ERIC Number: EJ837141
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jan
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1038-2046
EISSN: N/A
Sensory Perception, Rationalism and Outdoor Environmental Education
Auer, Matthew R.
International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, v17 n1 p6-12 Jan 2008
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.
Descriptors: Environmental Education, Learning Modalities, College Instruction, Learning Processes, Sensory Experience, Perception, Outdoor Education, Undergraduate Study, Courses, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A