Intentionality for Outdoor Educators

Abstract

When outdoor educators facilitate experiences with their students, they draw on their expertise to make a range of pedagogical choices about how they teach and lead. Something guides the decisions they make. When an outdoor educator can explain why they chose a particular pedagogical approach they can be described as acting intentionally. Drawing on the work of sociologist Anthony Giddens to explore the theory-practice relationship, intentionality means being able to practice discursively. Research conducted with emerging outdoor educators has found that methodising is common, meaning theory-practice relationships tend to be shallow and theory is only applied in a formulaic fashion. The idea that intuition can guide practice as an alternative to intentionality is critiqued and the limitations of logic and rationality are acknowledged. However, uncritically copying other outdoor educators’ pedagogical practice can lead to ineffectiveness because of incongruencies between our values and beliefs and the pedagogies that are copied. The merits of developing a personal teaching philosophy statement are discussed, and an example of how theory can inform part of that statement is provided. The capacity to practice with intentionality allows emerging outdoor educators to communicate with stakeholders about their practice, improve their self-awareness, and reflect on the way they teach and lead outdoors.