International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education
Editors: A/Prof John Lidstone, Queensland University of Technology and Prof Joseph P. Stoltman, Western Michigan University
Book Review Editor: Dr Sarah Witham Bednarz, Texas A & M University
Editorial Assistant: Donna Bennett, Australia
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Volume: 17 Number: 1 Page: 6–12
doi:10.2167/irgee225.0
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Research article
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Sensory Perception, Rationalism and Outdoor Environmental Education
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Matthew R. Auer
Director Undergraduate Programs, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
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There is a strong emphasis on sensory perception and ‘hands-on’ learning in the outdoor environmental education of children. In addition, normative concerns infuse children's environmental curricula, and in particular, the notion that environmental education is not a passive undertaking; when one appreciates the essential value of the environment, one is bound to care for it. In post-secondary educational settings, the ethical dimension of environmental education remains largely intact, but comparatively little attention is placed on cognition through the physical senses. Among college-age learners, the external senses can be useful for reinforcing conventional learning modalities, such as empirical observation and cause-and-effect reasoning. Moreover, sights, taste, touch and other external senses are means for breaking down dualistic conceptions of ‘people’ and ‘nature’ in environmental studies, particularly in outdoor contexts.
Keywords: sensory perception, outdoor environmental education
Copyright © 2008 M.R. Auer
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