A praxis of creativity in outdoor learning: Pedagogies of making, growing, anger and kindness

Abstract

This 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.