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In this paper we look at the ways in which the experience of the natural environment was made available to the pupils and the types of activities provided for specific engagement with the local natural environment. It draws upon research undertaken for the Well-being and Outdoor Pedagogies project and previous PhD research. These projects explored the processes of teaching and learning at one outdoor residential education centre. Data were collected through ethnographic research and included participant observation, interviews with teachers, parents and centre staff, and group interviews with pupils. Previous analyses of this research have highlighted a number of aspects of the experience, such as, for example, whilst the interviewed children reflected positively on the experience, the research highlighted the importance of teachers' interaction with the children in providing for democratic, shared, positive learning. The activities undertaken by the pupils included physical activities focusing upon team work and problem-solving, and activities that focused on exploring nature and the natural environment, which surrounded the residential centre. The dominant philosophy of the residential centre is considered, as are the ways in which nature and the natural environment appear largely taken for granted, but for reasons of safety. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper draws upon research undertaken for the Outdoor Pedagogies project and explores the processes of teaching and learning at one outdoor residential education centre with children and staff from ‘Oliver’ Primary School. Data were collected through ethnographic research and include participant observation, interviews with teachers and centre staff and group interviews with pupils. Whilst the interviewed children reflected positively on the experience, we highlight the importance of the teachers' interaction with the children in providing for democratic, shared positive learning through the presentation of an extreme or ‘critical’ incident. We raise the issue of professional development for school teachers working with primary school children in outdoor, residential situations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the findings from part of a larger project concerned with well-being and outdoor pedagogies. It considers data collected from interviews with primary teachers of 8- to 9-year-old pupils, who had recently attended a three-day residential at an outdoor education centre and these children's parents. It draws upon aspects of the data, which refer to 'health related education', body image and teachers' and parents' perceptions. The data suggests that not only are notions of healthy life-style and healthy eating embedded in the primary school's curriculum and in teachers' professional consciousness, but also parents are imbued with body discourses conveyed through the popular media. For the most part, whilst the teachers express and respond to policy and popular discourses on health and body image largely uncritically, some parents are seen to question dominant understandings of health and body size for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the approaches to risk that some teachers adopt when they are involved in facilitating outdoor activities. The research was carried out at a residential outdoor centre as part of a PhD study and a follow-up pilot project. The participants were primary school pupils, their teachers and the centre staff. For the purpose of this article, the term 'teacher' is used to refer to both visiting teachers accompanying the school groups and the centre staff. This research was eclectic. It took an ethnographic approach using participant observation and semi-structured interviews to collect a variety of data. Ethnography was considered as the most appropriate for this research because it puts an emphasis on understanding the perceptions and cultures of the people and organisations studied. The findings of the research have shown that, on occasion, teachers take a controlling approach when facilitating outdoor activities in order to manage the perceived risk of being in the outdoors. This tended to result in the disempowerment of the children and put the teachers in a position of power, which had serious implications for the pupils' learning experience. By giving the children specific instructions, and mainly focusing on maintaining discipline during the activities, teachers do not allow their pupils to workout how to deal with risk. The article argues that this had a negative impact on the educational process by taking away opportunities for learning from the children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional role of the facilitator in outdoor education is frequently seen as outside the group of participants, either in a position of power over the participants or detached and passive. Following an ethnographic study at a residential outdoor centre, an in-depth analysis of the facilitation process was carried out, which revealed that the facilitator is always part of the group, and that the type of influence that the facilitators have on the outdoor learning process depends on the way that they approach their role within the group. For the purpose of this paper, the term 'facilitator' is used to refer to both centre staff as well as visiting teachers accompanying the school groups. This paper addresses critical questions regarding the effectiveness of the outdoor learning process when a position of power is adopted. The paper will also show the impact that recognizing the facilitator as a member of the group has on the learning experience in the outdoor classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]