Into the Outdoors

To this point in the research, my attempts at authenticity have involved teacher representations of practice. In this chapter, taking the pre-service teachers outdoors allows them to move into approximations of practice where they are able to explore more authentic experiences of outdoor education. I examine the power of moving beyond the structures of institutions and into a particular location with rich human and ecological histories. My beliefs about outdoor education as uplifting and with an intense appreciation of nature can be traced to romanticism. When the camp is hit by rainy weather, the experiences of pre-service teachers reveal the strengths and limitations of my romantic framing of the camp. For the majority of pre-service teachers, the camp is inspiring and opens up the possibilities for learning outdoors. For some pre-service teachers, however, the camp is a revisiting of other hardships in life that my privileges have largely protected me from. I explore the implications of this learning for my future practice.