Psychology, Sociology and Education
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/14
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Item A good stick: An inquiry into creativity in Forest School(Taylor and Francis, 2024-08-15) Boxall, PatrickPatrick Boxall analyses the problematic concepts of creativity and Forest School and provides insights into practice and pedagogy. He argues that person-centred philosophies within traditions of social constructivism and critical pedagogy underpin discussions of creativity and outdoor learning and that both contribute to discourses of social justice. ‘A Description of Creativity’ is given as a theoretical framework to explore concepts of creativity and explain their significance to social justice and outdoor learning. The framework is tested in the field through interviews with leaders of Forest School in Scotland. The analysis explores the leaders’ understanding of the concept of creativity, their description of creative pedagogy and their evaluation of the theoretical framework. The chapter concludes that creativity is a significant concern within Forest School, and that the framework is a useful tool to understand and enhance practice. It is argued that creative pedagogies within outdoor learning are important in forwarding social justice and can contribute to making learning meaningful within the contemporary educational political context. Questions are raised as to the extent that discourses of ‘eco-pedagogy’ and ‘eco-dynamics’ could further deepen understanding of broader conceptions of outdoor learning. © 2024 Taylor & Francis.Item A praxis of creativity in outdoor learning: Pedagogies of making, growing, anger and kindness(2025-03-20) Boxall, PatrickThis empirical inquiry is focused on the Queen Margaret University (QMU) Outdoor Learning Hub and analyses the significance of creativity within pedagogies of outdoor learning, and the activism of leaders engaged in place-making and practicing outdoor learning. The inquiry is embedded in practice: the QMU Outdoor Learning Hub opened in 2024 to enrich student experience, connect to communities, and contribute to national and global concerns in education, sustainability, health and wellbeing. Outdoor learning at QMU is part of the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum through the creation of new outdoor teaching spaces, courses and qualifications. The hub is a centre for local and national engagement in outdoor learning practice, leadership, and professional development. Building on previous inquiry, ‘A Good Stick: an Inquiry into Creativity in Forest School’ (Boxall, 2024), this paper focuses on leaders’ conceptions of creativity, how they enact creative pedagogies within and for outdoor places, and how this is intrinsically linked to social and ecological activism. The methodology used is Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2014, 2016) to synthesise theory, policy, and empirical inquiry. A theoretical framework of creativity and outdoor learning is presented, data from interviews with leaders and practitioners of outdoor learning are analysed and from this a praxis of creativity in outdoor learning is developed. The argument presented in this paper is that creativity is an essential aspect of the practice of outdoor learning and the process of place-making. The discussion is interconnected with critical pedagogical positions. The outcome is a critical analysis of creativity that foregrounds the voices of participants to begin to co-construct an eco-pedagogy of creativity within outdoor learning. A theoretical framework for a praxis of creativity in outdoor learning is presented in terms of Pedagogies of Making, Pedagogies of Growing and Pedagogies of Anger & Kindness.