Integrating connections and disconnections with nature. A proposal for outdoor education with ecosocial approach

Abstract

In the context of the climate emergency, this study aims to provide a theoretical foundation for outdoor education through an eco-social perspective. The methodological strategy involves examining how education professionals conceive of, experience and pedagogically convey what they refer to as ‘nature’, and how the connection with nature is redefined from an eco-social perspective. To this end, the first step is to conceptually define the forest school as a form of outdoor education and to highlight the importance of connecting with nature. Next, the author discusses some theoretical approaches which enrich outdoor education in eco-pedagogical terms, such as: the posthuman turn, wild pedagogies, eco-constructivism, landscape pedagogy and the eco-social perspective. This paper, then, advocates a Gaian conception of nature, which includes relational aspects, and puts forward the thesis that a forest school with an eco-social approach is characterized by the integration of connections and disconnections with nature. The main conclusion is that it is only by overcoming fictitious disconnections, dissociations and blind spots that we can fully grasp the socio-environmental crisis in its systemic structure. Consequently, the paper promotes an outdoor educational approach that combines direct contact with natural environments through play – to foster a strong sense of belonging – with learning experiences that provide a deeper understanding of eco-dependent and interdependent dynamics.