Outdoor Education and the Development of Civic Responsibility

Recently commentators have mourned the "disappearance of civic America," saying we are becoming a nation of civic couch potatoes (Tyack, 1997). Surveys suggest voters know little about what their legislators are doing (Harris, 1997). Other observers point out the importance of strong civic involvement for creating conditions--sometimes referred to as social capital--that support vital community life and thriving economies (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 1993). This type of involvement includes participation in government, associations (for example, charitable, religious, athletic, environmental, or arts), and community and economic development. For students to grow into fully participating citizens, they need to find their place in this web of community life, and understand both the benefits and responsibilities of being part of it.

This Digest suggests how outdoor education and experiential learning can develop such understandings in students, and set them on a path of strong participation and civic responsibility.

Outdoor Education and Experiential Learning

Harvard educational psychologist Howard Gardner has found that scholastic knowledge "seems strictly bound to school settings" (1991, p. 122), while outdoor education fosters "connected knowing," where education is part of, rather than separate from, life. Unlike classroom learning, outdoor education uses the student's whole environment as a source of knowledge. The community, rather than the classroom, is the context of learning.

Outdoor education includes more than studies of nature, although learning about the environment is certainly an important aspect of this educational tradition. It encompasses the use of the outdoor environment--whether natural or man-made--to promote learning from experience and enrichment of nearly any subject in the curriculum. One of the originators of this approach to education, John Dewey (1938), envisioned the school as a miniature democratic society, with experiential learning as an essential component of civics education. Students prepare for adult civic responsibility by practicing it in the world around them. In outdoor education, students learn how to identify problems as well as how to work with government and civic groups in formulating and implementing solutions. Students become active participants in the democratic process, rather than simply passive observers.

Experiential learning has continued to gain advocates over the decades. Basically, it is learning by doing. Many recent innovations have strong ties to experiential learning: hands-on or active learning, cooperative learning, work-based learning, and service learning are examples. Through such experiences, students can learn mathematics, science, social and technology skills, and civics, among many other disciplines (Knapp, 1996).

Three Outdoor Education Approaches

This Digest focuses on three principal types of outdoor education commonly used to nurture civic responsibility in students: adventure education, cultural journalism and participatory research, and service learning. A resource list at the end of this Digest provides contact information for several organizations that can provide resources for interested educators and youth leaders.

Adventure education. Adventure education usually takes place outdoors, often in wilderness areas, and aims to teach environmental awareness and build self-confidence through activities that include a certain amount of stress or risk such as rock climbing, ropes courses, and other carefully planned activities. Teachers or other adults interested in this approach require intensive training, usually involving special certification.