The Work Outdoor Education Does

Much of the research in the area of outdoor education has been concerned with the question; ''Does it work?'' The focus of this book is; ''What work does outdoor education do?'' Michel Foucault''s ideas are used to interrogate the commonsense understandings of outdoor education with the aim of grasping the effect contemporary practices have in relation to what is done in outdoor education. The context for this study is outdoor education in the New Zealand secondary school curriculum. A close scrutiny of the ways in which the student, the outdoors and the experience are constituted highlight how particular understandings and practices are priveleged. It is argued that one aspect of the work outdoor education does is to evacuate the body, despite the contention that outdoor education is a holistic experience involving the mind and the body. This study asks some very different questions of outdoor education and opens new lines of inquiry. It should be of interest to researchers and professionals in the field of outdoor education and anyone who works in educational contexts seeking to develop holistic and inclusive approaches to education.