretive research. We aim to generate meaning about the concept of ecosomaesthetics needed in a new language and images of environmental education. Some key images are included in the following text while others are referenced and available on-line (see footnote 7).

The aim of this research is to discover what science teachers' opinions about outdoor education learning environments are. Outdoor education learning environments contribute to problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills of students. For this reason, outdoor education learning environments are very important for students to learn by recognizing the nature and the natural environment. Qualitative research method was used in this research. The study group of the research constitutes 16 science teachers. A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. According to the results of the research, most science teachers stated that they have taken their students to science centers and museums as the outdoor education environment in order for the students to be aware of the nature and the natural environment. They desired to use the outdoor learning environments, but the conditions of them are not appropriate. Teachers stated that they had problems in school-family cooperation, in-service training and obtaining legal permission.

The disputes surrounding environmental issues indicate that it configures itself as a field of power and struggle within which interests are played related to the environmental event. In this sense, the aim of this article is to highlight conflicts associated with the processes of environmentalization of leisure practices. To this end, the discussion will be developed in three parts, in which: (a) the debate on the environmentalization of social reality will be presented; (b) the conflicts associated with the environmentalization of leisure practices will be analyzed; (c) the final considerations will be presented, highlighting the diversity of 'problems' associated with the theme, some particular to the leisure field, some to the environmental field, and others that arise at the interface between the two; researches that can contribute to the analysis of the processes of environmentalization of leisure practices will also be indicated.

This article aims at highlighting the potential value of “vagabonding” as a pedagogical strategy in experiential learning programs of Environmental Education, based on the importance of “phenomenological deconstruction/reconstruction” in critical educational processes. The idea of “vagabonding” is grounded on perceptual/sensorial experiences with the environment that allow the construction of spatiotemporal relations that may cause some “discomfort” and “strangeness”, as well as a certain distancing of objectives focused on performance. The proposed reasoning is justified by the consideration that this kind of experience can create spaces with potential openings to discuss different aesthetic, ethical, and political aspects that involve human(society)-world(nature) relations. Thus, as an “alternative” sociocultural experience, the main contribution of “vagabonding” would be the potential incorporation of a phenomenological conception of time and space that allows the “deconstruction/reconstruction” of socially “naturalized” concepts/ideas, an important step towards meeting the objectives of critical/post-critical theories in Education.

Considering the diversified manifestations of the environmental phenomenon in distinct fields of knowledge and the relevance of curriculum practice and academic research in the broader perspective of the environmental happening, the research presented in this paper focused the environmentalization of physical education in higher education settings and in contexts of academic research. The announced problem was approached in the paper by central arguments raised during Discursive Textual Analysis of the research corpus. The proposed objectives did not include the creation of frameworks for the institutionalization of the environmental dimension in physical education, nor judgments regarding “good” or “bad” practices of environmentalization. However, the presented geo-sociocultural scenario is significant in the attempt of advancing towards a written history surrounding the environmentalization of physical education, thus, offering consistent elements for future researches and possible frameworks on the subject.

Amid the contemporary environmental crisis, underpinned by a social structure that values, above all, production and consumption, different possibilities of cooperation emerge between distinct areas of knowledge in search of strategies for dealing with environmental problems. In this sense, education plays a fundamental role, becoming a major force of social structure. Another social phenomenon that has gained strength in recent decades is leisure. Furthermore, education and leisure are fields that have relations that extend in different contexts, and, both in school and in non-school contexts, ‘education through leisure’ has appeared increasingly in teaching and learning processes. In this paper we present, in three parts, the results of a theoretical research: the first part aims to identify, through the analysis of the conceptual history of environmental education, the critical proposals that are on the agenda today; in the second part we present some of the essential elements for understanding the definition of ‘leisure’; in the third part, already in our final remarks, we seek an understanding of leisure that could really contribute with critical environmental education proposals, proposing a path towards a possible ‘environmental education through leisure’.

The question of how the environmentalization of the curriculum might occur in the higher education sector in a sustainable manner has become a local, national, regional and global concern for environmental educators, specifically, and educators, generally. The contemporary ACES framework includes ten characteristics of “environmentalization” deemed appropriate for incorporation into teacher education programs, and has been adopted by some Brazilian public universities among others in Latin America and Europe. This highly influential framework was developed by a group of “Latin” academics from Europe and Latin America. We bring that framework into critical dialogue with the development of the “socially critical” and “post-critical” perspectives in environmental education curriculum and framings of its research, as this critical discourse has developed in the Anglo-speaking North over the past thirty years. We reflexively identify a number of key similarities and differences in this South-North dialogue. Brazilian educators, curriculum specialists and researchers, for whom this article is primarily written, might further refine the critical possibilities of the ACES framework in their efforts to environmentalize the curriculum. More broadly, this article exemplifies a non-colonial approach to globalizing the discourse of environmental education.

In recent years, there has been widespread use of the Internet, the Internet of things, mobile devices, networks, and applications. All this usage produces daily huge data that cannot be processed using existing database management techniques and tools because of the size, the volume, the heterogeneity, and the unstructured nature of the data. This has led many sectors like healthcare, business, education, and so forth to start using Big Data technologies to analyze, process, decision making and performance. Big Data is "datasets which could not be captured, managed, and processed by general computers within an acceptable scope" [1].Education sectors are one of the most important sectors that use information and communication technology (ICT).However, the education sector in Saudi Arabia is still behind other developed countries in terms of the adopting and implementation of Big Data techniques. The aim of this study is to develop an integrated framework to utilize Big Data for higher educational institutes in Saudi Arabia and to support decision making and improve performance. While many studies look at data mining and Big Data in the education sector, there are few studies that touch on this issue in Saudi education, especially in universities. The study collected data through self-administered surveys as a principal quantitative method and through semi structured in depth interviews as the follow-up qualitative method.