What's new

Six teachers of senior outdoor education from schools throughout Aotearoa New Zealand shared their stories in interviews, which were analysed inductively. The teachers faced ongoing challenges adopting new pedagogies, partly because many colleagues saw outdoor education as less important than other subjects and primarily about having fun. The complexities of senior assessment made it hard to formally assess student learning. Change required shifts in mind-set, and targeted professional development, postgraduate study and talking with like-minded teachers supported those shifts. The approaches generated opportunities to align with the front end of the New Zealand curriculum, promote students' holistic development and nurture cultural diversity.

Why it matters in Aotearoa

The study suggests that place-responsive and culturally responsive outdoor education can strengthen schools' commitment to bicultural partnerships. It also describes the practical and institutional challenges teachers face when making this change, including the influence of colleagues' attitudes.

Putting it into practice

Heads of outdoor education could set up a peer network or shared professional learning with other schools before redesigning a senior course around local places and cultural narratives, and plan how to explain the change to senior leaders.

How strong is the evidence

A Master of Education thesis based on qualitative interviews with six teachers. It gives detailed practitioner insight but cannot show effects on students.

What to read

The full thesis, available as a PDF from the University of Waikato Research Commons, especially its discussion of the challenges and opportunities teachers described.

Who it's for